38 APRIL/MAY 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com
VeterAnS
By nujmA Bond
Brad K. White spenT 23 years as a member of
canada's armed forces. rising quickly To leadership
posiTions, he evenTually led a squadron of over one
hundred well-Trained army soldiers in germany –
a prelude To The evenTual crisis in afghanisTan.
Training, equipmenT, a TighTly kniT Team: all were
crucial To ThaT mission. perhaps always desTined
To be a soldier, lieuTenanT-colonel whiTe came
away from his service a changed man. The good,
he channeled inTo serving veTerans in The privaTe
secTor for over 20 years. The bad, he grapples
wiTh sTill. now on The cusp of reTiremenT,
he shares his sTory.
Brad K. White
a veTeran's sTory
A
s a third-generation veteran
growing up in communi-
ties across Canada and the
United States, Brad White
was destined to become a
soldier. The world around him was filled
with compelling images and stories of the
military, and it left an indelible impres-
sion on a young man. At the age of 18, he
stepped forward and was selected to join
the Canadian Armoured Corps.
"I knew that's what I wanted to do at
the time," he says.
He tells the fascinating story of his
grandfather, an infantry commander at
Dieppe, being mistakenly declared killed
in action. The family held a memorial ser-
vice then later received a telegram stating
"Lefty" White had actually been taken
