By Jasminee Sahoye

It was a rare opportunity for The Camera to experience what members of the Canadian Forces do and to also to get close and personal with staffers, two of whom originated from the Caribbean.

We were invited to experience what it is like to descend from the Direct Energy Centre building from a highline at the Canadian National Exhibition last week and the person behind this is Trinidad and Tobago born Lieutenant Indira Thackorie, who is the public affairs officer.

Also playing a key role in the highline operation was Jamaica-born Corporal Chung, who has been serving in the Canadian Forces since 1989, shortly after he came to Canada.

Thackorie has been with the Canadian forces for the past 14 years and she said women in the army are treated as equals as their male counterparts. She joined the organization as a co-op student and was subsequently hired.

“I was at Petawawa doing a large concentration exercise and that’s when I was hooked. We had thousands of troops at Petawawa doing this large concentration exercise with pretend enemy forces and that’s when I was like, I love the army.”

She worked her way up even though it has been a challenge. “I used to be a shy brown girl, it instills a lot of confidence in you, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

She has been on two missions -- to Golan Heights in Israel to observe the peace between Serbia and Israel, and Afghanistan -- and hopes to go to Egypt next year. “In 2006 I was in Afghanistan working with engineers there. We were contracting local workers to come into the camp to help us develop our FOB (Forward Operating Base) . We were part of the first Canadian group in Kandahar airfield. I remembered the first day, four Canadian soldiers died the same day, I’ve been through a number of ramp ceremonies, it was very hot, very challenging but it was also very rewarding, but I didn’t realized how rewarding it was until I came back and learnt more about the mission. At that time I was a Master Corporal.”

Memories of Afghanistan linger with Thackorie as she shared what it was like on the ground.

“I’ll never forget, our first introduction when we stepped off the plane, they ushered us into a hanger that had been blown up with bullet holes and we used it for storing aircraft parts. Now everything has changed….

“The chief of staff at the time met us at the airfield and he walked us to us and said ‘Welcome to Kandahar airfield, the food sucks, the accommodation sucks and good luck killing bad guys and he walked away and we were just like, wow, we’re here and we’re about to do the business.... I never really left the airfield in an official capacity I worked with the engineers to contract workers…”

For Chung the Canadian Forces has been able to help him to realize his dream of joining the army while growing up in Jamaica and watching black and white war movies. He has travelled across Canada and experienced various cultures and people and has been with the Royal Regiment of Canada for most of his 23 years in the forces.

Even as a single father of four, he wants to go to Afghanistan, even though he has heard many negative things about the mission.

“My oldest son doesn’t want me to go over as he is very scared because of what he hears in the news and so are the rest of my kids, but because I was in the Canadian Forces for so long, I can’t cut and run now, they need all the guys and gals like myself to complete the mission in Afghanistan because our main mission there is to help the people and put up infrastructure. So basically if I go there, I would like to come back and say I have helped build a school, a pipeline…. Hopefully I will get my chance.”

Chung said when he joined the organization, there were not many minorities and he has seen changes for the better over the years. He said the job can be very challenging and also rewarding, adding that he would not change anything if he had to do it all over again.

His advice to young people who would like to have a career in the Canadian Forces is to finish school, adding that there are myths about the army, which are just myths. “It you like to travel, this is an opportunity to travel Canada and experience cultures and people and you’ll have a steady income. It is also an opportunity to give back to your country. Once you join, you wouldn’t want to leave as in my case and you’ll feel good about yourself.”

For those who would like to have a taste of the army, the opportunity awaits you at the CNE.