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Captain Trevor Green

On March , 2006, I put up a post called "Senseless" that opened with this:


A Canadian civil affairs officer came in peace yesterday to a destitute Afghan village, removing his helmet and laying his weapon on the ground. He sat cross-legged with tribal elders and produced a notepad, into which he began to faithfully record the people's needs.

From behind, a young man stepped forward suddenly from among the crowd of villagers and raised an axe above his head. With a single cry of "Allahu Akbar," he swung the blade into the top of the Canadian officer's head.
 
That post was followed up the next day with a more expansive post, Juxtapositions, including musings on how little known, understood, or appreciated the Canadian effort in Afghanistan was - among 'Muricans.  It turned out that the Castle had a connection to then-Lieutenant Green, via Alan of GenX@40:


Trevor was a couple of years behind me in undergrad but Kings being so small we were certainly knew each other, played intramurals, argued over the merits of pre- or post-Wham George Michaels and shared beers. It is quite the thing, 20 odd years after the age folk sign up, that Trevor was still ready and able to volunteer as a reservist. Thoughts today are with him.''
 
Captain Green survived his injuries, at a price of a long, hard rehab.  Debbie, Trevor's wife, has written Alan a note detailing the journey she and Trevor have made to get to where they are.

An update on Trevor’s progress is long overdue and there is much to cover:.
On July 23rd, 2007, after over a year in Vancouver General Hospital, we joyfully left BC for the hope of rehabilitation at the Halvar Johnson Centre for Brain Injury in Ponoka, Alberta. We were advised by the doctors at VGH to put Trevor in a long-term care facility and “let him get on with his life”. I didn’t have to wonder too long what life would be like in a public long term care facility. I wasn’t about to let that happen. We flew out of BC via military flight early on a rainy “wet” coast morning. We were met at the airport by an honor guard from Trevor’s unit in Vancouver, the Seaforth Highlanders. Not surprisingly, this is Trevor’s first memory after the injury. He doesn’t remember any of his time at VGH, which is a blessing in spite of some of the wonderful people we came to know during our time there. I have many pictures and have filled him in on various events and people at that time. I also kept a daily journal for him to read which he has been going through of late. He is endeared by so many of the stories of the true spirit of friendship and generosity. Thank you to everyone who visited Trevor, sent cards, gifts and even prayers for him. He tells me he plans to respond to every one “in the fullness of time”.

 
If you'd like some good news and a good saga of True Grit, go to Alan's place and read the update on Trevor's progress, and meet a man who stood tall, but just as importantly, the woman who helps him stand - she really doesn't appear in the story, directly, because she suffuses it.  She's everywhere, yet mentioned nowhere.  Captain Green has gotten lots of support, and "Well dones!" and helping hands.

I'm going to take Alan's role, and be the contrarian of sorts.

Well done, Debbie.  You are a shining point of light.

3 Comments

Indeed she is.  They are both amazing examples to us all.  We toss around the word "hero" a lot and often with good reason. These two, however, go beyond that in my mind.  By the way, what isn't mentioned is that he is now able to have a beer. A care package of appropriately swell-egant brews was sent in time for his birthday a few weeks ago.
 
As ever, Alan, you cover *all* the important bases.

You dripped syrup on your tie, btw...
 
They sure have been through a lot.  Good to see such postive results from it too.