Chronicle Journal - Stories -

More Links	tbayjobline	TbayWeddings	Play Games!	^New! eVents Calendar	Advertise with Us	Contact Us

Other Links	Movie Times	Airport	Bus Schedule	Road Conditions	Library	Weather

Time in the field cherished
THE CHRONICLE-JOURNAL
11/20/2009

Email this article
Send a Letter to the Editor
Printer friendly page

A Thunder Bay psychiatrist has been awarded the General Service Medal for her volunteer service with a NATO medical team in Kandahar.

Dr. Patricia LePage said the 117 days she worked in a Kandahar hospital is an experience she will cherish forever.

The Canadian Armed Forces presented LePage with the medal Thursday at Lakehead Psychiatric Hospital where she is program medical director in seniors‘ mental health.

LePage, said Tracy Buckler, president and CEO of St. Joseph‘s Care Group, “is a source of pride and inspiration.‘‘

LePage, originally from the Sudbury area, said she wanted to join the NATO force after several events in her life led her to want to contribute to something more.

“I wanted to see what was beyond the materialistic, consumerism life I was living,” she said in an interview.

“I had colleagues working for the NATO forces and asked if they could find a spot for me, and they did.

“Never at any point did I feel I was making a sacrifice,” she said.

LePage was deployed in December 2008 to be an on-call psychiatrist treating soldiers and civilians from almost 30 countries. Her arrival allowed other doctors to take a break from their duties.

She said she went through a steep learning curve on protocol and safety, but never once felt afraid for her life. Even when an insurgent rocket was fired at the base on Christmas Day, said LePage, she felt secure because of the presence of the military, civilians and Afghan nationals coming and going from the hospital.

“As a civilian I never knew the level of care and compassion the military had, not just for their friends and co-workers, but for all soldiers of every nationality working in Afghanistan,” LePage said. “The gains I had were innumerable. I have a new opinion of the Canadian military.”

That compassion, she said, was humbling.

LePage said she met many people who she calls true humanitarians, people who didn‘t have a personal agenda or who were looking to boost their own careers. They truly wanted to help other people, she said.

LePage moved to Thunder Bay two weeks after returning to Canada.

The General Services Medal recognizes those who provide direct support to operations in the presence of an armed enemy. The medal is awarded to members of the Canadian Forces, members of allied forces, and in some cases Canadian citizens who are deployed outside Canada.

LePage‘s medal was presented by Col. Jean Grondin and Chief Petty Officer First Class Murielle Arsenault of the Armed Forces‘ health services group.
Top of Page

Games!
Canadian Crossword
PlayFour!
Word Roundup