‘I ANSWERED THE CALL’
Soldiers sign up to go overseas for a variety of reasons: the money; the thrill; for Queen and country; because their buddies are going. The first time Mathew Snoddon volunteered to go to Afghanistan it was for a combination of all of those reasons, plus the fact several of his family members had served before him.
He was 17 when he joined the reserves in Montreal as a member of the fabled Black Watch to earn money for school. He was 26 when he volunteered for his first sixmonth tour in the volatile desert region of Kandahar in 2007, helping Canadian forces to uproot the Taliban and rebuild communities.
His mission consisted of running an informations operations team, going from village to village with a squad of five men to speak to local leaders and citizens, “trying to understand how they understood certain matters, and how we understood their reactions and behaviours. To indicate that when we were doing an operation, we weren’t just there to kick everyone’s door in — it was for a specific purpose.”
The work was illuminating, rewarding, and for a military operation, fairly independent, giving Snoddon the opportunity to plan operations and make a difference. It was also dangerous, and he had the lives of four men in his care. This was what drew him back for two more tours.
“You know your friends are going. And you know theeight months worth of experience you had in the past is worth gold,” said Snoddon, 33, from his home in Aylmer. “I know the experience I brought to the table saved lives. Afghan and Canadian lives. And that validates the last six years of my life, for sure.”
For someone of his generation who grew up reading about conflicts of the past, especially someone from a military family joining a regiment like the Black Watch and hearing all the stories,Afghan-istan was a chance to serve his country and to test his mettle.
“One thing I took away from Afghanistan is I know I answered the call. ... In that sense I feel a sense of accomplishment. I can say that in my time in the military, I did something worthwhile.”
Remembrance Day for Snod-don is a reminder that he spent “a large chunk of his life,” from age 26 to 32 serving overseas or in training to go there.
So seeing people sport the red poppies at this time of year “is really appreciated. It really is.” Particularly because after returning from his first tour, Snoddon recalled being shocked at how few seemed to care.
“That’s the toughest thing when you come home — there’s a sense that what you did is not appreciated — as much on the military as on the civilian side. You come home and it’s like ‘Okay, now we focus on the next mission.’ ... The whole sense of recognition and appreciation is what’s lacking, a lot.”
What has improved, Snoddon noted, is the attitude toward post-traumatic stress disorders. Once an unspoken malady considered a sign of weakness that drove many soldiers to alcohol to quell the flashbacks, now everyone is very conscious of it, and “people watch out for you,” he said. He monitors himself constantly for the symptoms that can occur decades later. So far, so good.
Unlike many soldiers, Snoddon was able to return to Afghanistan and see that change had come. During his third tour of duty in 2011, he slept in a room once used as a Taliban shadow court, part of their justice system.
“If you had told me three years ago that I was going into the place, I would have told you you were friggin’ nuts, because every time we went in there it was the fight for our lives.
“I lucked out in that my last tour went really well. We really saw a difference in the level of violence when I was there, saw a difference in our ability to actually be able to leave. ... There was a lasting effect. ...
“It was a good feeling knowing you were there. You saw a piece of history.”