A calling

Things have only changed so much from when I signed on the dotted line to attend RMC in 1989. Like Liam Wright, I attended a posh private high school (on scholarship) - I played rugby and soccer against Ridley more times than I can count. And yet when I chose to sign up for military service and attend RMC rather than take advantage of civilian university acceptances like the rest of my classmates, most of my fellow students and teachers couldn't understand.

Today, as this article indicates, Wright's experience is somewhat similar:

In more ways than one, Liam Wright is saying goodbye to St. Catharines.

Like many of his fellow Ridley College graduates, the 17- year-old has played his last high school basketball game and rowed his last race. He's sat in his classroom for the last time. Like the rest of them, he is heading to an out-of-town post-secondary school.

And he's also saying goodbye to the common experiences he's shared with his school chums, because while most of his friends are off to study law or pre-med, Wright is off to boot camp.

Specifically, he is headed to the Royal Military College in Kingston for a four-year program that will, when it's over, allow Wright to serve as a military officer.

"This is something that I've been thinking about for a long time," he said this week. "I've just found the idea of joining the army very appealing."

Wright, who left for RMC orientation on Wednesday, has so far been the model student-athlete. He averaged above 80 per cent in school and played and lettered in sports, including rowing, football and basketball, and was a finalist for athlete of the year for the 2007-08 school year.

...

It's not the usual path for a teenager. His schooling is paid for by the federal government, but it also comes with a commitment to serve in the army for a minimum of five years following graduation.

...

Wright was accepted at other universities where he could have taken a more traditional path, as his friends have, but that just isn't what he wants.

"Most of my friends are going to be doctors and lawyers and that kind of thing. But I just can't see myself doing that," he said.

I've long felt that one of the biggest long-term problems the CF faces is that most civilians have no experience with or contact with the military. We need a much, much bigger Reserves and far more outreach in order to bridge that gap. But that's a post for another day...

The thing is, this is a somewhat lonely choice for a bright young person with a world of choices coming out of high school, and it shouldn't be.

The military isn't just a job, it's a calling. It's not just an old recruiting slogan, there really is no life like it. That doesn't mean it's for everyone. But hopefully it's for young Liam.

Best of luck to him.

Update: An ad like this one would never resonate with Canadians - military service is just too foreign to most of us.



There was a time in Canada when everyone knew someone who had served in uniform. There was a time when service with the militia was valued on a resume, and not worrisome for a potential employer.

We need to get the connection back between citizen and soldier. Only then will the defence of our nation have pan-partisan, base-level support. Only then will be able to forestall another Decade of Darkness when the political pendulum swings back the other way.

Only then will news of a bright, talented, and dedicated young Canadian like Liam Wright pursuing a career of professional uniformed service be considered mainstream enough not to merit an incredulous piece in the local newspaper. Which is as it should be.