Learn what missions are inside Leading at the Edge
Chapter 1: BIRTH OF A NATION: UNTAG (UNITED NATIONS TRANSITION ASSISTANCE GROUP), NAMIBIA 1989-1990
Retired Deputy Commissioner Larry Proke led the first RCMP contingent to participate in a United Nations mission. Larry’s foresight, diplomacy, experience, and great leadership skills indeed echoed what an officer and a gentleman is all about.
Chief Superintendent Larry Proke will lead these first Canadian police peacekeepers to the country formerly known as South West Africa, to witness its first steps as its own nation: Namibia. Larry’s story in this distant land is an inspiring tale of adventure and devotion. Its success paved the road for a new tradition, which would see Canadian police officers travel throughout the world for decades to come.
Chapter 2: THE UNITY HIGHWAY: UNPROFOR (UNITED NATIONS PROTECTION FORCE), FORMER YUGOSLAVIA 1992-1995
Staff Sergeant Major John A. Buis, MOM, was instrumental in helping identify peacekeepers willing to participate in this [book] project.
As the story of John Buis unfolds, many of the challenges and adversities early peacekeepers had to face will come to light. John’s story is that of personal devotion to the people of a war-torn nation he learned to love. His tale in Ilok, Croatia, from June until December of 1994, encompasses deep sorrow, offset by a profuse hope and genuine empathy for the civilian victims of the conflict.
Chapter 3: GUATEMALA—NEVER AGAIN: MINUGUA (UNITED NATIONS VERIFICATION MISSION IN GUATEMALA), 1994-2004
Insp. Ben Maure, MSC, is a serving Peace Officer with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. He has over 30 years of police experience, most of which has been spent in British Columbia, Canada. Ben started as a uniformed police officer in Surrey, British Columbia, and eventually made his way to Ottawa as an Officer-in-Charge within a federal policing unit. In 1999, Ben completed a one-year secondment tour of duty as a United Nations Peacekeeper in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Between 2009 and 2013, Ben acted as a Police Liaison Officer (First Secretary) at the Embassy of Canada in the Dominican Republic.
Hidden high in the mountains of Guatemala exist numerous small communities displaced by the Guatemalan civil war. Many are just trying to escape the conflict; all are doing everything they can just to survive. Little do they know, they are about to turn a new chapter in their lives. The year is 1994, and a Cease-Fire Agreement is in the works between the government of Guatemala and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unit (URNG). Thirty-six years of civil war are about to end. The hope for a better life is in the air!
Chapter 4: THE LAND OF THE KOSOVO HARLEY: UNMIK (UNITED NATIONS INTERIM ADMINISTRATION MISSION IN KOSOVO), 1999-PRESENT
Sergeant Lorin Lopetinsky’s tale gives readers an insight into the astonishing powers of networking.
Welcome to Kosovo, the land of many landmines and last territory to break away from the former Yugoslavia! In this chapter, we will meet Lorin Lopetinsky, a 10-year police veteran. Lorin’s tale in Kosovo is an inspiring lesson on how to use good judgment to overcome dangers, and how to push one’s abilities to tackle demanding tasks. Lorin’s peacekeeping mission, which lasted for nine months between August 2001 and May 2002, was a key engagement that paved the way for Kosovars to develop and enjoy a substantial autonomy.
Chapter 5: INDEPENDENCE DAY: UNTAET (UNITED NATIONS TRANSITIONAL AUTHORITY FOR EAST TIMOR), 1999-2002
Chief Superintendent Rick Taylor, MOM (Rtd.) provided an intimate look at life in a mission from the perspective of a Contingent Commander. He retired from law enforcement in 2015 after 35 years, with service as the Officer in Charge of Burnaby Detachment in “E” Division (2007-2011), the Deputy Criminal Operations Officer (Contract Policing) in “K” Division (2011-2012), followed by 3 years as the Chief Sheriff of the Alberta Sheriffs Branch (2012-2015).
Rick’s story from his Mission between May of 2001 and February of 2002 is one that highlights the achievements of the mission, but also points out its weaknesses: a frustrating internal UN bureaucracy that, at times, was more of a barrier than an aid to the people it was meant to serve and protect. Rick’s honest and candid account may leave some questioning the efficiency of the UN; but in the end, we cannot deny that what was accomplished in East Timor gave that nation the tools it needed to start building its future.
Chapter 6: BLOOD DIAMONDS NO MORE: SPECIAL COURT FOR SIERRA LEONE, 2002-2013 100
Retired Corporal Chuck Kolot often encouraged others to use critical thinking when performing their duties. This willingness to better those around him was well-displayed during his mission to Sierra Leone.
Chuck’s mission in Sierra Leone will lead to an amazing feat for human rights crusaders: the convictions and sentencing of some of the new millennium’s cruellest and most barbaric individuals.
Chapter 7: AFTER THE SANDSTORM: UNMIS (UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN SUDAN), 2005-2011
Superintendent Galib Bhayani, Ph.D., MOM. Galib’s strong determination to succeed in whatever he undertook is fully demonstrated in his mission to Sudan.
Galib’s perilous but heartening chronicles are a testament to UN efforts to stop the killing of civilians and bring peace to a war-torn region.
Chapter 8: OF BIBLICAL PROPORTION: EUPOL COPPS (EUROPEAN POLICE COORDINATING OFFICE FOR PALESTINIAN POLICE SUPPORT), PALESTINE 2006- PRESENT
Retired Inspector Walt Sutherland’s insight and work into one of the world’s oldest conflict zones was truly informative.
RCMP Inspector Walt Sutherland’s participation in EUPOL COPPS in the West Bank took place between August 2008 and August 2009. His tale takes the reader to a fascinating land, rich in history, but also crippled with a thousand-year-old conflict that seems to have no end in sight. Despite the best efforts by the international community to bring peace to the area, much remains to be done in this Holy Land.
Chapter 9: DEFYING THE TALIBAN: ISAF (INTERNATIONAL SECURITY ASSISTANCE FORCE), AFGHANISTAN 2001-2013
Sergeant Gregor Aitken, featured on the front cover picture, taken in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Through his chronicle, readers gain a deeper understanding of the reasons and the importance for us [Canada] to be in Afghanistan.
Gregor’s story in Afghanistan, from March to December of 2009, is a tribute to the courage, dedication, and determination of all those who, like him, participated in the endeavour to bring peace to and rebuild this broken land. Gregor’s tale in Kandahar will give you a front-row seat to one of the most dangerous places on earth.
Chapter 10: THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE: MINUSTAH (UNITED NATIONS STABILIZATION MISSION IN HAITI), 2004-2017
Retired Detective Lieutenant Serge Boulianne did not hesitate for one second to share his story in Haiti, in spite of having recently experienced the devastating 2010 earthquake there.
Serge’s mission, which began in October 2009 and ended in July 2010, would bring him face-to-face with situations that attacked the core of his police ethics. I am hoping that, like me, you will find his tale in this impoverished nation something truly inspiring. In my opinion, Serge’s mission gave true meaning to the adage “To Serve and Protect”.