Major (retired) Darrell Menard is a Metis physician and Air Force medical officer who is suddenly and unexpectedly selected to be the Medical Advisor to the Commander of the Canadian Contingent of NATO's Stabilizing Force.
As part of the team working to bring peace to war-torn Bosnia, Major Menard finds himself woefully unprepared to work in an almost exclusive Army environment and, it doesn't take long for him to realize he has a great deal to learn in a very short period of time. His seven-month tour is punctuated with laughter, tragedy, joy, frustration, loneliness and teamwork. In sharing his story, Dr. Menard hopes readers better understand what Canadian Forces personnel experience when they are deployed far from their loved ones.
Megwetch!
Major (Retired) D.C. Menard OMM, CD2, BPE, MA, MD, Dip. Sport MedMajor (Retired) Darrell Menard is Métis and served forty years in the CAF. He and wife, Janet, have raised three children: Nathan, Matthew and Rebecca. Darrell has an honours degree in physical education, a master's degree in exercise physiology, a Doctor of Medicine degree, and a CASEM (Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine) Diploma in Sport Medicine. Darrell has been a competitive runner since 1969 and won a gold medal with Jacques Pilon for the 1500 metre event in 1980, at what is now called the Paralympic Games. He also represented the Canadian Armed Forces at five World Military Cross-Country Championships. He has held the Canadian Armed Forces record for 1500 metres for forty-eight years. He has been a recreational curler for fourteen years and helps coach youth and adult curlers at the Russell Curling Club. During his career, Darrell has worked at twenty-five major games, including as a member of the 1980 and 2016 Canadian Paralympic teams and the 2012 Canadian Olympic team. He continues to work as the Surgeon General's Specialist Advisor in Sport Medicine and as an adjunct professor in the University of Ottawa School of Nursing. He is also the author of the CASEM's Ask the Expert article series, and has his own sport medicine practice in Russell, Ontario. Darrell has been named an Officer of the Order of Military Merit and an Officer of the CISM Order of Merit. He has also been inducted into the Canadian Armed Forces Sports and North American Indigenous Athletics Halls of Fame, and the University of Alberta's Sports Wall of Fame.
