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TENILLE TELLMAN
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The last of four soldiers who departed for
Afghanistan earlier this year returned to Medicine Hat on
Monday.
Cpl. Pearce Bourassa, 20, of the South
Alberta Light Horse (SALH) returned after a seven-month voluntary
tour with the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (LDSH) armoured
regiment.
The Eagle Butte graduate joined the SALH
in 2005 and decided to participate in his first tour when the
opportunity presented itself. Overseas, he was responsible for
operating a tank while troops worked to rebuild the local
population in Kandahar province.
“My job was to support the infantry
in what they were doing,” he explained.
Some of the more dramatic aspects of the
tour are things he prefers to not discuss in detail because
“it’s just a part of life over there.”
But returning to Canada has taken some
transition, says Bourassa. It is weird to be without his rifle
after carrying it so long and he believes he has changed as a
person.
“I’m a lot more relaxed being
back here,” he said. “What’ll happen will
happen.”
He says he will take it easy for a few
weeks before deciding what he would like to do next with his
career. But he was quick to say he would do another tour if given
the opportunity.
The past few days have been a whirlwind of
catching up with friends and family, following a warm welcome home
this week.
Two bus loads of soldiers Sunday were
flown in to Edmonton with a fighter jet escort. The streets of
Edmonton were lined with yellow ribbons as police escorted the
soldiers to the base.
Bourassa then flew into Medicine Hat
Monday afternoon.
Friends Justin Young, James Moncrieff and
Scott Mastel all served alongside Bourassa. The men lived together
prior to their training and Bourassa was the last of them scheduled
to return.
“Basically, we’re brothers at
the end now,” he said. |
