MISSION REASSURANCE

Video duration: 3 min, 40 sec

(Shot of Corporal Mark Vigneault sitting in a brown armchair. He has a round face and wears his blue Royal Canadian Air Force uniform)

Corporal Mark Vigneault: I’m Corporal Mark Vigneault and at that time I was an Aviation Life Support Equipment Technician for the flight crew. That is, for pilot’s equipment, between 2014 and early 2015, for 425 Tactical Squadron fighter jets.

(The words “Social involvement” appear on-screen)

Corporal Mark Vigneault: When independence was restored in Lithuania in '91, it may have seemed that everything was back to business as usual. In all three Baltic countries really… but you could still feel the aftershock, if I may, of what had happened over those many years. It’s important to be aware that this is a people that endured suffering. You have to respect them. We could see it in the infrastructure. In the areas around the capital, or a bit further out, things were still very rustic, very rudimentary. Attachment to land-based values, a result of the political system they experienced.

When we transferred from Romania to Lithuania, which became Operation REASSURANCE, at that time we had to get involved at the societal level. We decided to send people in. We saw an orphanage in Šiauliai and said to ourselves: “Well, maybe we could help them out.” You know, it’s a country where things were very difficult, economically speaking, but it was doing everything possible to keep its head above water. And, when we got there, things were very expensive because we're talking about young kids, newborns to age six. Kids who had nothing, who’d been abandoned. We wanted to try to give them some good times. For example, on the weekends, we went to visit them and brought them diapers. Those were hard to get. We take them for granted, but over there diapers were worth their weight in gold. And with dozens, maybe even hundreds of little ones there, they were very expensive. They weren’t always able to afford them.

The stories we heard over there were really hard… I didn’t think things like that could even happen. We saw a kid, I thought he was maybe thirteen, but he was six. He had trouble moving. He’d been abused… abandoned by his parents, then taken away from his grandmother. We heard all kinds of stories like that. It’s hard to believe. So, you take the time to go out there, to see that kid, who’s sleeping peacefully. You go to him, take care of him. Even if he doesn’t understand you, you talk to him. And it makes you feel better too, maybe just to hear someone else’s voice. Even if he doesn’t understand, he feels that someone is taking interest in him. But that’s just how it was for all the kids that were there.

And then… well, everyone deserves to celebrate Christmas. Whether we believe in Santa or not. That’s how it was for us. The authority figures, the firefighters, police and our partners too… we were with Portugal. They came to see us and we had a merry Christmas in mid-December 2014. We bought gifts, Santa was there, there were all kinds of activities… Take for example, just playing with a kid… you put on a small hand puppet and play with a kid. You don’t have to talk to each other. He doesn’t understand French or English…he speaks Lithuanian… but just to spend ten minutes and make up a little story with that person. Looking into each other’s eyes… that little kid’s smile.

Video duration: 1 min, 54 sec

(The words “A humanitarian force” appear on-screen)

(Shot of Corporal Mark Vigneault sitting in a brown armchair. He has a round face and wears his blue Royal Canadian Air Force uniform)

Corporal Mark Vigneault: Many things that happened really stuck with me. When you’re starting a mission, you know that you’ll be gone for many months, many weeks… and once you’re on the mission, you find out that it’s not only a tactical mission but a humanitarian one too. It’s really important that the community, the Canadian Armed Forces or Air Force, get involved with the population. And that gives us the chance to meet people. Going to see them and also getting involved on a social level. For example, in Šiauliai, where we were in Lithuania, we saw people planting crosses on the Hill of Crosses. That experience was memorable because that place meant so much to them. It’s a mountain with tons of crosses because these people are very religious. During the Russian occupation, the Russians decided to remove all of the crosses. So then people replanted them in the night. And, when we heard about it, we decided to do our part too. We donated a cross on behalf of Canada in an official ceremony involving the locals in Kaunas and the soldiers who were there. It was a really rewarding experience. And, it’s something of a Canadian legacy for everything we stood for over there. We were also active in other places too, bringing in a human presence. People mostly see us as a military force but we’re also a humanitarian force.

Video duration: 2 min, 10 sec

(Shot of Lieutenant-Colonel Laura Gagné, a thin-faced woman whose reddish hair is pulled back, sitting in a brown armchair and wearing her blue Royal Canadian Air Force uniform)

Lieutenante-colonelle Laura Gagné: I’m Lieutenant-Colonel Laura Gagné and I’m the Commanding Officer of the 2 Mission Support Squadron here in Bagotville. Here in Bagotville, as CO of 2 MSS, I lead a team of support, we are a team built of logistics and engineers. When I deployed, I was the Commanding Officer of the Airfield Activation and Search Team and we deploy, we accomplish and do the same tasks we do here. It was operational.

(The words “A lasting memory” appear on-screen)

Lieutenant-Colonel Laura Gagné: My best memory of this operation was that, on 17 July, I had taken over as Commanding Officer of 2 Mission Support Squadron and 10 days later, on July 27, I deployed with my team. It was something, it’s something to deploy as the Commanding Officer of your team in an operational zone. It’s exactly what we train for. It’s what we’re there to do and to meet my team in a deployed atmosphere, it’s really a different working environment than working here on a base or on a wing. It’s operational, so it’s a mission. The team comes together, and we work together, we live together, we eat together. We spend a lot of time, and we get to know each other and it’s a really great opportunity as a Commanding Officer to do that.

(The words “An obstacle to overcome” appear on-screen)

Lieutenant-Colonel Laura Gagné: The biggest obstacle was the fact that we were starting from scratch. Normally, we take over the NATO’s (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), we share it with our partners in time blocks for the enhanced air policing. This time, there was no one there. There was nothing set up. So, we had to start from scratch. In some areas, we would go in, there were 2-meter-high weeds. We had to remove a lot and start from scratch. The contracting, normally all those buildings, the trailers I mentioned, are already in place and they're just taken over from nation to nation. But, with Canada going in and starting from scratch. It was a very busy time for the team, added to the COVID restrictions, it was something quite impressive to come through and meet our mission.

Video duration: 4 min, 14 sec

(Shot of Captain Beauchemin, a man with dark brown hair, sitting in a brown armchair and wearing his blue Royal Canadian Air Force uniform)

Captain Nicolas Beauchemin: I’m Chaplain Beauchemin, Captain Beauchemin. I was the chaplain for the Op REASSURANCE mission in Romania in 2020. As chaplain, my role was to maintain the troops’ morale… to advise leadership – working closely with the Master Warrant Office and the Commanding Officer – to ensure that the troops are well and that morale is high. Basically, moral and spiritual wellbeing.

(The words “Team spirit” appear on-screen)

Capitaine Nicolas Beauchemin: The biggest challenge was the issue of COVID, of course. It was hard and disheartening at times. We had to be resilient. Some men and women could be more affected by the fact that, at one point, the cafeteria had to close. So, for about a week, we ate ration packs since we had to be sure not to spread COVID. So, that was possibly the number one challenge, to tell the troops: “We’re going to get through this together. We’re going to stick together. Restrictions are necessary [barely audible]. Once our bubble is perfectly sealed, we might get more freedom back and be able to use our kitchen again.”

You also have to remember that, when we’re on a mission, as I said, our routine changes completely. But this was my first mission. I also realized how strong and resilient I am. How well I can adapt to a variety of situations thanks to my job. That when we don’t see our children and spouse, at some point, after two or three months, it’s much harder to be in touch with your feelings or what might be going on internally. So, sometimes, it takes a spark to light us up again. I think the role of a chaplain and teamwork in general becomes even more important. To be aware of what each person might be going through.

When we’re on a mission, people help each other out. Sometimes, someone will come up to me and say “I have this friend in my room who seems to be having a problem with such and such”. That’s kind of what team spirit is. It’s like a finger that’s hurt and they're taking it hard and I can go see the person and maybe help them out. It works that way on the base too. But, since we're all so close, as I said, some physical problems are easier to see when we’re together 24/7.

What’s also interesting, I’d say, is the whole side of keeping traditions in the Forces. The importance of symbols, of purpose. That’s what we mean when we talk about the spiritual side. As for religion, well, there are still some people who believe. The US Forces were happy to have me because their faith is still pretty strong. But, aside from that, let me tell you that when I talked to you about Christmas parties, all of the meaningful rituals you could have were right there. So, people will continue to adapt and find rituals that are not necessarily religious but that can bring joy, bonding and strength. I believe that the spiritual belief is still there. This is why it’s important to have a chaplain who’s able to adapt and bring something meaningful to the troops… something they can use to recharge and give meaning to their lives. Whether it’s God or a life philosophy, it doesn’t matter to me. What’s important for me is to nourish and care for this spiritual dimension.