Canadian Women Leading in Defence

Hi Everyone!!!

This past week, March 3-5, I had the pleasure of meeting women in the Canadian Forces, our equivalent of the Band of Sisters.

My first evening in Ottawa, I ate dinner at Johnny Farina's with more than a dozen members of the Canadian Forces. It was great! The next morning, I spoke at a conference, Women Leading in Defence, sponsored by the Canadian Defence Academy. The entire day was fascinating. Met a couple of senators, as well as the first female general in the Canadian Forces, BGen (Ret) Sheila Hellstrom, CD, and many, many female service members.

If you didn't know already, the Canadian Forces are serving in Afghanistan and like our American servicemembers, they are making enormous sacrifices. You need only to visit the War Museum and its Afghanistan exhibit to get a glimpse of what the Canadians have been through. Thank you to Capt. Judy Emberson for driving me to the museum and spending the morning there with me. In addition to admiring the women in the Canadian Forces for their soldiering and leadership skills, I also now have great appreciation for their driving skills. Well, Judy's anyway. Judy drove me to the museum after an evening of sleet and snowfall. I woke that morning to the sound of the freezing rain pelting my hotel window and lingered over breakfast, certain that our visit to the museum would be cancelled. Either Judy wouldn't want to drive on the snow-covered roads or the museum would be closed, or both. Nothing could have been further from the truth. I, personally, would not have ventured out in such weather. But I have lived in North Carolina for the past 12 or so years. NC, where schools are cancelled at the mere mention of the word snow.

My flight that afternoon was cancelled but no need to feel sorry for me. I ate a mouth watering meal that evening at Mamma Grazzi's. If you haven't been there, I highly recommend it. The night before Karen Davis of the Canadian Defence Academy and I ate dinner at a Scottish restaurant. For me, the highlight was the Keith's beer. And afterwards, I ate a warm beaver's tail and washed it down with a hot cup of coffee. Just trying to get the full Ottawan experience.

Thank you to all the women who met me for dinner at Johnny Farina's on Monday night. A special thanks to Karen Davis, Capt. Judy Emberson, and Commander Robert Edwards, Director of the Canadian Forces Leadership Institute, for YOUR leadership and vision.

While I love Ottawa and hope to return to that city and other locations in Canada, I am happy to be home. Ottawa is expecting two storms this weekend. It also anticipates breaking its record for snowfall in one year. The previous record--444.1centimeters in 1970-71. The city has already had 357 centimeters this year.

Merci, and bon chance with the storm!!!

A Canadian Band of Sisters