By Sheldon Spackman

Military documentary showcases Alberta reservists’ experiences overseas

Mar 9, 2018 | 1:31 PM

A special documentary about the personal experiences of both serving and retired army reservists in Canada is being shown in Red Deer this weekend.

‘DEPLOYED: Canadian Army Reservists Overseas’ is a 90-minute documentary about the personal experiences of army reservists who volunteered to leave their families, studies and civilian jobs in order to deploy on missions in Egypt, Cyprus, Congo, Sierra Leone, Croatia, Bosnia and Afghanistan. A free screening is happening at 3 p.m. Saturday at Carnival Cinemas.

In the film, reservists speak candidly about why they volunteered, what they experienced and how it affected them when they came home.

It’s based on video interviews Lieutenant Colonel Mike Vernon conducted with 48 serving and retired army reservists in five Alberta cities in 2016-2017, including Red Deer. Also included are personal photographs and imagery produced by Canadian Armed Forces photographers and videographers, with interviewees also speaking with surprising candor about their experiences from the 1970’s through to the recent past.

Vernon, Deputy Commander of 41 Canadian Brigade Group (41 CBG) in Calgary, says the idea for the film began two summers ago when he obtained permission to conduct the interviews with both serving and retired reservists in Alberta.

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“We always wait until veterans are in their 70’s and 80’s before having them tell their stories,” he says. “So we put the call out to see who would be willing to talk about their experiences from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, through to Afghanistan and 48 people came forward and volunteered to be interviewed.”

Vernon says he was really impressed by how candid the veterans were and what they had to say, both good and bad.

“It’s fair to say that Canada’s involvement in Afghanistan, I don’t think Canadians really know a whole lot about that,” speculates Vernon. “Certainly about our experiences in Yugoslavia in the 90’s and I think part of that is while those conflicts are underway, there’s a certain aspect of public relations to keep people on-side and things like that. It’s only after-the-fact that I think maybe a more truthful, more candid account can come out.”

The film has been shown in five other Canadian cities and has earned positive reviews, Vernon says.

“The reaction I get from soldiers is ‘Right-on, this is what it was like. For me, that’s how I felt about my experiences in Croatia, Bosnia, Cyprus.’ The reaction I get from civilians who don’t have any connection like some of my personal friends in Calgary is like, ‘We had no idea that that’s the kind of stuff you were doing and that’s how people feel about it when they come home.’”

Those who can’t attend Saturday’s screening of the film can view it online on Youtube. 

It’s a follow-up to the documentary ‘Desert Lions: Canadian Forces Mentors in Kandahar’ Vernon directed in 2011.