Differences: “Trying to teach someone how to fire a rifle when they can’t stop staring at you is bad.” (Submitted)
Lizette LeBlanc 95 per cent satisfied with job
Sergeant Lizette Leblanc is the highest ranking woman in the Canadian military’s infantry division.
After completing two full tours in Afghanistan, Leblanc now instructs infantry here in Canada. She spoke Nov. 16 at the Wu Centre about serving in Afghanistan, the fighting she took part in, and what it is like being a lone female at the forefront of a war.
“Well, they never let me carry anything for starters,” she laughed. “I’d be lugging a Jerry-can of water to take a shower with and I would always be followed by someone trying to help. They don’t let woman do anything themselves.”
Even going to the bathroom is more difficult for women in the field.
“Men and women are built differently, obviously, so I’ll scout out a tree or another spot,” she said. “There is a thing known as the She-Pee that allows women to pee standing up, but I can’t do it, I can’t bring myself to use it. I’ve spent my whole life peeing a certain way.”
The stout, 32-year-old woman with trim, jet black hair spoke openly with refreshing candour, despite the red sash that displayed her rank and military position.
Originally from Minto, New Brunswick, Leblanc joined the army cadets a year earlier than what was normally accepted. She continued into the army reserves while training for the Olympic biathlon.
She hasn’t looked back.
“I absolutely love my job, on a scale out of 100 it’s a 95,” she said. “Being out in weather like that rainstorm we had last week, that is when it is the worst.”
Leblanc expressed sincerity and pride when describing her participation in the war efforts. A slide show depicts events from her time in “The Sandbox,” as she refereed to her station in Kandahar.
“That’s all it is, miles and miles of sand,” she said.
The slides showcased the sparse conditions where her troop was stationed, as well as the people she closely worked with.
“These are my brothers,” she said. “I call them that because that is what they are. These are the people that look after me and I them. They are family in every sense of the word.”
Leblanc also shared events she witnessed like a smoking crater from a hidden roadway explosion that resulted in one soldiers injury was deep enough for a full grown man to stand upright and a bus full of people with food and other goods piled high on top. Two cars sat higher still, perched gingerly on top of everything including the food.
“If someone had put another car on top of those cars, the Afghans would have thought that was an even better idea. They are very resourceful people, and very good packers.”
She said she was never looked directly in the eye, a sign of respect, but they do stare all the time.
“Trying to teach someone how to fire a rifle when they can’t stop staring at you is bad. They end up pointing a loaded gun at you because they’re so distracted.”
“One [Afghan] claimed me as his wife,” she said with a laugh. “My boss made me go to a dinner with the guy as a show of good faith. I was funny-scared the whole time. Those Afghans are very taken by women.”
The second half of the evening was dedicated to open questions centres on the politics of the situation. The crowd of 37, the majority older citizens, focused on the war’s intentions and Canada’s presence in Afghanistan. Someone in the crowd asked, “Is it worth it?”
“Without a doubt in my mind,” LeBlanc said. “When I see the progress made, like little girls there in a classroom, when before there was no school, not even a road, I know that nobody was lost for nothing.”
“At the end of the day it doesn’t matter if I’m a woman,” she said. “It matters if I can carry the pack, if I can drag someone out of a ditch. That is what matters.”
