LEST WE FORGET
Kyle Davidson Combat Engineer


How can I forget if I have no memories?  I wasn't there. I didn't experience living in a trench drowning in the cold, wed mud, and staring out at a twisted web of barb wire with the same intention as a spider has for a fly.  Or hearing a rail of bullets, a bomb screaming down overhead, or knowing you share a common goal with your enemy, to be killed or to kill.

My show today isn’t about the gore of war, it is about the individuals who serve our country and whose sacrifices we can never forget. I question whether as a society, as employers, and even as neighbours, to we serve these heroes to the same level they served us?
Take Kyle Davidson. Kyle served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 12 years as a combat engineer, including an Afghanistan tour where one of his responsibilities was to clear the roads of bombs so that allied forces could safely deploy. Twice Kyle felt the full power of an explosion. First, when an armoured vehicle he was in took a hit, and second when Kyle stepped on a mine that sent him flying into rocks. Kyle suffered severe brain trauma, and with it an option to return home. He refused because he refused to leave his friends behind. 

Kyle hid his injuries for years because he loved his job.  When he no longer could serve, Kyle struggled to find his way back into a society that places little value on military experience.  Kyle had to overcome a growing dependence on painkillers, and he did so by finding a new purpose in life.  Kyle's mission today is to help other veterans who come back less than healthy and give them time and a place to heal and reacclimatize themselves.

Lisa Taylor from the Challenge Factory joins the show to talk about the vital role veterans can play in the workforce. Bruce Robinson from RBC shares his story of growing up with Kyle Davidson and what he admires most about this extraordinary individual.