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3 · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, March 25, 2009 Oakville soldier eager for Afghanistan deployment QEP grad will drive supply truck By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF He's like a firefighter, getting ready to go to his first fire. There's a lot of anticipation present, the fear hasn't set in just yet. This is how Trooper Carson McAulay describes his state of mind as he prepares for his first deployment. The 24-year-old graduate of Queen Elizabeth Park High School will soon be leaving home for Afghanistan where he will join more than 2,000 of his brothers and sisters in arms as they struggle against the Taliban. "I'm primarily a vehicle driver, that's my job. Myself and about five friends have been allocated within our squadron to drive ammo and fuel to where it needs to go," said McAulay. "This is a new thing we've taken on. This will be the first time we've done it. Normally, the truck drivers do this, but recently, for reasons I'm not entirely sure of, they didn't want to do it anymore, but we are better suited to this because we work with the tanks all the time and we know how we work. " McAulay went on to note that as the truckers have no military training, they are less likely to know what to do when confronted with the dangerous situations that occur outside the relative safety of the Kandahar Airfield NATO base. For his seven-month deployment, McAulay will help carry out the all-important role of keeping Canadian soldiers supplied in the field. Stationed at the Canadian forward operating base known as Ma'Sum Ghar, McAulay's group will receive supplies trucked in from the Kandahar Airfield, which they, in turn, will deliver to Canadian soldiers operating throughout the area. "If they are doing a mission in this town, then we have to go to that town and drop this stuff off to them," said McAulay. McAulay noted the convoys he will be travelling in can be immense, with LAV IIIs and tanks helping to keep the supply trucks safe. The tanks travelling at the head of the convoy even have special plows used to clear mines as the vehicles advance. "These convoys can reach up to eight kilometres long because you'll have 100 vehicles with certain spacing between them. It's not just me and my buddy driving around out there, there's a lot of people, so at least there's safety in numbers." McAulay's military career began when he signed up in November 2006 after a friend told him he might enjoy it. He had considered becoming a police officer, but decided to put that dream on hold LIESA KORTMANN / OAKVILLE BEAVER R&R: Carson McAulay relaxes at home with his parents, Bruce and Dee Carson, and their family pet, Maggie, prior to his deployment to Afghanistan where the member of Lord Strathcona's Horse will drive ammo and fuel trucks to Canadian troops in the field. until he saw what the military had to offer. Sure enough, McAulay and the military proved to be a good fit with the initial intensity of boot camp eventually giving way to the more toned-down reality of life in the military. "I'm a pretty resilient person. On my course, half of the people quit in a 13-week period," said McAulay. "The first half-year of being in the military is the hardest part because it is not really a real job. It's not that they don't respect you, but they don't treat you as an equal because you haven't finished the training. Now that I've been there for two-and-a-half years, I'm one of the boys." McAulay went into the armoured corps and is now stationed in Edmonton as part of the Lord Strathcona's Horse, Canada's only tank regiment. He greeted his deployment to Afghanistan with enthusiasm since many of his friends had already been there and returned. "I would like to go and get it done and get the experience more than anything," said McAulay. "I think most soldiers feel that way. They want tours, especially guys who plan on staying in for longer periods of time. It helps you get promoted. It helps you advance your career along, but more than that, it helps you get experience and do the job you were trained to do." Doing this job, however, is not without hazards. Improvised Explosive Devices, planted by Taliban insurgents, have led to the deaths of many of the 112 Canadian soldiers killed since Canada's involvement in Afghanistan began in 2002. McAulay is acutely aware of this danger. One of the men he attended basic training with was killed earlier this month. "I try not to worry about it too much. It does keep you on edge. It lets you know there is a danger out there and it is prevalent," said McAulay. "I'm not going over there thinking it's going to be a party, but at the same time, I could die driving to Toronto next weekend. I'm a pretty easy going guy. If it's my time, it's my time. I will do everything I can to prevent it, but I'm not worried about stuff like that." For McAulay's parents, Bruce and Dee, the moments leading to their only son's departure are increasingly emotional. For Dee, feelings of happiness that her son is doing what he wants to do are accompanied with concern for his safety. "I'm excited for Carson to have this new adventure. I know Carson is very personable and friendly and he makes friends wherever he goes, so I know he's not going to be alone, but I hope he comes home safe and I also hope he comes home emotionally safe. I hope he doesn't see anything over there that's going to bother him for years to come," she said. The separation will be made slightly easier with e-mail, which will allow McAulay to communicate with his parents on an almost daily basis. "He may not be there every day for contact because he might be out on maneuvers, but when he gets the chance he will," said Bruce. His parents said they will continue to watch the news about what's happening in Afghanistan while their son is gone, secure in the knowledge that should the worst happen, they will be informed before the information is made public. "He said someone would always come to us first," said Dee, tears running down her face. "That made me feel a little bit better because when you watch the news and you see a soldier's picture, with the beret on the side ... we have pictures of Carson like that. We have them around the house right now." McAulay said what Canada is trying to do in Afghanistan is worth risking his own life. He wishes more Canadians understood this. "I find a lot of people are ignorant to the fact that we're even there," said McAulay. "I've had a lot of people find out I'm going and they say, `Oh, we're still sending troops to Afghanistan' or they ask when am I going to Iraq. I also find a lot of people aren't current with what our military is actually doing over there. They don't know we're there to help this government get back on its feet. We're not going there to steal their oil or anything like that. Yes, we've lost more than 100 soldiers, but that's really not that many for what we're trying to do over there, trying to put this country back together."