When the soldiers came home after World War II, enrolment at Dalhousie grew significantly. Though the military may not be as present in our minds today as it was then, many students continue to be part of the Canadian Forces.
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Patrick McCarthy is a Dal student studying political science. He serves in the Royal Canadian Navy as an officer cadet. Both his father and grandfathers were deployed overseas. He too hopes to be deployed some day.
“It’s a comforting thing for me to know that I’ll be in the military and that my father’s been in the military,” he says.
“I know how it works.”
In his program, the government pays for him to attend university. In return, McCarthy will serve in the military for a minimum of five years after he graduates. His work with the military takes place during the summer.
“During the school year, they leave you to your own devices,” he says.
“It’s been a good character-building experience. I think it makes you a more well-rounded individual,” he says.
“I’ve met some of the people that I know will be friends of mine for the rest of my life. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”
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Lance Bannister is a second-year economics student at Dal. He began work at a call centre, and wanted a change and to experience something different. Now, every Thursday he goes to work in the reserves. He’s currently a private, serving at the Halifax armoury.
“I’d rather be doing something that gives me a little more adventure and pushes me,” he says.
“Its hard to find something where you are pushed to such an extent. You come out of it and you aren’t just like, ‘Whoa, I cant believe I just did that.’ Instead, you are like, ‘Wow, I feel much better about myself knowing I was able to pull that off.’”
Bannister hopes to stay in the reserves or become an officer in the regular force.
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Gary Thorne, the chaplain at University of King’s College, is also the senior chaplain for all the Canadian Army chaplains in the Atlantic area. He has served in the military reserves for 24 years, and says the experience can be eye opening.
“Serving in the reserves would enrich and would provide a sense of purpose and opportunity for students to put themselves second to helping others,” he says.
“I learned our culture is a bubble, our society is a culture of entitlement, and being in the military bursts that bubble and brings young people face to face with the reality that 95 per cent of people on this planet face.”
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Bannister had a grandfather that served in WWII and a great grandfather who served in WWI. Remembrance Day has a particular importance for him.
“It definitely is our day to remember our fallen,” he says. “Its definitely a day for us to get together and celebrate the life and honour of our fellow comrades and have a day to remember what we’re doing.”
But for McCarthy, Remembrance Day is also about the present. “I think it’s important for people to remember why we are able to live the lifestyle that we live right now. And it is because of people who have put their life on the line to help others believe in the same values as us and to defend the values we believe in.”
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