My Brother, A Canadian Soldier
A sister proudly recounts her brother’s selfless service to his country
My brother, Roberto Orsini, recently retired from the Canadian Armed Forces after 33 years of service. I had the honour of being at his retirement party at the Mess Hall in Stjean-sur-richelieu, Que. The official sendoff he received was so well-deserved. What impressed me most was the “Walk of Honour” where Roberto’s colleagues welcomed him and his family. I was so inspired, I decided to write this story, which summarizes the life of what could be that of any Canadian soldier, but as it’s my little brother, to me, it’s an extraordinary story.
When Roberto showed me his list of trainings and deployments I was really impressed—so this is what my little brother was up to all those years he was away from home! I will spare you the huge list of his achievements, promotions and deployments but will quickly summarize it so that you can get the sense of what 33 years of service looks like.
Roberto enrolled in the Canadian Forces in 1985 at the age of 20. After his basic training, he started his infantry soldier training with the Royal 22nd Regiment (a.k.a. the Van Doos) at the Val Cartier, Que., base. He then received his beret, with the 22nd Royal Regiment emblem embroidered on the front, referred to as his “beaverisation.” This of course was only the beginning for Roberto as he was moved and deployed many times and went on many missions. A soldier’s life is basically picking-up and going where you are needed!
In the early years, Roberto served as a Red Guard at the Citadel in Quebec City; he was deployed to Norway, and was sent to Edmonton for parachute training, bringing him to the 1st Commando of the Airborne Regiment in Petawawa, Ont. He was then promoted to Master-corporal/sergeant. This brings us to his many deployments throughout the years including eight months in the former Yugoslavia and four missions in Bosnia for a total of ten months. He was also deployed to Afghanistan in 2007 with the Force Protection Platoon.
“We did great field work and did not lose one man,” Roberto told me. He was promoted to Warrant Officer before the end of the mission in 2008.
Following that, Roberto moved to the Royal Montreal Regiment, the Canadian Army’s primary reserve infantry regiment. It was a fulfilling experience for Roberto; he learned that reserve soldiers do a lot of non-remunerated work to ensure that their subordinates enjoy the maximum of opportunities offered to them. As Sergeant-major of the operations company, Roberto had the opportunity to work with exceptional people for whom he has the utmost respect. “Those were three glorious years of my career,” he says.
In 2012, Roberto moved to The Chief Warrant Officer Robert Osside Institute, which is a part of the Royal Military College in Saint-jean, Que. It offers professional development programs that provide non-commissioned members with opportunities to develop their knowledge
and leadership at crucial moments in their career. Roberto joined that school as an instructor and contributed to the professional development of a generation of non-commissioned officers where he implemented the rewriting of the curriculum and opened a new window on the future. In 2015, back at Val Cartier as company Quartermaster, Roberto prepared for what was his last deployment, a six-month mission in Ukraine, as Sergeant-major of the camp.
At the end of his career, Roberto was moved to the Regional Cadet Support Unit and was promoted to Master Warrant Officer. Roberto was Sergeant-major of the unit in charge of morale, training and discipline of the troops’ members.
Ironically, Roberto left the forces on Remembrance Day in 2019.
HONOUR AND FAMILY
With all the missions he served, I don’t think there was any space left to attach another medal to Roberto’s lapel. At his retirement ceremony, he was given a shadow box where all his medals are displayed beside the Canadian flag. He was also presented with a letter from the Prime Minister of Canada thanking him for defending his country; another from the Premier of Quebec thanking him for putting his life in peril to maintain peace; a certificate from both the Royal 22nd Regiment for his 33 years of loyal service and from the Cadets and Junior Rangers support group; and finally a certificate from the Chief of Defense Staff who I am told is the “big boss” of the Canadian Armed Forces. During the presentation, we were regaled with a few funny stories that his colleagues wanted to share.
Throughout his career, Roberto was supported by Lise, his wife of 30 years, and their beautiful daughter, Melina. It is only fitting that the Canadian Army thanked both Lise and Melina for their patience and support. That was a very touching moment. Roberto made a heartfelt speech and it ended with him running to the Mess bar, where he rang a large bell—the other soldiers knew what that meant and let out a big cheer—drinks were on Roberto!
The military life is not for everyone. It is a selfless job, where you are asked to sacrifice family life for the good of your country and can be deployed at a moment’s notice. It is sobering to know that every goodbye before a mission could be the last one. I experienced every one of his departures and saw how his wife and daughter missed out on quality time with him. Roberto is still young, however, and can now make up for lost time with his family.
We are so proud of Roberto. If you know any veterans, please remember to thank them for their service. On Remembrance Day, spare a thought for the fallen, and for the soldiers who are presently deployed in countries that do not enjoy the freedoms that we do.
We should all be proud of our soldiers and, as Roberto says with passion, “Je me souviens, lest we forget.” n