Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - May 18, 1997, Winnipeg, Manitoba Called to duty a Captain in reserves leaves life As a reporter to Battle flood of the Century by Doug Nairne police reporter a phone Call in be spent the past to years preparing for came the other Day. And less than 24 hours after i answered i was leading a Kilometre Long Convoy of heavy military trucks South Down Highway 75, making history without being fully aware of How important a Mission i had just accepted. I am one of about 200 army reservists from 38 Canadian brigade group who were called to duty to fight the flooding red River. We were among the first soldiers to be deployed in mid april and when we finally got to go Home yesterday we were among the last to leave. We were out on the front lines Well before the first pictures of soldiers began to run in the newspapers and we were still there when the Parade was held in Winnipeg last week and most of the army was heading Home. We moved from crisis to crisis Over the past four weeks up and Down both sides of the red River from the american Border to the perimeter Highway first building the dikes then maintaining them and finally tearing them Down. It was Back breaking painful work spread out Over 18-hour Days and seven Day work weeks. But As part time soldiers it was also an Opportunity of a lifetime for us to be on Active duty during one of the largest military operations Canada has mounted in recent history. In april i marked my 10th year in the reserves but the flood a first known to the military As operation Noah and later operation assistance a is the first time in be been Able to do the Job in a trained for in a situation of that magnitude. There were emotional highs and devastating lows As we fought the flood. We saved Many Homes and we lost some As Well. I will never forget the sight of soldiers in knee deep water piling sandbags around a farmhouse near Haubstadt in a desperate Effort to save the Home. The elderly occupants of the House who stood to lose everything they had worked a lifetime for stood surrounded by their protectors wiping away tears and trying to find the words to thank them. I will also never forget the look in another Many a eyes when i had to Tell him he was going to lose his Home to the flood after we spent a Day trying to plug the numerous holes in his Dike. We Felt the loss As much As he did. There were countless acts of heroism and incredible displays of Community strength. But i also saw people at their worst when greed and politics outweighed common sense and the need to do the right thing. I was unfortunate enough to find myself in an argument with the representative of a Large Manitoba Chicken farming corporation who demanded soldiers under my command fortify a 500-metre-Long Dike around a farm in the Ile Des Chenes area Long enough to allow him to Rescue 30,000 chickens his company had in a barn even if it meant the advancing water would claim the Farmers Home. A this Home can be Nairne Haubstadt resident study flood situation from a rooftop replaced. My chickens cannot a the Man said. We saved the chickens. The farmyard ended up under water. The outpouring of Public support i experienced during our deployment was truly stunning and often came from places where i would have least expected it. Some of the warmest receptions we received were in mennonite communities where i had thought Peoples pacifist beliefs would make a virtual occupation by thousands of soldiers an uncomfortable experience. But the uniforms and armoured vehicles a instruments of War a were no Barrier to the residents gratitude. It was hard to go anywhere without getting a firm handshake and Heartfelt thank you from people who would Cross the Street just to be close to a Soldier. At times there were people literally lined up outside our improvised Barracks with homemade soup baking Farmers sausage and anything else we could ask for. We received letters from school children visits from Church groups and More invitations to visit than we could accept. People offered us their Homes to live in and their schools to Shower in. They asked if they could do our laundry and made us feel like their lifelong friends and Neighbours. Which in a sense we now Are. I enjoyed Long hours working Side by Side with hundreds of Hutte rites who travelled from All across Southern Manitoba to help with the sandbagging operations we were involved in. When we first met they told me they would never put on a uniform and serve in the army. I told them i joined the army to make sure that they can have that Freedom. We agreed to disagree became close friends Over the Days we were together and i now have an open invitation to visit their Colony. Many people have said that the dirty water of the red River has finally washed away the stain Somalia left on the Canadian military and restored the nations Faith in the Canadian forces. Based on the open admiration and support i experienced Over the past month i can to help but agree. But in moments of reflection i also know that the military credited with saving the red River Valley is really no better or worse than the military that was so scornfully chastised during the dark Days of recent infamy when the entire Canadian forces seemed to be reeling from one scandal to the next. Many of the soldiers who fought the great Manitoba flood were until recently members of the Canadian airborne regiment a a supposedly disgraced group of misfits a and Many of those still Wear the Maroon Beret of the paratroopers. They were among the most dedicated soldiers i have Ever worked with and in a sure they have always been that Way regardless of How the Public viewed them. While the same soldiers Are putting on the same uniforms and doing the same Job they be always done so Well around the world something has changed during this flood. The difference is the Way we Are seen through the eyes of the Media and in the hearts of the Public. I done to think any person who has sworn to defend Canada Ever stopped Loving this country even when the constant Stream of negative publicity made it hard to Wear a uniform in Public. In a just glad the country has started to love us again. Dong Nairne is police reporter for the Winnipeg free i Ress in his civilian life and a Captain in the army Reserve in his military life. Joe Bryksa Winnipeg free press file photo Deer Are stranded on an ice Floe on the red River in Early stages of the takes toll on valleys wildlife were going to lose animals officer says by Melanie Verhaeghe for the free press provincial wildlife specialists Are keeping a close Eye on several species affected by flooding in the red River Valley. Because water is still covering a Large chunk of the Valley natural resource officers Haven to had a Chance to assess How Many animals May have succumbed to the floodwaters but they re concerned. A Overall the flood Isnit going to be a positive experience for wildlife a said Bob Carmichael provincial chief of game and fur management. A a we re going to lose animals and its not a Happy thing to contemplate but that show nature works. People always say let nature take its course and that a what its Many people Are worried about Deer drowning but Carmichael said there Are Many More Deer to re populate the area. But he a concerned because its fawning season and Deer need to find shelter to give birth. It was a Tough Long Winter for Deer and they re already in rough shape. A a lot of fawns wont be born in Good condition and frankly wont make ground animals like mice gophers and squirrels will also take a beating from the water. Their Homes Are in the ground and they be been flooded out. A if you look you la see raptors like Hawks and owls flying near the Edge of the flood for some pretty easy pickings a Carmichael said. River Side habitat of the red headed Woodpecker has been washed away and Wood ducks will be dispersed because their nesting area is now under water. Rabbits Are More Mobile and reproduce so quickly their population will Likely not be affected. Fox Coyote and Mink will also be of Carmichael said adding Beaver and Muskrat Are already hit hard. Most people think these animals live in Twig and log houses but along the red River they live in Burrows on the Riverbank. Many Burrows have been washed away or Are full of water. There Are three ways animals die Carmichael noted through disease predators or being hit by a vehicle. Nature wont let any animals go to waste Carmichael said. A was soon As a carcass hits dry ground there will be a Hawk or something on it right away. A we wont see a great Parade of drowned raccoons or White tailed Deer in the River. Predators will say Grace and dig right in. Nature does no to waste a dead Deer Hunting season May be Cut Short but no decision has been made yet. Tim Namba president of the Franklin area wildlife association said he does no to want to see Hunting limits increased this year. A i have a concern because i know the Winter was very hard on them a he said.19 9 7 iwo 5 France til mailable a information hotline 257-8400 web site line ;