“This is my Stanley Cup ring,” says Andy Leishman, holding up his Civilian Service Medal, earned during a seven-month stint working as a heavy duty mechanic with Canadian Forces in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
“This means more to me than any money they gave me. We were there to serve the Canadian people, to do what the military needs.”
His work, with the Canadian Forces contractor augmentation program, involved maintaining, repairing and upgrading the mobile equipment the Forces used in their patrol work ‘outside the wire’ – beyond the relatively safe confines of the Kandahar Air Base.
“You’re giving some kid in Canada a chance to see their dad [or mom] again. That’s the way you’ve got to view the job,” he said. “We’re doing whatever it takes to bring these guys back alive again.”
The grim work picture in the Northwest was part of what drove Leishman to consider taking the job, but, in the end, it was his belief in what Canada is doing in Afghanistan that convinced him to go, and to see it through in “pretty gritty” conditions.
“I really believe in this mission. People here don’t understand all the good we are doing there – the thousands and thousands of polio shots, the irrigation projects, the schools (18 of them) we’ve built, the clothes, donated by 30,000 people, we’ve distributed,” he said. “We’re doing a lot of good things there; it’s not just about war.”
Leishman arrived in Kandahar in early October last year. His work schedule was six days of eight-hour shifts, followed by one day off. He did have one extended break – 32 days back home in late winter – but otherwise, it was nose to the grindstone.
“You don’t get off the base – there’s no where to go,” he said. “You walk everywhere… to work, to supper, to the shower. It was about 20 minutes from camp to work.”
‘Home’ was a small (roughly 8-foot by 8 -foot) room in a heavy-duty sheltered tent – it’s 16’ by 32’, and home to eight people – reinforced by low-level concrete blast walls. There are some amenities – a large partially enclosed boardwalk, a big outdoor mall (“It’s like a regular shopping mall, but with an Afghan flavour.”), and even an arena for ball hockey (“They are pretty serious – they hold tryouts in the fall – and I only played a couple of times.”).
The most demanding part of the posting was the constant threat of attack, and the ever-present reality of the armed conflict.
“We were under attack alert several times… which means they [the Taliban and the insurgents] were firing rockets at us. We had to wear battle gear whenever we were outside. The Flak jacket weighs about 40 pounds, and the helmet is not exactly light. And the day I left [May 28] it reached 50°C.”
Even when that wasn’t happening, the awareness that Canadian Forces personnel were risking life and limb every day when they ventured outside the wire was with everyone.
“Two guys in my crew had sons driving LAVs [the amphibious armoured personnel carriers used on patrol]. There was real stress throughout the whole tent whenever they were out on a mission.”
Whenever he could, Leishman participated in the ramp ceremonies held for fallen service people, as their bodies were loaded for the final flight home. The on-site memorials are sacred places.
Adding to the stress and isolation was an illness – very persistent mild to moderate flu-like symptoms – which was very prevalent throughout the camp. “They warned me about it, and I got it about a month in. I didn’t really get better to the last month or so.”
Kandahar is a busy place. There were well over 2,000 Canadians (Forces personnel and the support crew) when Leishman arrived. With the change in the U.S. government, that nation has stepped up its presence in Afghanistan, so during the final few months of his posting the overall activity level was ramped up considerably.
His lifeline home was the Internet, and the 35 minutes per week of telephone time he was allowed every week. Between the two, he was able to have contact with his wife, Betty, every day.
Coming home was a great relief – he and Betty took a little vacation, including attending daughter Andrea’s graduation from St. Lawrence College. “I had to do something. It was just so mentally draining.”
“I’ve no regrets. It’s a great honour to serve this country… It really is.
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