Second Lieut. Matthew McHugh is a lawyer in Lethbridge, but he is also an active member of the Royal Canadian Artillery
“I actually joined the military when I was going to university, it seemed like a good thing to do on the side,” added McHugh.
McHugh is a citizen soldier. He along, with roughly 100 other members, make up the 20th Independent Field Battery with the Royal Canadian Artillery in Lethbridge.
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“A lot of people actually do the military on the side as well because its something completely different than what they do in their traditional role, working at their normal jobs,” McHugh said.
“It’s not everyday that you get to fire off an artillery round, shoot a C7 rifle or drive in a tank.”
McHugh said the Lethbridge area’s dedication from citizen soldiers dates back to the very beginning, with one of Lethbridge’s most iconic soldiers, General John Smith Stewart.
“Dating back to 1908, General Stewart — who our legion is named after — was a dentist who started the battery which eventually went over to fight in the Fist World War,” said McHugh.
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McHugh said he had some amazing experiences while involved with the military, but the highlight for him this far has been the year he spent as a guide a the Juno beach Centre in France.
As part of his job, he took people into an old bunker and relayed how historians thought soldier took the bunker during the war. One veteran on his tour quietly listened to McHugh’s version of the events.
“At the end I said, ‘Are there any questions or comments?’ He said, ‘Nope, you pretty much nailed it right on the head.’”
He now enjoys sharing those experiences with people here in Canada and his fellow citizen soldiers.