" In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." - Genesis 1:1
"Every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end." - Seneca
Beginning - an act or circumstance of entering upon an action or state.
When I began my career as a pharmacist in 1996, I never expected to do it my whole life. Like anyone, I had dreams that I wanted to fulfill before I was done. I will admit that life has a funny way of working sometime. When I was in high school, I had considered joining the military, but at the time, it didn't seem like the right fit. After all, I had my whole life ahead of me and not a care in the world.
Fast forward 15 years to May 2011. I had been a practicing pharmacist for 15 years, not entirely satisfied with where the profession was going, and looking for options to support my family and appease my growing dissatisfaction. While attending a pharmacy conference in Montreal, I happened upon a booth for DART, the Canadian Forces Disaster Assistance Response Team and was intrigued by what I saw. I certainly liked the idea of helping people in a more tangible way, especially after my attempt to join the fire department went awry a few years earlier. I spoke with the two Captains in the booth and was immediately told "NO!", by my lovely wife, who wanted nothing to do with the military. I quickly gave my head a shake and moved on, enjoying the next couple of days of the conference, meanwhile considering and discarding two ideas of where my future lay. It was not until the last night of the conference when we sat with the head pharmacist in the Canadian Forces and proceeded to have a one hour conversation about the benefits of the military, that it all started to make sense. After surviving the latest round of provincial budget cuts to pharmacy funding, but barely, it appeared the writing was on the wall and it was time for a change.
But what a change it would turn out to be. The next thing I knew I had signed on the dotted line for a 4 year commitment and I was headed off to boot camp in Quebec for 15 weeks of military officer training. The majority of my platoon mates were in their early twenties and still had their best years in front of them. I, on the other hand, was forty one and one might argue, my best years were far behind me. But I surprised myself and in the process I'm sure surprised quite a few of them as well. I was not the oldest (52) but I turned out to be one of the fittest in both of our platoons. It was at times grueling but always interesting, as I strived to suck up all the information that I could from our instructors. I made some friends for life on the course, sharing laughter and pain through our ordeals. Although it was difficult to be away from my family for that length of time, it was a great opportunity to prove to myself that I was up to any challenge.
With the course over and the graduation behind me, I was off to CFB Petawawa to start my new position as a pharmacist at 1 Canadian Field Hospital. I was not sure what to expect as I found out that I was going to a field unit, one that was unique to the CF.
That was not the only expectation that would be shattered for me as it turned out. The pharmacist that I would be learning under was off to medical school and her last day would be in the middle of August. I would have to learn the position in a little under 2 months. Nothing like drinking from a fire hose!
Well, that time has come and gone, and during this time of new beginnings, it's time for another one - as a platoon commander with 1CFH. It will be a challenge for sure, but as I've learned in the last few months, I think I'm up for it. After all, isn't waking up each morning a new beginning as well?
Lt(N) Eric Baker C Pl Comd Tmt Coy 1 CFH
"Every day is a fresh beginning. Each morn is the world made new." - Sarah Chauncey Woolsey
