We Joined the Legion
We thought it would be a great summer job. I was skinny AF. When I was 17, my best friend, Stuart, and I signed up for the militia, joining the Cameron Highlanders, a unit that operated out of the Cartier Square Drill Hall, in downtown Ottawa. We started our basic training in the spring and were to continue with more rigorous training in the summer, as soon as high school was done. A week before final exams, however, I broke a leg whilst playing soccer and ended up in a full-leg cast for the summer. My accident happened the day after I discovered that I was really enjoying my time in Canada's reserve armed forces. I'd have to settle for Stuart telling me, "I threw a hand grenade today," or, "I fired a submachine gun!" Yeah, I was envious. After the summer was over, Stuart left the Cameron Highlanders, so I felt no desire to re-join. And anyway, it was shortly after my recovery that I started experiencing pain in both feet, acquiring a condition that would ha...
