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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday February 17, 2007 - 3 CATHIE COWARD / HAMILTON SPECTATOR CHANGE OF COMMAND: Out-going commanding officer Lieutenant-Colonel Guy Smith marches past the parade with his wife Carolyn Peterson after stepping down and turning over command of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry. Lt. Col. Smith heads to Afghanistan in April as senior liaison officer with Task Force Afghanistan. He will be joining his daughter Stephanie who is a military nurse already serving in the region. Career soldier kisses new wife goodbye for Afghanistan By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF He'll soon be in Afghanistan and his daughter is already there. Lieutenant-Colonel Guy Smith, born and raised in Oakville, is saying goodbye to his position as commanding officer of the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry and readying himself for deployment to a hostile land. Based primarily in Kabul, Smith will function as a liaison between the Canadian headquarters and the headquarters of other members of the International Security Assistance Force, who are struggling to rebuild the country while simultaneously fighting off its former masters, the Taliban. A graduate of T. A. Blakelock High School, Smith began his military career with the Army Cadets before moving on to the reserve service with the Lorne Scots in Oakville. In 1974 he joined the regular army as an officer with the Royal Canadian Regiment. After 21 years of distinguished service, Smith retired only to return to uniform in 2001 joining the RHLI soon becoming com- into Afghanistan," said Smith. manding officer in 2003. Training to deal with Afghanistan's Oddly enough, Smith will not be the first treacherous geography is not the only prepamember of his family to serve in Canada's ration Smith has had to make. most recent conflict as his daughter, "Going over for a period of nine months Lieutenant Stephanie or so you have to put your Smith, also a Blakelock "It's a privilege for me to house in order," he said. alumni, deployed to serve. I'm a soldier and "In my case I got marAfghanistan Jan. 26. ried two weeks ago." Serving as a nurse in that's what soldiers do." Smith had just Kandahar, Stephanie has returned home to his Lieutenant-Colonel Guy Smith e-mailed and phoned her long-time companion, father about her experiCarolyn Petersen after ence so far. spending three months in Nairobi, Kenya "She says it's warm, it's fast paced and training officers of the African Union. she's excited about it," said Smith. "When I came home I said, `Darling I'm As Stephanie settles into her new sur- going to be a good boy and sit fast for the rest roundings, her father is preparing for his of my tenure.' Little did I know that three own journey, which promises to be anything weeks later this opportunity would present but relaxing. itself," he said. "There is a rather rigorous period of theSmith received an e-mail informing him atre-specific training that will take place in that a position was available in Afghanistan. February and early March. Then in late As a reservist he was not being ordered to March we will do a work-up exercise in the go, but still he felt it was something he had to UK and then subsequent to that we will move do. "It's a privilege for me to serve," said Smith. "I'm a soldier and that's what soldiers do." Even so, Smith approached Petersen to get her thoughts on the matter. "I said, `Darling, I have an opportunity to go to Afghanistan. Do you mind?'" Petersen supported Smith's desire to serve, but said they should look at taking the next step in their relationship before he left. Smith agreed. "Carol and I had planned to get married at some time in the near future, but sometimes life is what happens while you're making plans," he said. On Jan. 20 Smith and Petersen were married in the Church of the Ascension, the Regimental Church of RHLI. With the ceremony taking place only days before her deployment Smith's daughter Stephanie was able to be there with him. Despite the fact that Smith and Petersen had less than four weeks to prepare for the See Officer page 4 · Wood & Vinyl Shutters, Supplied & Installed · High Quality at Affordable Prices · Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed · Serving Oakville with Shop at Home Service Authorized Vinylbilt Dealer www.shuttersetc.ca Shop at Home Service FREE