A Prince George man has just returned to Canadian soil after spending the majority of the year in the United Kingdom training Ukrainian soldiers to fight in the ongoing war with Russia.
Eamon McArthur is home for the first time in five months today (Friday), he was greeted by his wife and children at the airport this morning.
In an interview with My PG Now, McArthur said he had been on the reserve infantry with the Rocky Mountain Rangers for over a decade but had never served outside of Canada.
“I discussed it with my wife and children, and said ‘this is something I think I need to do,’ and the opportunity that came up was assisting the war effort in training Ukrainians,” he said.
“It was new for me,” he continued, saying many of the people who had volunteered or were conscripted to fight had never held a rifle before.
“Some of us were training on a rural station, and some of us were training in a more urban conflict,” he explained. “There are a number of different facets to military training, it was a several week process.”
He said soldiers would progress from basic weapons handling and training to fighting in “built up and rural areas.”
Please Credit: Corporal Eric Greico, Canadian Armed Forces Photo
Please Credit: Corporal Eric Greico, Canadian Armed Forces Photo
For security purposes, McArthur could not say exactly how many people he helped to train, but did say he had a part in working with “several hundred, to say the least.”
After their weeks of training were complete, the Ukrainians would go back to Ukraine to join in the fight.
“One of the biggest things I noted over there was the amount of positive energy the Ukrainian troops exuded. Even the conscripts, they were very much for their country, they obviously wanted this win and they were going to do what they could to help it.”
Having been back in Prince George for mere hours, McArthur said if the opportunity presented itself, he “definitely would” fly back overseas to continue his service with the Canadian Armed Forces.
“I’m trying to convince my civilian boss and my family boss – I.E. my wife – to let me go again. It might be tricky business,” he said with a laugh.
“I am glad the opportunity I took to go overseas was something that had such a meaningful goal.”
He said his biggest takeaway from his service was “just doing something bigger than [myself]. It is a big world, and there are so many things going on.”
McArthur’s civilian job is as a Conservation Officer, after a couple of weeks of rest he said he will be right back to work.
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