Article content“Some people went bonkers. Some people were shipped home. One guy found a tricycle, strapped some cardboard wings to his back, and was peddling down the runway when the CEO said, ‘You’re not going home.’ So, that’s how it was, despite never being in any physical danger.”Article content Veteran Blair Buchanan stands at his engraved brick on the Walk of Honour at the Air Force Heritage Park in Summerside. Desiree AnsteyArticle contentBattle of the Golan HeightsArticle contentAfter his time at Alert, Buchanan was posted to Borden, Ont., from 1978 to 1982. From there, he moved to Chatham, N.B., marking the first base where the times were progressing and his wife could attend the mess hall with him.Article contentFrom Chatham, he was posted to the Middle East for the Battle of the Golan Heights.Article content“I remember the heat hitting me as soon as I got off the plane, and it was February. It must have been around 40°C, but you get accustomed to it. I was a Sergeant at the time, which was fortunate because I got to stay in a building with four other guys and not a tent,” says Buchanan.Article contentArticle content“But there was no air conditioning or anything. We could hear the noise of the war in the background. Rockets whistled overhead, explosions sounded, and bullets rained. But I’d still rather go there than to Alert.”Article contentDespite not serving on the front lines, there was a constant threat of danger.Article content“For example, we went down to Ashdod, just outside Tel Aviv, for a supply run every Saturday. We came back on Sunday. On one occasion, 15 minutes after we left, five bombs went off. They didn’t want to hurt us; they wanted to hurt the Israelis. Someone was watching us weeks before and planned the whole attack.”Article contentBuchanan served in the Middle East for seven months, where he met Captain Tony Adams, a leader who went above and beyond.Article content“A great guy. We’re still in contact. He gave me excellent experience in how to deal with subordinates, and I carried that with me to this day,” says Buchanan.Article contentArticle contentAfter he was deployed to the Middle East, Buchanan met Major Peg Brandon. He describes her as another inspiration in his military career.Article content“Capt. Adams was probably the best boss I ever had until I got to Cold Lake. My boss there was Major Peg Brandon. We ran a multifaceted business with annual revenue of over $17 million. She was a great person to work with,” he says.Article content“She got promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and transferred to Ottawa. I got promoted to Master Warrant Officer and got transferred from there to North Bay, where I retired.”Article content As global tensions heat up, veteran Blair Buchanan says we are sitting on thin ice and will be in a world of hurt if we lose the Canadian military. Desiree AnsteyArticle contentTeamwork, compassion, understandingArticle contentTeamwork — “how to work with people and lead them” — compassion, and understanding are among the essential things he learned along his journey after enlisting in the Air Force in Saint John, N.B., at 17 in 1961.Article content“My mother wanted me to go out and get a job after working with my father in the construction business, wheeling cement around. I said, ‘This is not for me.’ So, I decided to join the military after the RCMP turned me down. Then my mother cried because she had to sign for me to join.”
‘Colder than hell’: PEI veteran remembers his postings in deadly, unforgiving landscapes
