The past few years have really brought home the current affairs of the world for 3 families of the Hamilton, Ontario office. Three young men who have made the military their career gave their family the news that they were being shipped overseas joining our allies with the conflict in Afghanistan. We all knew it could happen, but when you finally hear it, it takes a while to refocus and “put the wind back in your sails”. Our families have seen their loved ones off to war before, but for most of us we were too young to remember. Here are their stories...

Corporal Frank Brown, son and step-son of Jon Brown and Kathy Senior of Canada Pipe arrived home March 13, 2012 to his base in Edmonton, Alberta. Frank is a member of the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians). He just completed his second tour in Afghanistan. In Kabul he was involved in training and mentoring of the Afghan National Army.

In 2009 he was deployed with the Canadian tank squadron. At that time he was in supply at a forward operating base outside of Kandahar moving with the tank squadron keeping them supplied with ALL that was needed; food, ammunition, fuel, etc. Life was a base of tents with sandbags surrounding the perimeter; sometimes it was a foxhole dug in beside the trucks and tanks. Frank has been with the Canadian army since his last year of high school. He is also qualified on several armored vehicles including the new Leopard tank.

Captain Trevor Osborne, Quarter Master, Royal Canadian Dragoons:

Son-in-law of Gayle McKellar and Rob Tomlin, Bibby Waterworks. Trevor deployed from Petawawa to Afghanistan for his first tour on May 3 2010, a few days after his son Dominic’s first birthday. His position was 21C Camp Services and provided support to the front line units. He spent the majority of his time at Kandahar Air Field (KAF) where despite the many rocket attacks and other attempts to breach the compound by the Taliban, he was in as safe a place.