Last month, 28 Canadian Football League players and staffers from all nine teams visited Canadian troops serving in Ukraine and France on a goodwill tour. Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive linemen Travis Bond and Matthias Goossen were accompanied by the club’s Director of Community Relations, Hannah Pratt. What follows is Hannah’s blog recapping the trip.
“Thank you for coming- you have no idea what this means to our troops.”
Before our group of players and CFL staff could even walk into the International Peacekeeping & Security Centre (IPSC) in Starychi, Ukraine, I counted at least nine expressions of gratitude by members of the Canadian Armed Forces thanking us for our visit.
The irony of being thanked by soldiers stationed in a country with an active war zone didn’t escape any of us.
As snow began to drift down on the nearly 100-year old base, Ukranian soldiers quietly watched us from afar with feral dogs milling at their feet. It felt as though we were on the set of a movie. Truth be told, everything about the visit seemed surreal from the minute I was asked – along with two players – to join “Team Canada” in spending time with members of the Canadian Armed Forces in Ukraine and France and provide some well-earned entertainment amidst the troops’ rigorous schedules.
As the Director of Community Relations with the Bombers, I have had the privilege of working with the Canadian Armed Forces on our military appreciation game for the last three seasons, and was fortunate enough to have had my name plucked to join the group.
Bombers offensive linemen Matthias Goossen and Travis Bond joined 14 players from the CFL, along with country music group, the Dallas Smith band, TSN’s Sara Orlesky, and comedian John Sheen. Though a variation of this trip takes place each year, few civilians know about it – and this marked the first time players from each CFL team were represented on the trip.
“I knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity… I couldn’t say ‘yes’ fast enough,” said Goossen on being asked to join the group.
As we waited to meet the troops inside the IPSC, the Commander briefed us on the security risks soldiers face everyday while stationed in Ukraine with Operation Unifier – a mission responding to the Ukranian Armed Forces’ request for support as they head off to fight in the war near the Russian border. Under the watch of the Canadian troops, Ukranian soldiers train for 55 days at the base before heading to the Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone (ATO) to fight for their country.
Photo: MCpl Mathieu Gaudreault, Canadian Forces Combat Camera
Our briefing included strict instructions: No pictures of soldiers showing their faces or names, always travel in pairs but no bigger groups than six while walking around Lviv, avoid certain flags and establishments if you see them, invest in a VPN because “phone hacking is a common thing here”, and do not, under any circumstance, advertise travel details. To soldiers stationed in Ukraine, these are everyday rules.
More than 200 Canadian soldiers are stationed at the IPSC, a massive base built for the First World War, which, according to Major Grey, is palatial compared to the conditions he experienced while serving in Afghanistan. Many of the more senior members of the military on this base served along with him in Afghanistan and described tents, or even “holes”, where they slept and lived while stationed there. “Wait a second… holes?” someone asked. “Holes,” he repeated, with a few affirmative nods from the soldiers around us. A pause from our group as we let that sink in, thinking of the king-sized bed I had waiting for me at the hotel.
Photo: MCpl Mathieu Gaudreault, Canadian Forces Combat Camera
Though the realization of “we’re not in Canada anymore,” really hit all of us at that briefing, the mood quickly shifted when our group walked into the IPSC and greeted the soldiers stationed there. Each player took the time to shake the lineup of hands in uniform, and the soldiers led our group to an artillery show-and-tell the rest of the troops had arranged for us. After the initial demonstration of each weapon, they let our team handle them, and the phrase “a kid in a candy store” applied to most if not all of the players.
“It’ll suck the saliva right out of your mouth, but there’s no kickback!” said one of the soldiers while placing a rocket launcher on my shoulder. Looking around the room at the players laughing and joking with the soldiers and taking photos posing with the (unarmed) weapons, I heard “I could stay here all day!” repeated over and over again.
What struck me about watching the players and soldiers interact was how this was the first time I had seen players and members of our CAF share stories, joke, and have casual conversations. Though under unusual circumstances, it looked like any other fan meet & greet. The soldiers were eager and open to show our team the tools they use in the field, and I, along with the players, couldn’t ask questions fast enough about who they were and what brought them to enlist with the Canadian Armed Forces.
The friendly banter continued as the players ran a skills camp for the soldiers while a crowd of others (including a few friendly hecklers) gathered to watch. The soldiers were eager to share information about their careers, training regimes, and families waiting for them back home while getting put through position-specific drills.
“One of my favourite moments was when I picked up one of the soldiers during our skills camp… he was shocked that another man could pick him up so easily,” said Bond, who helpfully demonstrated why hand placement is important for the O-line.
Later that evening, Dallas Smith and comedian John Sheen took to the stage for some entertainment, the line between soldiers and players blurred even more as they mingled and shared food and drinks, traded team gear for CAF patches, and exchanged contact information.
With distant family currently living in Ukraine, Matthias also met a cousin who was stationed at the base and they took photos together while we met groups of Bomber fans from various parts of the country, all eager to discuss the status of the team, moves made in free agency, and the 2017 season.
Unfortunately, the merchandise package our team had sent to Ottawa didn’t make it onto the plane before we left, and after being advised of the mix-up, I realized our team (along with our green friends to the West) wouldn’t have giveaways to hand out on stage. A quick text to our longtime Equipment Manager Brad Fotty, and I had approval to give away Matthias and Travis’ game jerseys they had worn to the base. Matthias immediately volunteered his off his back, saving Travis’ for the next stop if the package didn’t appear.
Photo: MCpl Mathieu Gaudreault, Canadian Forces Combat Camera
Near the end of our evening at IPSC, one soldier approached Travis, Matthias, and I and revealed he was from Winnipeg. With a bit of hesitation, he asked if there was any way we could send him a team flag so he could hang it in Canada House – the quarters where soldiers play ping pong, watch TV, and decompress after their day. Such a small request asked in a very serious tone. While Travis and Matthias took pictures with him, I remembered another request I had received from Head Coach Mike O’Shea:
Before we left, I has asked Mike, knowing his appreciation for the CAF, if he wanted to send a message to any of the troops in a general letter to be included with some of our giveaways. Immediately agreeing, Mike asked me to find specific soldiers he could correspond with while we were there, and explained that he wanted to get some specific information about them before he sent the letters over. “Uh… HELL YEAH,” was the reply from the soldier who had asked for a simple flag when I asked him if he wanted to receive a letter or two from our Head Coach as well.
We left the IPSC, humbled and quite frankly in awe of our surreal experience that day – but equally excited to head to Marseille, France, where we would tour the HMCS St. John’s, waiting for us at port on a two-week break from their seven-month deployment on Operation REASSURANCE sailing through the Mediterranean.
After two days of travel and a bit of sightseeing, Captain Gillis and his 240-member ship greeted us at the military port of Toulon, welcoming us onto the HMCS St. John’s, a massive ship that seemed to dwarf the vessels ported next to it.
There was a line of crew members greeting the players as we boarded, and one exclaimed “finally!!” with a bright smile as Matthias and Travis reached her in line. A 23 year-old sailor from Winnipeg, Able Seaman Kethry Janzen shared that “as a prairie girl” she was a big Bomber fan.
We were lead around the ship in three groups as Lieutenant Emily Anglin wove her way through hallways fluidly and agilely, while Travis, Matthias and I tried our best to navigate the stairs without hitting our arms and legs in the narrow gap. At 6”6, Travis’ neck was at a constant angle while I (at 6ft) also felt the need to duck through doorways. When we reached the firefighting area, the importance of moving quickly on the ship became clear: we were told the crew had exactly three minutes to get anywhere they needed to be with more than 100 pounds of equipment on their bodies.
I learned that Lt(N) Anglin is a nine-year veteran of the Navy, operating as a Maritime Surface and Subsurface Officer. She stood watch and essentially acted as head coach in place of the Commanding Officer (CO) and Executive Officer (XO). As we peppered Lt(N) Anglin and her fellow crew members with questions over lunch, we learned about everything from the difference of rankings, trades on the ship, length of deployment, access to internet, what happens when someone gets seasick (the sick bay can be “busy”) and sleeping arrangements.
While the bunks at the IPSC were described as “cozy” by one of the soldiers on the base, the bunks on the HMSC St. John’s included seatbelts to ensure crew members don’t get knocked out in rough waters. The tight space included three bunks stacked on top of one another, with each sailor having his or her own small school locker-type space to keep their belongings.
As we began the show on the ship’s deck, Travis offered up his game jersey to be given to one of the sailors through a raffle, and we surprised Janzen and Shultz with a Bomber flag to hang in their mess. Though we were all disappointed that the hiccup in our package delivery prevented us from giving away more team gear during our visit, I was incredibly proud of our players who gave their 2016 game jerseys to our troops without even a moment’s hesitation, and it further solidified my confidence in the character of men we have on our team.
“The trip was amazing- I never thought I’d visit Ukraine” said Bond as we left the ship that day.
Brigadier-General Paul Rutherford and members of Team Canada spring tour 2017, represented by Canadian Football League players, Dallas Smith Band and stand-up comedian, John Sheehan pose for a photo on the flight deck of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship ST. JOHN’S with troops deployed with Operation REASSURANCE on April 25, 2017 in Toulon, France. Photo: MCpl Mathieu Gaudreault, Canadian Forces Combat Camera IS04-2017-0041-001
In spite of the trip being less than a week long, I returned feeling a profound level of respect for our Canadian Armed Forces, having had a glimpse into their lives and the sacrifices they’ve made to serve our country. Each conversation I had has, and will, stay with me for the rest of my life.
Goossen agreed:
“We were able to see things that non-military personnel would rarely see. The Canadian troops treated us so well, and it was a privilege to see what they do for our country. Their role in protecting our country is something I appreciate even more now. Overall, this was an unforgettable experience that made me even more proud to be Canadian.”
