Letter Home

A military veteran who served in Afghanistan shares her thoughts and experiences with local students

- Sgt. Caitlin Yacucha

I was a 24-year-old private when I served with the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan. Upon my return from that deployment in 2010, I wrote a letter for the students of Joseph Teres Elementary School in Winnipeg, which I attended as a child. The school wanted a story from an active soldier to present as part of its Remembrance Day service. I was honoured to provide my thoughts on the role of Canada’s Armed Forces in general, as well as a description of my time in Afghanistan. Recently, my mom suggested that my letter from back then might be of interest to other Canadians, Our Canada readers in particular—so, here it is!

My name is Pte. Caitlin Yacucha and I am a soldier. My job is to set up and talk on radios and many other different pieces of technology. I have been in the military for five years and have travelled all over Canada.

The Canadian military has an important job in Canada. We provide aid for natural disasters, like the floods in Winnipeg or the ice storms in Quebec. It is important to us that Canadians understand what our mission is and that we have their support. That means a lot to soldiers, especially when they are far from home and their families.