A now retired Inuit doctor and Air Force Captain from Russell, Ontario, just outside of Ottawa, is recruited to serve as the medical advisor to the Canadian Army medical corps in Bosnia with the NATO peacekeeping mission in 1998. There he documents his daily experiences over 209 days, having previously worked mainly pushing paper at National Defence Headquarters in Ottawa.
As an intoduction to peacekeeping in the aftermath of the genocidal wars in Bosnia and Kosovo, this is a masterpiece of information and a tribute to Canadian soldiers. His personal hardships and his enormous humanitarian contributions to the local residents are exemplary. The daily activities provide ample opportunities for dry humour on almost every page. He does not hesitate to mock the Canadian Armed Forces for their inefficiency, waste, and excessive beaucracy.
He seems be obsessed with running long distances and several sports. He seems a little excessively humble and self-depricating.
One thing that turned me off a bit was his religiosity, frequently ending the account of daily activities with either a short prayer or a thank you to God for what his colleagues and not God had accomplished that day.
There are three pages of acronyms that the armed forces are fond of using. A reference map of this troubled part of the world with the many towns visited would have been helpful.
I quite enjoyed this account and will recommend it to a very senior military officer who also served abroad.
3.6/5
Thanks, Bob.
The Passionate Reader 