MISSION MOBILE

Video duration: 2 min, 14 sec

(Shot of Warrant Officer Éric Henry, with greying hair, sitting in a brown armchair and wearing his blue Royal Canadian Air Force uniform)

Warrant Officer Éric Henry: I’m Warrant Officer Éric Henry. I was in charge of a team over there, with the CF-18s. I was also the team SAMS [Senior Aircraft Maintenance Superintendent], the person who authorizes waivers. Sometimes, there are exceptions, with, say, weapons and the like, and then we have to go off-the-books. A so-called waiver, or authorization, is needed. So, I'll go check with my captain. We send the waivers to Ottawa, we take care of little things like that. Over there, what’s most important is the personnel’s well-being. We need to take care of our men, see to it that they’re set up comfortably and that there are no problems logistics-wise and so forth. So, basically, my job is to ensure that everyone is OK and that we have all of the infrastructure and equipment we need… and the personnel’s well-being – I’m repeating myself – but the personnel’s well-being is very important. If everyone is happy, well, business is good.

(The words “Stormy sky” appear on-screen)

Warrant Officer Éric Henry: When the men went on their missions, often, we would do our aircraft repairs in the evenings and at night. We prepared the planes, mounting them with weapons, then we came up against a really bad storm… with thunder and lightning. At one point, we even had to evacuate. This wasn't long after we had arrived. Earlier, I mentioned that we had a lot of weapons: Mark 82s (general-purpose, explosive bombs), 500 pounds, 1000 pounds, bombs, air-to-air missiles, and more. Then, on the trailers... Six planes had been loaded. And, we had five or six trailers on the side. They were all loaded and on stand-by at the end of the runway. Usually, in Canada, there are too many weapons there. Waivers are needed. That’s why, later on, we had to move the weapons. But that night, there was thunder and lightning. We were evacuating while being bombarded by it.

It was the time of year for huge lightning flashes. Some places were worse than others. But we saw giant flashes just as the thunder cracked. We said to the men: “Clear out!”. So we left and traveled about seven or eight kilometers. Actually, less than that, five or six kilometers, there was a fire station there, on the other side of the base. We parked there and waited for things to calm down. You know, within a 10 kilometer range, if I’m not mistaken - it’s been 5 years since I touched a plane - but within 5 kilometers – I mean 10 kilometers – you have to evacuate, not stay put. Let’s just say, it’s not a great mix [laughter].

Video duration: 1 min, 42 sec

(The words “Canadian charm” appear on-screen)

(Shot of Warrant Officer Éric Henry, with his greying hair, sitting in a brown armchair and wearing his blue Royal Canadian Air Force uniform)

Warrant Officer Éric Henry: We found out that we’d be going over in three days. When we left, we arrived in Sicily, but went to a hotel and ate in small restaurants nearby. In Italy, we weren’t locals so, well, everyone stared at us and asked: “Who are these guys”? Then – after three or four days – one of the girls working there, not one of the owners but an employee, well, she started speaking French. We were surprised and talked to her. They all thought we were Americans. Because everyone hates the Americans but Canadians have a better reputation; they like us more. And we told them we were Canadian. We started talking to them, the girl and then a couple of other people. After that, the other days we went there, we were like family. The mafia [laughter], I didn’t mean to say mafia but la famiglia [the family].

But, you know it was weird at the beginning because we were all looking at each other those first few days, saying: “So what’s going on? Why is everyone giving us strange looks?” [word incomprehensible]. Until we talked with the lady, the girl, and explained that we were Canadians and that we were there for Libya. After that, in days that followed, everything was fine. We were welcomed. They were so used to us that they practically brought us the dishes we wanted. We ordered pizza. Their pizzas are small and thin, really thin. And, we asked the cook: “extra pepperoni, salami.” The pizza became, like, an inch thick. At one point, he came over to us and asked: “Do you Canadians always eat your pizza this way? The next time you come, call it “the Canadian”. So, after that, we ordered a Canadian and they knew what we wanted on it. It was fun. Things were good.

The first few days, we had to adapt too because, at lunchtime, everything closes there. No restaurants are open from lunch time to eight o’clock at night. We were used to eating at five or six o’clock. There, the restaurants only opened at eight o’clock. So, we all had to adapt. It was OK, it was fun. We felt a bit lost but…

Video duration: 4 min, 30 sec

(Shot of Major-General Sylvain Ménard, with his greying hair, sitting in a brown armchair and wearing the blue Royal Canadian Air Force uniform)

Major-General Sylvain Ménard: I’m Major-General Sylvain Ménard. In Op MOBILE, I was the Commanding Officer of a Task Force Libeccio fighter-refueller unit. At the time, I was also a fighter pilot for the operation.

Our goal with UN (United Nations) Security Council Resolution 1973 was to strengthen the no-fly zone, control the airspace and protect the Libyan people, using all means required, from attacks launched by their own regime.

If we look at Libya today, it’s clear that the country is still unsettled but we allowed the people to choose a future for themselves. Because under the Gaddafi regime – they were under a dictator for 42 years – under Colonel Gaddafi, they had zero options to try to free themselves from all that.

(The words “Quick deployment” appear on-screen)

Major-général Sylvain Ménard: When we deployed the Bagotville fighter jets on March 18, 2011, it had been 12 years since these Canadian fighters had been deployed in a military operation, the last time being Kosovo in ’99, if you recall. So, I’d say that my most memorable event was prepping 425 Squadron at the time. I’d like to remind you that, at the time, we weren’t a squadron that was on high operational availability. It wasn’t us who were on stand-by to deploy if there was a conflict, but because we were prepared, we were the first to leave. We deployed very quickly.

We deployed and lifted off from Bagotville 16-and-a-half hours after… the UN Security Council’s vote. When we arrived, we were rotation zero. So, what did the Italians give us? They gave us half a hangar, a canvas hangar. They gave us an administrative building with a few washrooms. And, I’m not exaggerating but of the eight toilets only two were working. So, we had to fix the washrooms, the toilets, that basic… and we had to… we couldn’t use Italy’s electricity so we had to generate our own. So, everything we really needed in order to operate, we stole from Canada. We couldn’t use the Italian phone lines so we communicated by satellite using our own satellite terminals from Libya to communicate with Canada. On the communication side, we also had to classify “secure” and “open” communications. I’d say that was the most difficult… to set up at the same time as we were carrying out operations.

(The words “Effective training” appear on-screen)

Major-General Sylvain Ménard: Well, at the beginning, obviously entering a country, an airspace, a country that doesn’t authorize us to enter, is something you don’t forget. Because, when we enter a country for the first time, and we see anti-aircraft batteries firing to try to destroy us, when we see the air defense trying to defend itself, it’s big! But, other than that, I’d say that realizing we’re no longer in training, that the ground troops are firing to destroy us and that we have to do our manœuvres, carry out our procedures because, if we don’t, there’s a chance we won’t survive. I think that was it… that was the hardest aspect. But, as a CF-18 pilot, I’d say that what had the greatest impact on me was how excellent our training is. Because, apart from nervousness at take-off, after a few minutes in the air, our reflexes and training take over, and then, we’re sort of on autopilot, and we do what needs to be done and everything runs like in training. So, for me, that was the most important lesson I learned: “Train like you fight, fight like you train”.

Video duration: 2 min, 50 sec

(The words “Leaving one’s family” appear on-screen)

(Shot of Major-General Sylvain Ménard, with his greying hair, sitting in a brown armchair and wearing the blue Royal Canadian Air Force uniform)

Major-General Sylvain Ménard: We were gone for 63 days, but it was an unusual 63 days. When I left for Afghanistan, I knew I’d be leaving for a long time and I knew far ahead of time. So, I had six months of pre-deployment training, followed by six months deployment in Afghanistan. So, I was gone from home for a year but my wife, my wife and family, had time to prepare and get support for what she would be going through. In the case of Op MOBILE, we found out the night before that we were deploying and I arrived at home, out of the blue, and said: “Honey, I’m shipping out tomorrow. I don’t know where I’m going or how long I’ll be gone.” I remember coming home, it was about 8 o’clock the night before, to explain this to my wife. My son was little, not even a year old, so she had two young kids at home, two kids under age two, and here I was telling her I was leaving to fight in Libya. She said: “OK, I understand. We’ll spend the evening together and enjoy the time we have left.” And I had to tell her: “I’m sorry, honey, but I have to go back to work.” Because we had a lot of planning to do. So we went back to work at the squadron to plan everything that needed to be planned.

I got home very, very late, and I remember, that night… my wife and I were both lying side by side, eyes open all night, again, facing the uncertainty and a deployment order that was very, very unexpected.

There was uncertainty, because we didn’t know those first few months… actually until a few weeks before returning home, we didn’t know how long we’d be there. It could have been… it could easily have been for six months but we left, we deployed so fast that most of us had no time to prepare, no chance to develop a support network for the families. I think that’s why we had a relatively short rotation… to allow us to come home. Because we had so little advance notice before deploying.

Coming home… Coming home went very well. I was really happy to see my family, to see my young children and to see my wife… to be able to help out, as a father and as a husband, with family matters. Because that’s always the hardest variable when we leave on an operation like that – we feel torn. We feel torn between our professional selves, fighter pilots, in this case, or officers, and our families, because I knew very well that I was leaving and that my wife would be alone to take care of our home and two young kids. So, I was very happy to be back. To be able to be a dad and husband, who was there for my family.

Video duration: 3 min, 22 sec

[Heroic music]

View of three CF-18s on the tarmac, in front of a hangar, warming up their engines.

[Sound of CF-18 engines with music in the background]

View of a targeting pod (located under CF-18) test.

[Heroic music in background]

Shot of a CF-18 moving forward and then turning right. We can see the number 769 on its nose and the pilot waving.

Shot of a CF-18 taxiing to the left. Another CF-18 stands waiting. We can see the number 734 on its nose.

View of a CF-18 taking off and performing a series of rolls.

Inside view showing the pilot face-on. He rolls the plane to the right and straightens it out.

Shot of a CC-117 Globemaster transport plane in flight, retracting its landing gear. We can see the word “Canada” on the front.

[Sound of a CP-140 Aurora engine, heroic music in the background]

View of an air traffic signaller from the back motioning to a CP-140 Aurora on the tarmac. Another waits behind it. We can see buildings to the right.

View of the CP-140 Aurora taxiing and turning left.

[Heroic music in the background]

Inside view of the CP-140 Aurora, where we see soldiers sitting in front of radar screens and observation instruments. We can also see an Aurora crew member’s badge on the right, and just above, a green Canadian flag badge, then the soldier’s Sergeant stripes.

Back-and-white shot taken by the Aurora camera, showing a small ship. The camera changes angle and we can see the same ship from above.

View of an office where Canadian Armed Forces members are concentrating in front of computers. Other are on the phone.

View of a grey, radar antenna turning.

Shot of a radar operator watching his screen.

View of a ship’s helicopter landing, where we can see two controllers, one to the right and one to the left, facing a Royal Canadian Navy Sea King helicopter.

View of a Sea King helicopter flying over the frigate HMCS Charlottetown.

[Heroic music getting louder in the background]

View of the Sea King cockpit interior. We can see the pilot and the instrument panel.

View of the Sea King aviation technicians looking at their radar screens. Another crew member is further back.

View of a radar screen. A yellow line is moving on the orange screen. A zoom-in shows a small dot on the right side of the screen.

Shot of a Sea King crew member taking a photograph of the suspicious vessel from the gunner’s door.

View of HMCS Charlottetown crew members leaving the frigate to board a dinghy.

View of the dinghy, with three crew members at the front. They are approaching the suspicious vessel.

Shot of the response team, which boards the ship that is carrying several individuals.

Shot of a soldier leaning over a tarp, trying to take out a box that is hidden away. Another soldier stands near his colleague. Further away, three soldiers are in a dinghy.

View on board the Canadian frigate. The officers are at their work stations and communicate with the response team.

Shot of a soldier looking inside the wooden box and taking out a large-calibre ammunition belt.

[Voices join the heroic music in the background]

View of the frigate HMCS Charlottetown in the background. A dinghy with two soldiers on board approaches the smugglers’ ship.

Shot of two weapons technicians placing bombs on a platform. An orange ribbon reading “Remove before flight” is attached to each bomb.

Shot of a pilot quickly inspecting an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. He is wearing a beige uniform under his anti-G suit.

Facing the camera, an armed CF-18 moves forward on the runway. In the background, another aircraft can be seen.

Shot of a CF-18 taking off. Its landing gear is retracting. The plane is rolling slightly from left to right.

View of a CF-18 cockpit interior. Another CF-18 can be seen to the right.

Shot of two CF-18s flying in formation in a dark sky.

View of a black-and-white image of a targeting system. It shows ground vehicles and a road. One of the vehicles fires. The picture gets blurry and then reappears.

View of an arid landscape from a CF-18 cockpit. We can see the wingtip.

View of a CF-18 pilot. On the left side, a bomb is detaching under the wing. The pilot turns the aircraft and turns his head.

View of a black-and-white image showing a target on the ground. Then, there is an explosion.

Shot of a deployed refuelling cable. A CF-18 is approaching.

View of the pilot’s left shoulder. The CF-18 successfully attaches itself to the cable.

CF-18 refuelling plan.

View of a cockpit, where we can see the tanker. The CF-18 moves to the right. Another CF-18 is in the process of refuelling.

Shot of two CF-18s flying in formation in an orange-coloured sky.

The image fades into a black background. The red silhouette of a military photographer appears.

[Sound of picture being taken]

The words “Canadian Forces Combat Camera” appear.

The red silhouette of the photographer shrinks, making way for the first bilingual credits:

Operation MOBILE 2011:

Task Force Libeccio: Canada’s Participation in NATO-led Operations in Libya under UNSCR 1970 and 1973.

In French:

Force opérationnelle Libeccio :

Participation du Canada aux opérations dirigées par l’OTAN en Libye, conformément aux résolutions 1970 et 1973 du Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies

Lower down, the following can be seen:

Italy-Libya / Italie-Libye

March-April 2011 / Mars-avril 2011.

Black background. Part two of the bilingual credits appears:

Public Affairs Officer / Officier des affaires publiques

Captain / Capitaine Yves Desbiens

Camera / Caméra

Sergeant / Sergent Gaétan Racine

Master Corporal / Caporal-chef Dave Singleton-Browne

Master Corporal / Caporal-chef Shilo Adamson

Corporal / Caporal Chris Ringius

Editor / Monteur

Corporal / Caporal Kurt Visser

Black background.

The National Defence logo appears along with the following:

This has been a Canadian Force Combat Camera production

Produit par Forces canadiennes Caméra de combat

Black background.

The word “Canada” appears with a small Canadian flag.