THE BATTLEFORDS — Brian Picard served 26 years in the Canadian Armed Forces from 1985 to 2011. He worked as a vehicle technician and served at several bases across Canada. Picard completed two tours overseas — in Kosovo from 1999 to 2000, and in Afghanistan in 2008. He retired from Edmonton with the rank of Master Warrant Officer.
Picard said he returned home with PTSD, mainly from his time in Kosovo. As he rose through the ranks, his role changed from hands-on work in a workshop to leadership and discipline. As company sergeant major, his focus became managing soldiers, discipline and planning movements.
In Kosovo, Picard witnessed the aftermath of ethnic conflict under Serbian general Slobodan Milošević. NATO forces intervened, and part of the mission involved recovering and identifying bodies from mass graves.
“It was hard work,” he said. “A lot of those countries didn’t keep records, so it was tough to know who people were.”
In Afghanistan, Picard served with the operational mentor liaison team (OMLT), training the Afghan National Army to maintain vehicles and run workshops. Every day he left base to meet his interpreter and travel through dangerous areas such as Sniper Alley, where improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were a constant threat. His base came under rocket attack 67 times during his tour.
While in Afghanistan, Picard saw Canada help build schools and provide security, allowing girls to attend school for the first time in years.
“We left behind educated people who could challenge the Taliban’s lies,” he said. “The Taliban hated that.”
He noted that in 2008, 75 per cent of Afghans couldn’t read or write, but by the time Canadians left, that number dropped to about 50 per cent.
“We made gains,” he said.
On what Remembrance Day means to him, Picard said, “It means we can walk, talk and not worry about land mines. Our forefathers fought to keep the bad people away. It’s better to fight the fight there than have it come here.”
He added that he holds close the memory of all who served in conflicts like the Balkans, Iraq, Somalia, Kosovo and Afghanistan — where 158 Canadians lost their lives.
“When I hear Amazing Grace, it’s hard,” he said emotionally. “That’s the song they played at ramp ceremonies when the coffins were loaded on the planes.”
Picard believes every war starts the same way — “someone wants something you have and doesn’t want to pay for it.”
Now living in the Battlefords with his wife Marlene, Picard serves as vice president of the Royal Canadian Legion Battlefords Branch #9 and is involved with The Rolling Barrage, a coast-to-coast motorcycle ride raising awareness for PTSD. Around Remembrance Day, he visits schools, scout troops and churches, speaking about the meaning of service and sacrifice. He is also leading this year’s parade in Battleford.
Picard said legions were first created for soldiers to connect with others who understood what they had been through and to quietly share information when needed. “They were their own medicine,” he said.
Today, he wants legions to feel more welcoming to modern veterans. “There’s only one Legion, but many branches” he said.
