(Pictured above: Corporal Justin Perry takes a question Monday at Benson Public School about his experiences as a reservist fighting in Afghanistan. The member of the Brockville Rifles reserve regiment served with the Royal Canadian Regiment in Afghanistan from September 2008 to May 2009.)
(Cardinal) – Corporal Justin Perry returned to school this week after returning from war.
The 20-year-old Cardinal native told 30 students at Benson Public School Monday about his recent nine-month deployment to Afghanistan and how it changed his life. The former Benson student served with the 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment (RCRs) at Forward Operating Base Wilson – a Canadian outpost in the Zhari-Panjwai area of Kandahar in Afghanistan.
From September 2008 – May 2009 he was at the sharp end of the stick in Afghanistan, conducting patrols in search-and-destroy missions to root out the Taliban enemy. Like other soldiers, he also braved the possibility that the light armoured vehicles that carried him could fall prey to booby traps laid in the roads by their foe.
Back home from the war, he said the experience has taught him to appreciate Canada and not to sweat the small stuff.
“You appreciate the little things and don’t stress as much,” said Perry, a member of the Brockville Rifles reserve regiment. “You appreciate everything. When you’re going down a street you don’t have to scan the side of the road for anything suspicious. You don’t have to scan the crowd when you’re walking down the street.”
He explained to the grades 3-6 students the difference in lifestyles between what they enjoy in Canada and what the majority of the Afghan people living in rural areas experience. Many Afghanis don’t have electricity or running water in the rural regions of the country. While there is some electrical service, it is usually reserved for the mosques so that the Muslim faithful can attend prayer sessions.
A morning shower is a luxury in most parts of the country. Many Afghanis have to walk to get their water from a communal wadi.
He also discussed some of the cultural differences between Canadian society and Afghan society. He showed the students a burqa - the head-to-toe covering that Afghan women had to wear under the Taliban. Many families still require female members to wear them. Indeed, he told students that in some of the stricter northern areas of the country if a woman fails to wear her burqa she could be stoned or killed.
Children were also intrigued by the military gear Perry brought for them to see including his flak jacket, his combat shirt and hat, and sleeping bag, as well as an example of a sweat jacket worn by an Afghan police unit.
Students such as Erin Rylands said they enjoyed hearing about the different lifestyle in Afghanistan.
“I thought it was interesting to learn that many people in Afghanistan don’t have electricity and have to walk a long way just to get water,” she said. “It must be a hard place to live in.”
While Perry said he enjoys being back home, he plans a return to full-time military life. He has chosen the military as a career and will soon be a member of the regular forces with the 1st Battalion of the RCRs. He hopes to redeploy for a second tour of duty next April.
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For more information, please call:
Hedy Gutman
Vice-Principal
Benson Public School
613-657-3095
Posted November 11, 2009