View Royal resident Don Bernardin proudly displayed his medals as he sat down to tell us about his time in the Canadian military.
“I joined the naval reserve in 1967 and switched to the Canadian Armed Forces not too long after,” said Bernardin. “In total, I was in the military for 30 years, and I’m very proud of my service.”
It’s a pride that’s well-earned.
Bernardin initially worked as a radioman but, after a while, moved into medical where he helped to care for the sick and injured servicemen and women with whom he served.
“I was in Germany as the hospital chief … I was in Ottawa and came back to Esquimalt to be the hospital chief here,” said Bernardin.
“And I was in Doha, Qatar for pretty much all of the Gulf War. We were pretty safe there because we had an Air Force contingent there. They went out on missions and saw combat. But we were safe… except for that time when a SCUD missile nearly hit us. It landed nearby and that was a little frightening.”
Bernardin left the military just before the war in Afghanistan but, in speaking with him, one is left sure that he wouldn’t have hesitated to accept a deployment there had he been asked.
“My grandfather was in WWI in France, and I grew up knowing that people sacrificed their lives for us, so that we could have the lives that we have today,” said Bernardin. “But what I’ve learned is that not all the casualties fall in battle. My grandfather made it back from WWI, but he was never right after that.”
“My wife’s uncle was a prisoner of war in WWII, and he never fully recovered. And I have a son-in-law who was in Afghanistan and suffers from PTSD. So, I guess what I’m saying is that, on Remembrance Day, we have to remember that there were sacrifices made that aren’t visible.”
Bernardin stressed that the casualties of military service also extend to the families of military personnel.
“We forget that, as these men and women are trying to cope, their families are coping as well. It can be hard.”
These days Bernardin continues to serve others as a Legion member. In fact, he’s been a member of the legion for some 40 years. For the past 10 years, he’s helped with the poppy drive and loves to help out in the kitchen.
