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Victoria commissionaires go to Afghanistan
Lindsay Kines, Victoria Times Colonist, 12 Jan 08
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For the past five years, Paul Crilly has been guarding history. Now he gets to be part of it.
The 55-year-old security sergeant at the Royal B.C. Museum departs Sunday morning for Afghanistan, where he and fellow Victoria commissionaire Howard Eames, 62, will help control access to the NATO airfield at Kandahar.
The men are part of a six-member team of commissionaires from across the country who volunteered for the one-year mission. The other four are from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Like many members of the commmissionaires, Crilly and Eames both have previous military experience. Crilly served 10 years in the Armed Forces, including stints in Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Egypt and Cyprus. Eames, a medical assistant, served 32 years, including a tour on HMCS Huron during the Persian Gulf War. He has worked as a security guard at Esquimalt Dockyard for the past four years.
The pair were chosen from more than 160 volunteers from Commissionaires Canada, a private security firm with about 1,000 guards protecting key sites on Vancouver Island, including the B.C. legislature.
Crilly, who has two sons in the military, has been wanting to get to Afghanistan for a long time. In fact, he and some of his friends had written a letter to the Department of National Defence, suggesting officials consider sending former military personnel to alleviate the burden on young solidiers.
"My heart is pretty well where the troops are," he said. "I thought it was a shame that, even though those younger ones must have been terrified going over, they had to go. And for me, to volunteer is far better - at least I'm choosing to go."
Eames, meanwhile, has a keen interest in Canadian military history, and closely follows media reports on the conflict in Afghanistan.
"These young kids that are over there - I'm not going to be anything like that. I'm just going to be in a nice safe little zone," he said. "But these young kids, they're making a mark in history, and I enjoy history, and I can be there to see it first hand."
Commissionaires Canada stated in a news release that its commitment could be extended beyond one year and more guards added. Crilly, who has a wife and grown family in Canada, anticipates being in Afghanistan for up to three years.
Eames, meanwhile, leaves behind his wife of three years, their 13-month-old daughter, and a 16-year-old stepson. Saturday, the commissionaire's last-minute preparations involved getting a picture taken of himself with his new daughter.
"It's going to be tough," he said. "But, you know, this isn't quite like the military. We're in there for three months and then out for a month. I hope she doesn't forget me - I certainly won't forget her."
[email protected]
Victoria commissionaires go to Afghanistan
Lindsay Kines, Victoria Times Colonist, 12 Jan 08
Article link
For the past five years, Paul Crilly has been guarding history. Now he gets to be part of it.
The 55-year-old security sergeant at the Royal B.C. Museum departs Sunday morning for Afghanistan, where he and fellow Victoria commissionaire Howard Eames, 62, will help control access to the NATO airfield at Kandahar.
The men are part of a six-member team of commissionaires from across the country who volunteered for the one-year mission. The other four are from New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
Like many members of the commmissionaires, Crilly and Eames both have previous military experience. Crilly served 10 years in the Armed Forces, including stints in Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Egypt and Cyprus. Eames, a medical assistant, served 32 years, including a tour on HMCS Huron during the Persian Gulf War. He has worked as a security guard at Esquimalt Dockyard for the past four years.
The pair were chosen from more than 160 volunteers from Commissionaires Canada, a private security firm with about 1,000 guards protecting key sites on Vancouver Island, including the B.C. legislature.
Crilly, who has two sons in the military, has been wanting to get to Afghanistan for a long time. In fact, he and some of his friends had written a letter to the Department of National Defence, suggesting officials consider sending former military personnel to alleviate the burden on young solidiers.
"My heart is pretty well where the troops are," he said. "I thought it was a shame that, even though those younger ones must have been terrified going over, they had to go. And for me, to volunteer is far better - at least I'm choosing to go."
Eames, meanwhile, has a keen interest in Canadian military history, and closely follows media reports on the conflict in Afghanistan.
"These young kids that are over there - I'm not going to be anything like that. I'm just going to be in a nice safe little zone," he said. "But these young kids, they're making a mark in history, and I enjoy history, and I can be there to see it first hand."
Commissionaires Canada stated in a news release that its commitment could be extended beyond one year and more guards added. Crilly, who has a wife and grown family in Canada, anticipates being in Afghanistan for up to three years.
Eames, meanwhile, leaves behind his wife of three years, their 13-month-old daughter, and a 16-year-old stepson. Saturday, the commissionaire's last-minute preparations involved getting a picture taken of himself with his new daughter.
"It's going to be tough," he said. "But, you know, this isn't quite like the military. We're in there for three months and then out for a month. I hope she doesn't forget me - I certainly won't forget her."
[email protected]
