Mogadishu was nice compared to Beled
Weyne. It is not too hot
and I managed to get to the beach every day. The beach was a small
strip of sand by the airport with warm clear water and killer surf. As
we swam and body surfed in the huge waves, dark silhouettes of sharks would pass
beneath us like ghostly shadows.
The rest of the time was spent packing and inspecting our
kit. Now we are finally flying back home. We boarded the plane
at 9:30 this morning, an hour early! The service on the plane is
great, a wonderful change from Somalia or even Kenya. It makes the
hard part of leaving everything behind a little bit easier. The
stewardesses had been given flak jackets and helmets and taken for a quick
tour around the airstrip in an armoured personnel carrier before the
flight and they spent half of the time talking about their experience and
the things they saw.
21 May 93
It took us 31 hours to get home, 19 or 20 of that
on the plane. We stopped in Athens to refuel, then at Shannon,
Ireland. At Shannon we were allowed off the plane to shop at the
duty free. I was exhausted by the time we started flying over the
Atlantic. By the time we landed I had only been able to sleep for
about a half an hour. The excitement and anxiety of finally
returning home took its
toll.
It took us forever to unload the plane and then customs took hours
searching everything. I slept on the floor of the bus all the way
back to Petawawa. As soon as we arrived, we turned our weapons in at
stores, then headed up to the mess hall for our 'reception.' There
was a small honour guard and General Beno said a few words and we were
free.
We were assigned new rooms in the barracks, broke
open our duty free and started partying. I didn't get to bed until
five. I got a few hours of poor sleep before the RAG at noon today. It is still unreal being
home. I notice everything, how clean everything is, how everything smells. I couln't
sleep last night, my mind was just racing in sensory overload.
I think we are going to be dealing with our ghosts for a long
time. Many of the guys don't realize just how much all of this has
affected them, changed them. They just think that they can go back
into their old lives, back to the way they were, but they don't realize
how different they are.
22 May 93
Trevor's Mom was late picking us up and he got
delayed at the hospital, so I didn't meet Mom in Gravenhurst until about 8
p.m. She was just about to give up on me. Driving back to
Collingwood we spent much of the trip in uncomfortable
silence.
Coming in the door I found a house full of ballons. Sherri had
dropped them by to welcome me home. We then went over to
Kelsey's. They had put up a large "Welcome Home" sign and the place
was full of balloons. I tried to walk out, but they wouldn't let
me. I stayed for them, but I was really uncomfortable. Every
time a balloon popped I would jump and I couldn't handle the noise, the
questions or the crowd. I had a couple of beer then slipped out
alone.
Michelle had called, so I headed up to Thornbury to see her. We
sat on the step of the church talking late into the night.
Surrounded by the quiet darkness I felt safe. |