KUGLUKTUK/COPPERMINE
Warrant Officer Thomas Mark Evekhoak Harvey of Kugluktuk says the Remembrance Day ceremonies of his high school days influenced his decision to join the Canadian Armed Forces, where he now serves with the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

Warrant Officer Thomas Harvey of Kugluktuk is currently a Ranger instructor with the First Canadian Ranger Patrol Group based in Yellowknife. - photo courtesy of Capt. Stephen Watton

The 35-year-old also recalls witnessing a couple of big military exercises, like the one when he was in Grade 3 or 4 and a parachute exercise took place on the sea ice in the community.

"I had a school teacher who was in the Forces, too, back in in the early '90s. He would show pictures, bring in videos during the Remembrance Day time period. That was a very strong influence. I was in Grade 10, 11," said Harvey from his new posting in Yellowknife.

"He was a great history teacher."

As a young man, he had respect.

"Back then it was all about World War I and World War II, which is great - I really love and respect those veterans. I love to sit with them in the Legion when we get together in the south. That's all I really knew about it until I joined the forces."

But after serving two tours in Afghanistan, remembrance is personal.

"There's been a lot of casualties that I've personally known. I totally respect that we do this once a year but me, personally, I think a lot about these guys over the whole course of the year."

Harvey graduated high school in 1998.

"Right after graduation I was on a plane off to boot camp, off to basic training."

His first day was July 29, 1998.

"For sure, there was a bit of nervousness. I got over it once the first few weeks went by. I was doing as I was instructed and I was good to go after that."

His first tour in 2000 was in Bosnia, a peacekeeping mission

"It was new for me because it was my first tour but, thankfully, I had a good sergeant that was my section commander. He had all the experience. Me being a young new guy, it was exciting, for sure - hearing all the stories, getting to see all of Eastern Europe."

Peacekeeping involved patrolling.

"I remember patrolling around a lot and visiting local elders around the surrounding area, where we were based out of. We were well received. We didn't get negative feedback. They were very well-spirited people. Good people over there, for sure."

Two tours in Kandahar followed.

"Back in 2002 when we first deployed to Kandahar, I didn't know what to expect. I was with all the guys. You're with your platoon and your section and you're all happy, you're all, 'We're going to do this.'"

When the call came for a second tour, there was no way Harvey would even consider saying no.

"There's no way I'm going to back out when 30 or so of my best friends are going. There's no way."

Harvey describes bonding with the other soldiers like a "tight-knit family, or like a brotherhood." "You become closer with the men you serve with. These are the guys you come back to Canada with. Even though you don't see each other for several years, you can go up to each other and it's like nothing's changed. It's that type of relationship and bond you create when you're over in places like that."

Harvey won't compare the two - Bosnia and the tours in Kandahar - except to say that their job on the first tour in Kandahar was to secure the airfield.

"Two different types of missions. One's a peacekeeping mission and the other was a different mission altogether."

The second tour in 2008 was to help train the Afghan National Army, part of the OMLT - observer, mentor, liaison -- team, "basically mentoring and teaching them how to operate on their own."

"Working with the Afghan National Army, I made some good, good friends. I mean, we don't converse. They're over there. Hopefully they're doing well. There's some lasting impressions that they made on me."

Harvey says the Afghans are a proud people, who want to secure their own country, do their own thing.

"They were happy to have us there with them. Basically, we fought side by side with the Afghan National Army for the six, seven months that we were there."

Harvey's posting in Yellowknife, likely his last, is a homecoming, basically a dream come true.

"I just got posted to a posting that I've always wanted, which is to be a part of the First Ranger Patrol Group. I'm working with the Rangers now as a Ranger instructor. I will be travelling to communities up North and working hand-in-hand with the Rangers."

He plans on retiring in the North, his home.

Asked what he's learned about the world through his experiences, he stresses the opportunities in Canada.

"Being over there and being back here, it just blows me away how great of a country we have here in Canada. There's so much opportunity here for anybody and everybody in this country, compared to so many place in the world trying to get to where we're at.

"I'm glad we're an example and I hope we continue to be an example to other countries.

"I love Canada."