Your Military Needs Your Support, Not your Shitposts

Veterans need to stand up for the CAF and not tear it down

In 1991, a week after I graduated from high school I joined the military and boarded a plane destined for Chilliwack, BC. That summer at the Canadian Forces Officer Candidate School (CFOCS) taught me about history, discipline, teamwork, patriotism and service above self. I was surrounded by a group of strangers from all parts of Canada that summer. Men and women. Anglophone and Francophone. East and West. All were motivated by a love of country and a willingness to serve their country and its interests. This summer changed my life.

CFOCS was a military ‘boot camp’ designed to push the individual physically and mentally. The military structure of the platoon and field taskings to accomplish tasks was designed to force you to work with your colleagues and to form one cohesive unit out of 30 or so individuals. The crucible of pressure, fatigue and serving a higher calling forced you to trust and depend upon one another. By the end of the summer, the strangers had become your close friends. It forged bonds that are unlike any other than you might know. And while it may sound trite, that summer transformed me into the man I am today.

A few of the people I met in 15 Platoon that summer remain some of my closest friends. One member of our platoon, Juli-Ann MacKenzie, died in the service of her country. Julie was from Weyburn, Saskatchewan and embarked on a life of service at age 18 like most of the rest of us. A piper, a pilot and a patriot, Julie died saving lives alongside fellow Griffon pilot Colin Sonoski on July 18, 2002. This was the ‘ultimate sacrifice’ you hear about on Remembrance Day, but for almost anyone that serves in the military, you know someone who paid that price. During my time in public life, I viewed it as my duty to talk about Julie to ensure that her memory and brave service to our country is never forgotten.

In my platoon, the 6 guys in my barracks room became comrades over the course of the summer. The youngest guy in our platoon was in my room. Mike Roach had just turned 18 and he took this photo of Julie (above) in the back of a transport truck after a week of exercises in the field at CFOCS. She fell asleep on the shoulder of her comrade as we were eating box lunches. A few minutes earlier, she has taken a photo of Mike and I on the other side of the truck (below). That photo became the most frequently used ‘military’ photo of me during my political career. We did not have phones in our pockets in 1991, so I have very few photos from my time in the military. Every time I would see the photo I would think of that summer and the amazing people I had the good fortune to serve with. I would also think of Julie.

Drill and Deportment

For a cocky kid who had never stepped on a parade square or brandished an iron or shoe polish before I had joined the military, that summer was quite a shock to the system. I was a disaster at first and needed the practice of drills to improve. By the end of my boot camp summer, I was quite ‘switched on’ as we would say in the military. I had strong drill and could iron like a champ. Despite the fact that we had just passed CFOCS, for those of us who wanted to study at the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) our training in drill, deportment and running was only just beginning.

During the four weeks of ‘Recruit Term’ at the RMC, we went on even more group runs, drills and exercises based on a pursuit of excellence. We were also expected to learn the history of the college and the RMC community that we were seeking to become a part of. Our indoctrination included memorizing the history of the buildings on campus and knowing the history of key RMC people. We had to memorize and do push-ups reciting the names of the first class of RMC in 1876. The ‘Old Eighteen’, as they are known, became part of our DNA and I can still recite most of their names today.

By the end of Recruit Term, cadets could earn the right to be granted leave and the ability to leave the RMC campus if we could pass a test to show that we were proficient in drill and deportment and that we knew the details and trivia of all aspects of the RMC. This test was known as ‘Passing off the Square’ and we all looked forward to it as it meant that we had survived recruit term and were worthy of the title First Year Cadet.

It is at this point that I must share a confession. I failed my first Passing off the Square test. Despite the 12 weeks of preparation, I feel short. I was in good company because about 50% of recruits failed their first attempt. In my case, I did not fail because of poor drill or wrinkles in my pants. I failed the etiquette question that was posed to me after I had nailed the marching routine that made up 95% of of Passing of the Square. My question was:

Recruit, when can you use a toothpick?

Recruit O’Toole: Sir, you must leave the table to use a toothpick.

Incorrect Recruit! The answer reads ‘never in public’.

I was devastated. Now, the future lawyer in me knew that I was getting screwed in the interpretation of my answer, but after several months in the military I knew that you did not argue with the chain of command. I had to wait another week to retake the Passing off the Square test and gain my leave privileges. My drill, deportment and knowledge of the RMC and etiquette of a young officer was finally deemed worthy.

Never Pass a Fault

I am recounting my personal story of joining the CAF and how it transformed me because of how disappointed I have been in recent months to see many Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces appear to revel in tearing down the institution that made them who they are today. In most cases, their beefs are actually with the Trudeau government or wider issues facing our society, but their angst is too often focused at those who are in uniform today. The same uniform that they once wore because of the same pride in country that led them to serve.

My frustration peaked a week ago when dozens of Veterans - and many conservative social media accounts like Canada Proud - posted a video mocking the embarrassing state of drill in one clip from Remembrance Day. The drill was quite bad - video below - but it was also one clip of one 10 second moment for a reserve unit full of Canadians who juggle regular jobs with their military service. These Canadians were proudly on parade that day while many Canadians were probably not even wearing a poppy. Let that sink in. We should be celebrating them because they stepped up to serve. The last thing we need during Remembrance Week is to criticize of mock these citizens. Veterans - of all people - should respect anyone that serves regardless of how shitty their drill might look during a Remembrance Day parade. Add to this the fact that algorithm and repetition of social media platforms makes the clip go viral. The video was so widely shared and commented upon that it left a much larger impression on the state of the CAF than a short video should. Shit-posts go viral, while positive ones do not.

The broadsides against the CAF by many Veterans in the last few months have not just been reserved for bad examples of drill. There have been a myriad of shit-posts on everything from vaccine or diversity policies of the Department of Defence to horribly unfair attacks on the new Chief of Defence Staff. As a very close observer of things related to the CAF and the Veteran community, it appears that there is a developing cottage industry of taking potshots at the CAF. I find this particularly frustrating because the morale of our men and women in uniform is already at a low point and the last thing they need is more negativity from Canadians who once stepped up to serve themselves. I also fear that this trend is being amplified or even encouraged by foreign interference activities, as our rivals want our institutions to be in shambles. While I cannot prove this, I am familiar enough with the subject of interference that I am quite sure about it.

The CAF is in crisis. It is facing a massive personnel shortage. There is a recruiting crisis. There were several years of morally bankrupt leadership at the top. And the CAF has suffered through an inattentive Prime Minister and the worst Minister of Defence (Harjit Sajjan) of the post-war era. If you think I am kidding or being unfairly partisan here, just take a small look at the weak political leadership that our military has had to endure.

Misled Parliament on CF-18 withdrawal

Covered up allegations about the CDS

Admiral Norman scandal

PM gives raise to CDS after allegations made

Broken Promises on Pensions and Education

The CAF is in a state of crisis at the moment and needs us not to dump on those who are serving amid this crisis. It requires us to never pass a fault, to borrow from the RCR motto. We should be helping the CAF get through this new decade of darkness by shining a light on the positive fact that thousands of Canadians are stepping up to serve their country each year, which means they stand on the shoulders of millions of our finest citizens who have done it in the past.

The CAF Can Still Lead

To counter the negativity and shit-posts we have to sing the praises of the CAF and talk about how transformative serving in uniform can be on a person. That is why I shared my story today. It is also what I am going to start challenging Veterans to do. Help elevate the CAF and restore its pride. Help put some positivity in the algorithm and into the hearts of those serving today.

There are also examples of light that we need to share. Earlier this year, the next generation of leaders in the CAF excelled at the highest levels of military competition. In the international Sandhurst Competition at the West Point Military Academy in the United states, the two teams from the Royal Military College finished second and fifth out of 48 teams from 15 of our allied countries. In one of the most challenging military competitions, these young Canadians have shown that we can still punch well beyond our weight as a military.

Bravo Zulu to the RMC Cadets. And Bravo Zulu to all Canadians who step up to serve our great country!

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/maple-leaf/defence/2024/04/royal-military-college-places-2nd-international-military-skills-competition-west-point-ny.html