the end

After a decompression in Cyprus, a 36 hour plane delay and over 30 hour plane trip back into Canada, the crew is back on Canadian soil. I have never been more happier!

We had to jump from Cyp to Spain, refuel, then to Trenton, Winnipeg and finally back into Edmonton. It was 30 some odd hours of stewards waking us up and letting us know our headphones had to come off for landing. Or, our boots had to be put back on for take off. God forbid you had your seat reclined during the descent into an airstrip. I really do not like the petty airline rules and at times I may come across impolite. I am convinced that the stewards pick and choose who they will torment throughout the journey, as on multiple occasions my knee was bashed by the drink trolley or my elbow by the meal tram. Myself, Riley and Dorner would begin our own defiance and begin pasting 3 Tp. stickers to the onboard brochures on what to do in case of evacuation. The it was the waiting in the airports.... proceed through security for the 5th or 6th time and then wait for hours to board the plane we'd been travelling on for the last 24 hours. Aggghh... frustration is an understatement.

At any rate, we finally arrive into Edmonton and the feeling is great. The paperwork for our return is finalized and we board a bus that will take us to the base and our loved ones. EPS and the RCMP provide us with a police escort right through the heart of Edmonton. Fire department crews line the streets as well as EMS, saluting our buses as we cruise by. All intersections for blocks ahead are blocked by cruisers and often people are outside of their temporarily blocked vehicles waving at our buses as we go by. I witnessed people on balconies waving and jumping as our buses moved by and couldn't help but smile. This city made us feel great on our last leg of a 7 month journey. I found myself with a stuipid smile on my face the whole way knowing that Chandra was waiting alongside my folks at the base gym. So we arrive and of course I see Chandra right away next to my folks, with her beautiful eyes scanning the crowd for me as I get off the bus. I'm pretty sure all she sees is a tanned face full of teeth when she looks at me, but the recognition is there and the next thing I know she's in my arms and my head is next to hers and a few tears might escape my eyes because inside I am the happiest man in the universe. Then its my parents turn. I love them so much and I get to hold them and hug them and there truly is no greater feeling. I have the privelage to intorduce them to some of the guys as they walk past and retrieve their kit. Fortin disappears without a trace and Maddin is gone with a flash. Rediger was dropped off in Winnipeg, however I'm sure I will look him up while I'm there in the next few weeks.
So, it ends. I will not powder it in any way. I have never been so stressed out for a sustained amount of time in my life, but the remedy is here at home in this beautiful country I have been so lucky to be born into. I'm sure a lot of guys may have changed during these 7 months, but I assure you I remain the same. I live, laugh, I love more than ever and I reckon there are many adventures ahead.
I will be put into a training cadre within the regiment to train up the next rotation going over. There are a lot of important lessons inside my head that have survived Cyp and I would not be doing my job if I did not pass them along. So with that, I will now pull pin on this grenade and chuck it into the bunker I've lived in for the past 40 plus blogs. Hope you've enjoyed and until next time......... Vando. out