Retired Canadian soldier Corporal Jim McAllister reflected on his deployments to Kosovo and Afghanistan, his post-service transition on Manitoulin Island, and his pride as his son follows him into military training.
PROVIDENCE BAY—When Corporal Jim McAllister’s son headed off to basic training last year, he offered one piece of advice: “Learn to embrace the suck.” There’s so much about training and serving in the military that is difficult. It tests you. The only way to get through it is to make friends with it, he explained.
Cpl. McAllister joined Canada’s Reserve Force in 1995 at the age of 17, in London, Ontario. This involved basic training the first summer, fall to spring weekends, and battle school the following summer. Upon completion, he was considered a trained soldier, and after finishing high school, encouraged by a mentor to sign up for the army full-time. Thanksgiving 1997, Cpl. McAllister reported to Edmonton’s Wainright Army Base as a member of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Regiment. He was deployed to Kosovo July to December 1999, Afghanistan January to August 2006 and retired in 2008.
“In Kosovo we were peacekeeping,” Cpl. McAllister said. “We basically got between the two armies [Serbia and Albania] and said ‘stop or you’re gonna’ fight us.’ It was, heart-wrenching. Back in 1999, the Americans, did an air campaign to stop the fighting, and then when the Americans stopped, we rolled over the border. So, we were the first guys in. It wasn’t without its dangers, but no one was shooting at you deliberately.”
Subscribe now and have access to all our stories, enjoy exclusive content and stay up to date with constant updates.