CAF honours WSD

Winnipeg School Division received a show of gratitude from the Canadian Armed Forces for its support of a Reservist.

On March 2, Lt.-Col. Sean Moran and Canadian Forces Liaison Council chair Kelvin Shepherd presented WSD chief superintendent Pauline Clarke with a certificate of appreciation for supporting Chief Warrant Officer Chris Hayden in his deployment on Operation LASER. 

Operation LASER is the CAF’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Hayden, who is part of WSD’s Centralized Technical Support team, was deployed as a Reservist on Operation LASER for five months.

“You’ve probably seen Canadian Armed Forces’ personnel in the news, helping at seniors’ homes and deployed in several First Nations in northern Manitoba,” Shepherd said. 

“We can’t do that without the support of employers such as Winnipeg School Division who agree to release Reservists for duty. We’re here to say thank you, because without the support of the Reserves, the Canadian Armed Forces and Government of Canada wouldn’t be able to respond to many emergencies, whether it’s the pandemic, forest fires or flooding, as well as the defence of Canada.”

Hayden said WSD has always been supportive of his role as a Reservist. 

“Almost every year I say ‘I want a week’ or ‘I need two days’ or ‘I need a Friday off’ and the division has always just said, ‘Fill the paper work out and off you go’,” Hayden said.

For a Reservist, deployment is voluntary, but Hayden said it’s important that he serves his country. 

“I volunteered to join and what I do is voluntary, but the expectation for myself and the soldiers who work for me is if you volunteer to do this, be prepared to do the job,” Hayden said. 

“You train for it, so when the time comes when we need people for domestic operations like floods and fires or to deploy overseas, you should try to do it, because that’s what you’re being paid and trained to do.”

Hayden joined the Reserve Force straight out of high school and credits the CAF for transforming him from a wayward teen to a responsible young man.

“I feel indebted to the system,” Hayden said. “They took me from a bad place and made me a better person. I not only want to give back to the Armed Forces, but also to that next soldier that joins up tomorrow that doesn’t know what to do with their life. I’ll try and give them what I got.”

Clarke said WSD will continue to support Hayden to fulfill his Reservist duties.

“People might see a helicopter landing in a northern community, but they don’t always realize what goes on behind the scenes and what goes on behind the scenes is an incredible amount of work,” Clarke said. 

“I think it’s just amazing that through this COVID-19 pandemic you can rely on people like Chris to do what needs to be done.”