For this book, Matt interviewed Canadian peacekeepers who served on UN or NATO missions from the end of the cold war to today. He spoke to men and women who served in nearly every major Canadian mission, including Croatia, Bosnia, Kosovo, Cambodia, Somalia, and Afghanistan.
The interviews represent the whole of the operational experience, from training, to their first days in their mission, to the return to Canada, and re-adjustment to civilian life.
The publisher, BookLand Press, will donate a portion of the sale price of every book to charities supporting the families of our fallen and wounded soldiers.
Matt himself served as a Bombardier in the 11th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, from 1991 to 1994, so he was in an excellent position to hear unvarnished thoughts and honest feelings. I spoke with Matt about what he learned, and why he wrote this book.
MB: The common theme was the intense desire to help. These soldiers continually looked for ways to help the people around them, whether it was part of their job at that moment or not. Stories about helping rebuild people's houses, getting people something they needed, and looking out for the innocent and the oppressed were common. It was an attitude that pervaded almost every interview.
MB: The consensus was that the military was not doing a good job with returning soldiers at the beginning of the period (1990) but that it's gotten better now.
Now, soldiers do get briefings about what to expect and what resources are available to them, both at the beginning and end of their trip. However, the stigma of seeking help for psychological issues remains strong in the military. Most of the veterans I spoke with did not admit to having any lasting effects -- sometimes while they were describing both short- and long-term effects of their experiences.
But overall, the military is learning, and it appears to be doing a much better job of mentally preparing soldiers to go over, and of cushioning the transition when they come back.
The question of whether those efforts are sufficient will take many years to answer (and requires pressure on the government that I intend to help create). But the Canadian military institution has a strong tradition of learning from its mistakes, and it really seems to be doing what it can on this issue.
MB: I want people to know that their military can be trusted -- they're good people who are genuinely trying to do a good job in very, very difficult situations. The implication, then, is that the policy they enact is where any blame lies -- not with the military themselves. We should be proud of the way our military works in the world, especially when we work within the bounds of true international consensus.
I also want people to lose this idea that peacekeeping is an easy and bloodless pursuit. Although some peacekeeping missions are easier than others, the phrase "it's just peacekeeping," or expressions that liken peacekeeping to police work, ought to drop out of the lexicon completely.
Peacekeeping missions often entail unbelievably high stress and incredible danger for our soldiers. It isn't the easy, feel-good job that many Canadians have come to regard it as. (Though Yugoslavia, Somalia, and Rwanda have helped to disabuse Canadians of that notion, the attitude is still pervasive.)
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You can purchase a signed copy of On Guard For Thee at book signings in Hamilton, Guelph and Kitchener.
If you have questions for Matt, if you're curious about what he learned from his interviews with Canadian peacekeepers, ask them in comments.
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