Corporal from Oak Bay gladly returns to Kandahar
Rob Shaw Times Colonist Monday, October 01, 2007
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COLOGNE, GERMANY -- Almost all the soldiers look the same inside a government airplane headed to Afghanistan.
It's as if the world has suddenly been reduced to two colours, beige and brown, and inhabited by only two types of people, men with crewcuts and women with hair buns. But Cpl. François Cordeau, of Oak Bay, manages to stand out, even though he's wedged into a corner seat in the last row of the Airbus.
It might have something to do with the large tattoos that run up both his arms. On his left is an intricate design of wraparound shapes he said was inspired by a tribe of people on Easter Island.
On his right, among numerous other images, he has tattooed the word "Ride" in bright multicoloured letters. The 27-year-old got that one after his first tour in Afghanistan last November. He said it celebrates how much he enjoys riding his bike and playing sports back home.
It will be a few months at least before Cordeau can return to riding his bike behind the Tweed Curtain. He's headed more than 10,000 kilometres away, for his second trip to war-torn Afghanistan. "I like it," he said of the mission, during an interview in the airplane's galley. "I'm an army guy and I like army stuff. I know it sounds crazy, but I would go a third time."
Cordeau was one of more than 80 soldiers, civilian contractors and media who left CFB Trenton for Afghanistan on Friday, stopping for a layover in Germany on Saturday. It was a routine Canadian Forces flight, one of many used to transport the more than 2,500 Canadian military personnel and civilian contractors in the country.
For Cordeau, a member of the Transportation and Electrical Mechanical Engineering unit (TEME) at CFB Esquimalt, the flight marks the beginning of another two- to five-month job as a welder at the Kandahar air base.
"I work on everything that is broke or everything that needs to be fixed," he said. The job includes welding repairs and upgrades to supply trucks, trailers and fire trucks, as well as work on a variety of military vehicles, such as adding armour to the Forces' light armoured vehicles (LAVS).
During Cordeau's last trip, he spent 21/2 months installing ballistic missile blankets on Canada's RG-31 Nyala armoured patrol vehicles. It's work Cordeau enjoys. And he clearly enjoys the company of other soldiers, taking on the role of the comic in the group.
Still, it's a long way from home, where he lives in an apartment with his wife, Isabelle, and their two cats. They moved to Oak Bay about a year and a half ago, said Cordeau, originally from Quebec.
Greater Victoria's housing prices, the fodder of frequent water cooler conversation back in the region, are the first thing out of his mouth when asked what he thinks of B.C.'s capital. "Housing there is crazy," he said, shaking his head.
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Rob Shaw Times Colonist Monday, October 01, 2007
Article Link
COLOGNE, GERMANY -- Almost all the soldiers look the same inside a government airplane headed to Afghanistan.
It's as if the world has suddenly been reduced to two colours, beige and brown, and inhabited by only two types of people, men with crewcuts and women with hair buns. But Cpl. François Cordeau, of Oak Bay, manages to stand out, even though he's wedged into a corner seat in the last row of the Airbus.
It might have something to do with the large tattoos that run up both his arms. On his left is an intricate design of wraparound shapes he said was inspired by a tribe of people on Easter Island.
On his right, among numerous other images, he has tattooed the word "Ride" in bright multicoloured letters. The 27-year-old got that one after his first tour in Afghanistan last November. He said it celebrates how much he enjoys riding his bike and playing sports back home.
It will be a few months at least before Cordeau can return to riding his bike behind the Tweed Curtain. He's headed more than 10,000 kilometres away, for his second trip to war-torn Afghanistan. "I like it," he said of the mission, during an interview in the airplane's galley. "I'm an army guy and I like army stuff. I know it sounds crazy, but I would go a third time."
Cordeau was one of more than 80 soldiers, civilian contractors and media who left CFB Trenton for Afghanistan on Friday, stopping for a layover in Germany on Saturday. It was a routine Canadian Forces flight, one of many used to transport the more than 2,500 Canadian military personnel and civilian contractors in the country.
For Cordeau, a member of the Transportation and Electrical Mechanical Engineering unit (TEME) at CFB Esquimalt, the flight marks the beginning of another two- to five-month job as a welder at the Kandahar air base.
"I work on everything that is broke or everything that needs to be fixed," he said. The job includes welding repairs and upgrades to supply trucks, trailers and fire trucks, as well as work on a variety of military vehicles, such as adding armour to the Forces' light armoured vehicles (LAVS).
During Cordeau's last trip, he spent 21/2 months installing ballistic missile blankets on Canada's RG-31 Nyala armoured patrol vehicles. It's work Cordeau enjoys. And he clearly enjoys the company of other soldiers, taking on the role of the comic in the group.
Still, it's a long way from home, where he lives in an apartment with his wife, Isabelle, and their two cats. They moved to Oak Bay about a year and a half ago, said Cordeau, originally from Quebec.
Greater Victoria's housing prices, the fodder of frequent water cooler conversation back in the region, are the first thing out of his mouth when asked what he thinks of B.C.'s capital. "Housing there is crazy," he said, shaking his head.
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