'It's a calling' says man of military life (2 photos)

Later this month, Sergeant Simon Linklater will have served for 20 years in the Canadian Army.

The full-time soldier currently serves as the 49th Field Regiment's Chief Clerk, working at the Sault Ste. Marie Armoury on Pine Street.

Though he is not currently involved with Canadian Forces aboriginal recruitment initiatives in an official capacity, Linklater has participated in such efforts in the past, having visited First Nations communities along the North Shore of Lake Huron and urban aboriginal offices such as the Sault's Indian Friendship Centre.

"There are a lot of similarities, in my opinion, between First Nations cultures and military culture," Linklater told SooToday.

"We respect our elders greatly and in the military the elder equates with rank, we work together as a team, and the warrior spirit is something many people have spoken to."

"It (joining the Forces) is something I knew I always wanted to do…this was a calling for me," Linklater said.

An Ojibway man, Linklater was born in North Bay and raised in Thunder Bay.

His official First Nations affiliation is with Couchiching First Nation near Fort Frances, Ontario.

"For me, the meaning of life is simple: You take care of your family and how you define family is how you will be defined," Linklater said.

The soldier has a wife and three children, and views the military as a large extended family for him.

"I've always looked at more of a global aspect and a bigger picture, and being a part of the Canadian Armed Forces has allowed me to go on international deployments and domestic operations and do different things to assist."

"Being able to help out and give back is, I think, the path I'm supposed to be walking on," said Linklater, who has served on international missions in Bosnia and Southwest Asia.

"One of the clichés they use in the army is 'there's no life like it,' and there really, truly is no life like it," Linklater said.

"You get different experiences here that you will never get anywhere else."

His advice for young people, indigenous and non-indigenous, thinking of a career in the military?

"It is a calling, it's not for everybody . . . talk with a recruiter, do your due diligence that you would do in any aspect of your life and if you think this might be what you want to do, sign up."

"A lot of companies, a lot of businesses seem to want what the military gives their soldiers . . .they (employers) can teach anybody to do a job, but they can't necessarily teach them to have the discipline we have in the army, the personnel skills, the leadership, the ability to multi-task and operate under stress."

"I always say what looks better on a resume than to say 'I've been in the army and learned to work as part of a team.'"

Linklater joined the Canadian Forces in St. Catharines after graduating from Brock University, trained in Quebec and was first posted to CFB Petawawa.

Much of his army experience has been in Northern Ontario.

As the 49th's Chief Clerk, he oversees all other clerks in the unit and presides over a great deal of paperwork.

"I love the Sault area, this has been a fantastic posting for me."