you are pretty in legs and well
after spending 30 years in the
Canadian Armed Forces
I get a deep feeling
humility but also a lot of
guilt for not having been in
able to support the
populations in need that I have
met but before talking
with you the Gregorian captain is going to
turn into louis and I’ll go
speak as a civilian that
I am today
at least you did so my last
deployment in afghanistan as of
March 2009 was an experience
unforgettable
I had the chance to act as a coach
for an Afghan infantry company
composed of seventy men
this experience was quite
similar to that which had been
carried out in 1916 1918 by an officer
British liaison that had led
the Arab revolt
this British liaison officer whose
strategies and tactics are
always taught in some
military colleges had been
performed by the actor Peter O’toole
in the 1960 film lawrence of arabia
and 2 for those with hair
white like me gray white
remember this film had won
had reported this ace because today
I’m not here to revive because
of course I want to share with you
for the next few minutes
the open-mindedness that this
amazing Afghan people meuh meuh
quickly transmitted on the photo you
see an advanced operational base
it was my operational base
advanced located in the plan to play in
afghanistan should of the river
arghandab this this base did not measure
only 150 m by 200 250 meters and
we were eight Canadians with our
seventy Afghan soldiers and one
lived in harmony
Well, there are times in Quebec that
are easy to make
but in Afghanistan it’s practically
impossible or very very difficult I
take as an example go to distribute
school supplies in a school
which is actually the schools close to
my spice and this experience this
operation the other ask all the
the company’s workforce required
move to the small school and
form a security perimeter of
300 m I’ll visualize you before
go back to school before you go
at school was sixty sixty
people who make a perimeter of 300
meters to protect us for the
a few moments we had to
deliver school supplies or
teachers and be careful not to
bring pencil and paper with the
Canada logo for not that the poor
professor surface threatened with death
again by the insurgents who
was circulating in the area
we often talk about Quebec
road transport problems
we talk about the potholes that make the
first pages in the newspapers
spring is well in afghanistan your
auto vote little full appointment in
a pothole
believe it or not
several roads are still mined and
still explosive devices under the soul
welts be a few of them either well
heard and his strength
people the poor people
who have vehicles there are many
to build paths
parallels of parallel roads for
avoid hazards in my area to
me and well in people were circulating
frequently in the bed of the river
arghandab to avoid these dangers
I did, of course, a lot of
a lot of patrol and operations
in the bread to play and I carried
often tension foodstuffs
which is on sale in the bazaars and I
can you confirm had clearly
enough in my base fetish off
also there was a pharmacy that
only took the name and out of respect
at the musée du Maine I do not have any in
measured
take a picture I took a lot
photos but not my pharmacy on
shelves thanks to them they lined up
flat jars have roots
weapons or plants pieces of
motorcycles and of course maps
of call the air we breathe in
Afghanistan is pretty unhealthy
by the way in 2004 while I was at
Kabul we actually had them
medical technicians had done
tests and the rate of fecal matter
was incredibly high I can
you confirm that you can not
and in a person of 40 years recalls
double here in canada in january
eight viviers east very quickly and I speak
also malnutrition time is theirs
well we often see in Zambians
horizontal distri in their teeth that
recalls this malnutrition
the precious gift of drinking water
makes sense in afghanistan in
this semi-desert country where the
temperatures will spend the most 40
celsius in the middle of july water
is also that the water is pumped the
minina streams tasks that carries
the name of wadi and she will be strained toward
knowingly by farmers that they
are waiting for him who are actually going there
separated by their petals whose
farmers have div lions
there are beaches in race so to speak
and they will even used violence for
take ownership of this water
I had pictures but I do not want them
brought from his life so I had in
March the children 1 are going to go well
heard from the rocket several times by
day in oil containers
recycled plant and then they go the
door at home for cooking or
for to leave it of course and we
does not drink cold water in afghanistan the
only water the only water that can be
refreshed and put in teeth of
children in terracotta jugs
that he was going to be glued to
the outside is an old thing of the
mesopotamia so not cold footage
is back in the big cities
like kandahar you are not sure no
more to see the precious liquid flow
by turning the faucet handle because
that just like in the fields
to the wolf is this name will not have restored
and directed to the different
neighborhoods
Afghan never had the gift
of peace for thousands of years
impossible days off the day
leave to lean on Friday here
who’s called mans in afghanistan is
possible to shop in a
bazaar without fear of being victims of a
terrorist attack
the atmosphere is oppressive
very heavy already moves like
animal design stalking the eye
stealthy
the movements are fast here and
which you see already amputated yet who
reminds us of all this violence
who is trying to make his way in
this teeming mass and then
behind some police stations
found again heaps of sheets
blackened rusty who who was who
were actually car bombs
who did their destructive work and
we Canadian soldiers how do
fate in all this violence
well we are dehumanizing ourselves
we are dehumanizing we are forgetting who
we are we forget tomorrow we
forget about our projects we forget our
body our family we have to keep
the focus absolutely on the mission
we develop hypervigilance
united think vigilance that saved me the
lives many times in afghanistan but
that destroys my life in canada and we
commits disproportionate acts
to this violence instead of bumping into
a door to go talk with the
people see the fuck up we’ll shoot
rv to fire on on jacks
on guardians with army that protects
poor road workers
farmer who will be caught
with a diesel jerry khan going to get
immediately be accused of being a
terrorist who make bombs
artisanal because diesel is used to
make explosives the bar my god on
imagines imaginary enemies
will fire on enemies who
there
we will not recover our displacements
on foot which are safe because
often we are not necessarily in
contact with the enemy and we will cover
that smoke shells from the artillery
practically serves absolutely nothing and
what about our convoys who does the too
often live it and that adds stress
additional to all this chaos that these
poor people the living water and well the
medial you take away what they
wanted to bring you or what he
could take you away we forgot
the little everyday gestures
bring risk to his life to bring
some paper pencils in my body
when I live is especially my
little happiness that I put well embarrasses me
I was bringing in actually I was giving the
then sell to my Afghan commander
who would buy them sandals from
treats or even paper pencil can
not and it made me feel good
beyond being able to bring him a small
little happiness
what was my surprise in 2011
I read an article I read an article I
protested on the internet and we told
that the 1st battle group
Royal Battalion 22nd Regiment had
received a mission to protect a
work team that had for
mission to make asphalt the
dangerous high ayana for those who have
seen the movie
and when the soldiers went
approached my little village of
mougins and well the children we were at
the meeting of these soldiers for their
mean to demonstrate to what
place explosive devices had
been arranged for them
so my heart of green ch beat a
again that’s me because it was
children actually were my
grandchildren of mouchan that I had
met that I had brought a small
little happiness the return to canada is
excessively difficult because we did not
more his place neither in afghanistan nor in
canada in my heart me it was
even more difficult especially
when my little girl had told me I
know that you’re my dad but I’m
remind more time no
so I just wanted to invite you
to think today that we do not have
need to risk his life for for
postpone all these little touches
that brings a little happiness to people
who really need it
I take as an example in Quebec that has
disorganized those who provide who
gives who offers breakfast to
children who incredibly have
it’s unbelievable to believe in
water cannons yeah to quebec in the
city of quebec and children who
were going to school who were aiming
lunch then there are organists this
that provide young people and their
grandchildren
so these are in my opinion bodies
are very very heavy angels to bhl you
also you surely have to wear these
small gestures to help people who
are in need and I invite you
also to think about what
you can do to help our
population that often reaches us
thank you very much
[Applause]
”
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