Why did you choose to apply to PSP Deployment Support and ultimately deploy?
I had chosen to apply to PSP Deployment Support, because I had worked with the Military in the past and had deployed one other time to Afghanistan, it is my way of helping support our Troops by giving something back for all their hard work.
What is your deployment role/job?
I am a Travel coordinator which is the most rewarding position. I meet with the members and help plan the HLTA, which is the time off they get to reunite with their family part way through their deployment. Some members choose to go home others choose to go to a third location. I get to talk to the members about their families and help them decide where they would like to go.
I work closely with our military getting all the members leave passes, passports, travel requests to check for accuracy with the movements. I also work with our travel partners Direct Travel for the purchasing of the flights.
On this deployment we also organize excursions off the camp that we then take the members to learn about the culture, experience the local cuisine and find deals at the markets.
What have been the most rewarding aspects of your deployment?
The most rewarding parts of my deployment is seeing the members faces upon their return and hearing the great stories. It doesn’t matter if they went home and played games with the kids over the Christmas holidays or they went to see a new and exciting country.
This deployment has allowed me to share a very special time in my life as when the oil rigs were on fire here in Kuwait my father was one of the men who came over to help put them out. He is featured in the Kuwait Oil and Gas Museum which was very exciting to see.
What would you say to people that are considering applying to PSP Deployment Support?
For people thinking of applying to PSP Deployment Support…. Go FOR IT. You will receive so much more from the experience then you could ever give back. It will change your life for the better.
Is there a success story you would like to share (i.e. personal achievement, team success, etc.)?
For my personal success story, one evening we had 5 members that were to depart 1 flying back and 2 departing within a day when movements were closed. I spent the evening and better part of the night rerouting the one to land in a different location canceling the others flights and putting on hold the 2 departures on hold. Well in discussions with the military organizer on the other end his wife had been about to go to the airport when she got the call to not depart, well she was trying to deal with the airline she started to cry uncontrollably and didn’t know how to explain what she needed. I offered to call for her and deal with it. When I was finished, they lost no money on their flight and she was able to use the same flight 3 days later when they got the all clear.
Everyday we have success stories as a team we come together to enhance the members life’s here in camp, from the simplest things having birthday in a box, sharing a cup of coffee in the morning. To the bigger events Canada day, Christmas, New Years all the major holiday parties that we contribute to with our Military family.
