Trevor Greene's Moving Speech

Did you miss the event?  Do you want to keep Trevor Greene's message alive, read a full copy of the powerful speech he delivered to over 500 people at the event.

Victims 2 Victors, 14 May 2009, WTCC, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Thank you Kevin for those powerful words.  You all should know that I wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for this man.

Thanks as well to Barb Stegemann for conceiving of this event and seeing it through from start to finish.

Afghanistan was once the world’s largest exporter of dried fruit.  Today it is the world’s largest exporter of opium.  This opium is refined into pure heroin and shipped around the world.  Make no mistake, this heroin has crossed Canada’s borders.  I have walked the red poppy fields of Afghanistan.  I have witnessed the poverty of the women and children.

Canadians like you are justly concerned about the plight of Afghan women and children.

But their husbands and fathers need help as well.  Farmers are being bribed to grow poppies, which become their only source of income. In the Canadian sector, farmers are being advised on how to replace the poppies with a sustainable crop that will provide a stable source of income. 

Afghans have known constant war for decades.  We must continue to support the soldiers of Task Force Afghanistan.  Their service and sacrifice are helping to restore this war torn country.  Giving hope to Afghan woman and children means giving hope to the men as well.  Important programs like micro financing, which makes small loans to villagers to buy a cow or sewing machine for example, have an empowering effect.  Empowering women raises their self-esteem and increases income to support the family. This allows them to break their traditional role of cooks and baby makers.  Empowered, educated woman raise their children to be the same.

We must turn hearts and minds away from hatred and oppression. Forgiveness, and ultimately peace, starts with each person. Afghan or Canadian, families are universal and transcend borders.  This is a key concept of International Day of the Family.  Many wrongs have been done to Afghans by the Taliban, pitting friend against friend, brother against brother.  Whole families have been torn apart, leaving wounds that can only be healed by forgiveness and time.  For me, it was important to forgive the man who attacked me in order for my healing process to begin. Holding bitterness in only poisons you, it does nothing to the one who wronged you. This shackles you to yesterday.  The chains hold only YOU back. 

My comrades and I felt that Afghanistan was worth fighting for, especially when we went outside the wire.  It was heartbreaking to see the conditions that families were living in.  We agreed that if our families were to be put through the same ordeal, we would hope that a committed, compassionate force like ours, would ride to the rescue, and NOT rest until every family was safe.  Prior to our deployment, my good friend and colleague Tony Petrilli and I had a long talk about making real change in the lives of Afghans.  We agreed that being badly injured or dying was more than worth the risk we were taking.  We didn’t want to be at home idly watching the war on TV, and thinking, “why doesn’t someone do something to help those people”.  We wanted to be that someone.  I believe all Afghanistan veterans feel the same way.

It was in Japan where I worked as a writer after university that I experienced how highly regarded Canadians were.  That inspired me to serve our country in the armed forces.  I deployed as a Civil Military Cooperation officer.  My mission was to meet with locals, find out what they needed for basic necessities of life and liaise with NGO’s to provide for those needs.  While attending a meeting with village elders in March 2006, a young man snuck up behind me and brought an axe down on my head.  That blow severed all motor functions in my body.  I was medivacked to Kandahar hospital.  From there I made the rounds of 7 hospitals in 3 years.  From day 1, my family has walked shoulder to shoulder with me on my healing journey. 

My new mission is to walk again, to push my daughter Grace on her swing again, and to stroll hand in hand with Debbie again.  I will never give up on this mission and my hope to see Afghanistan return to peace and prosperity in my lifetime.

People often ask me what they can do to show their support for the troops.  I tell them to stay informed about the achievements of the mission and not just the body count. I tell them to never forget our soldiers who have fallen for their country and the people of a far off land. Last weekend I was asked this question while speaking at a high school peace symposium.  I suggested that the students write letters to editors suggesting that Canadian officials remain in country until economic development and literacy programs were in full swing.  I also shared with the kids how their letters to the soldiers can boost morale. I told them to say a prayer for the families of the fallen to ease their pain.

I am honoured to be in the presence of some of those families tonight and I dedicate this speech to them and their fallen heroes.

Thank you.