Dear CFL Fans:
I had an amazing experience yesterday I want to share with you, one that filled me with respect for some very special Canadians.
I got a tiny, but invigorating taste of what life is like in Canada’s military, as one of 60 Canadian CEO’s invited by the Department of National Defence to join the Canadian Forces for a day.
We donned combat fatigues at sunrise, flew out of CFB Downsview here in Toronto on a C130 Hercules, and went through a full day of manouvres at CFB Petawawa
By the end of the day, I had flown in a combat helicopter, learned to drive a troop carrier, fired a round from the inside of a tank, simulated a parachute jump by launching myself off a 32 foot high tower, learned about urban warfare and fired a machine gun, rifle and pistol.
Most importantly, I had the enormous privilege of meeting several of the young men and women stationed there; Canadians who have been deployed around the world and some who may soon be deployed in Afghanistan, where the manouvres, the fighting, and the risks are, of course, very real.
This is what I take away from the experience:
• These young Canadians are very impressive. By the end of just one day of “pretend”, I and my fellow business types, all of whom considered themselves to be in decent physical shape, were sore, exhausted, and humbled – and we were obviously not dealing with the emotional stress of being a real life soldier in a real situation. It chokes me up to think of the resolve and courage it must take to do all of this, for real, so far from home and in such a dangerous situation, on behalf of the rest of us Canadians.
• Our troops are incredible athletes. It takes strength, agility, speed, calm in the face of pressure, and a whole lot of intestinal fortitude to do what they do. I think some of them could stack up against our players. I’d love to invite some of these folks to the CFL evaluation camp next spring to see how they fare alongside professional athletes when it comes to the 40-yard dash or vertical leap or bench press. Or I’d like to put some of the CFL’s best through these military manouvres – in full combat gear. I’m sure our guys would love the opportunity, and would be the first to acknowledge that it would put football training camps into a new perspective.
• I’m prouder than ever of the long association between our league and our troops and veterans. Everyone sees our proud Mounties bring the Grey Cup onto the field every November. But not everyone knows that it’s often the Department of National Defence that delivers the Grey Cup to the host city, or that local troops often help us with the enormous amount of work that needs to be done to prepare a stadium for the big game and the immense half-time that goes with it. Last year, we partnered with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Montreal Alouettes alumni to take the Grey Cup to a Montreal veterans’ hospital, something we want to do again in Calgary this November.
• And I feel very honoured to be part of the CFL, because of the role the Grey Cup itself has played in bolstering our troops over the decades. It visited our troops in Afghanistan last year. I’m hopeful it can make a return visit soon. And, of course, the Grey Cup was contested exclusively by service teams from 1942 to 1944. One of my predecessors as CFL Commissioner, Jake Gaudaur, was one of the players who helped the R.C.A.F. Hurricanes defeat the Winnipeg R.C.A.F. Bombers 8-5 to win the 1942 Grey Cup.
I couldn’t help but think about that yesterday, about what that generation did for Canada so future generations, like mine, could have so many opportunities, in a country characterized by peace, order, and governments elected by the people. And then I thought about what this generation of soldiers is doing right now for Canada, so you and I can enjoy our way of life, including our upcoming CFL season, as safe and as sheltered as is possible in today’s world.
I know I’ll be thinking of them on Canada Day, when we play the national anthem, just before the first kickoff of 2009.
I hope you join me, in that.
Mark
