Daymon
I usually see something unusual or interesting on my bike rides but today took the cake. I was cruising along the Martin Goodman (Lakeshore) bike path on a hot, humid, early fall day. Suddenly I did a double-take when I saw this large military vehicle sitting in the Ontario Place parking lot. Of course I had to stop and investigate. This friendly soldier came over to say hello and answer some of my questions. Meet Daymon.
Daymon couldn’t have been nicer and we stood in the heat chatting for ten minutes. He is in the Canadian Army, stationed in Petawawa which is a military base. The base is located three hours northeast of Toronto on the Ottawa River. The logical questions were “What is this thing?” and “What is it doing here?” Smiling Daymon answered both questions and more. The vehicle is a Canadian-built LAV 6, (light armored vehicle). It is used to transport troops to the front line. It is both powerful and well-defended – both with armor and artillery. (www.gdlscanada.com/products/LAV/LAV-6.0.html) It was sitting in the Ontario Place parking lot, waiting for the arrival of a flatbed truck to transport it back to Petawawa.
I was surprised to learn that it can travel on the highway at 100 km/hour, powered by a 450 horsepower engine similar to that in a tractor trailer. “Due to its weight and size, it makes more sense to carry it on a flatbed. You can probably imagine how awkward it is to maneuver in traffic and to stop quickly if necessary.” The large mirrors are just to make it street-legal. The driver has the benefit of a series of cameras, some heat-sensitive, to have a good view ahead and in a variety of directions. Daymon is, in fact, the driver.
He explained that the LAV 6 has been on display at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) all last week. It was there to promote awareness of Canada’s defense department and stir up interest for potential volunteers. Daymon grew up in a suburb of Toronto and has been in the military for two and a half years. When I asked him if he planned to make a career in the military he wisely replied “That remains to be seen. I don’t have to make that decisionsany time soon.”
My original thought was to take a photo of my bicycle next to the LAV 6, showing the contrasting methods of transport. Daymon encouraged me to go ahead. After positioning my bike in front of the machine I thought to ask him to pose with the bike and the LAV. As we continued to talk, I took another photo of Daymon perched on top of the LAV as we chatted. He then offered to take a couple of photos of me and my bike next to the LAV.
When I told him about my Human Family project and asked if it would be ok to use the photos for my Flickr project he said it sounded like a great project but explained he is not authorized to grant or deny permission. That said, he continued “Given that the LAV and I have been on display all week and have been photographed thousands of times, I can’t see any problem with a bit more social media exposure.” Since his presence was in large part public relations for the army, it seemed only reasonable.
I asked how he got the “gig” to come to Toronto for the week and he said “I just volunteered and since a number of our drivers are currently deployed to operations in Latvia, the pool of volunteers was small and I was chosen. I was really pleased since it also gave me a chance to visit my family.”
Daymon’s message to the project was “It’s important to think of ways to give back to one’s country.” He felt good about his military service. “It has already given me lots of experiences I never would have had in civilian life… for example, the chance to drive this!”
We shook hands and I thanked him for being such a friendly representative of the Army. I told him I hoped the truck would come soon. He said “Me too. It’s hot out here.” I looked for him and the LAV as I returned from my ride to the west end and all I saw was a big empty parking lot.
This is my 760th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.
Daymon
I usually see something unusual or interesting on my bike rides but today took the cake. I was cruising along the Martin Goodman (Lakeshore) bike path on a hot, humid, early fall day. Suddenly I did a double-take when I saw this large military vehicle sitting in the Ontario Place parking lot. Of course I had to stop and investigate. This friendly soldier came over to say hello and answer some of my questions. Meet Daymon.
Daymon couldn’t have been nicer and we stood in the heat chatting for ten minutes. He is in the Canadian Army, stationed in Petawawa which is a military base. The base is located three hours northeast of Toronto on the Ottawa River. The logical questions were “What is this thing?” and “What is it doing here?” Smiling Daymon answered both questions and more. The vehicle is a Canadian-built LAV 6, (light armored vehicle). It is used to transport troops to the front line. It is both powerful and well-defended – both with armor and artillery. (www.gdlscanada.com/products/LAV/LAV-6.0.html) It was sitting in the Ontario Place parking lot, waiting for the arrival of a flatbed truck to transport it back to Petawawa.
I was surprised to learn that it can travel on the highway at 100 km/hour, powered by a 450 horsepower engine similar to that in a tractor trailer. “Due to its weight and size, it makes more sense to carry it on a flatbed. You can probably imagine how awkward it is to maneuver in traffic and to stop quickly if necessary.” The large mirrors are just to make it street-legal. The driver has the benefit of a series of cameras, some heat-sensitive, to have a good view ahead and in a variety of directions. Daymon is, in fact, the driver.
He explained that the LAV 6 has been on display at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) all last week. It was there to promote awareness of Canada’s defense department and stir up interest for potential volunteers. Daymon grew up in a suburb of Toronto and has been in the military for two and a half years. When I asked him if he planned to make a career in the military he wisely replied “That remains to be seen. I don’t have to make that decisionsany time soon.”
My original thought was to take a photo of my bicycle next to the LAV 6, showing the contrasting methods of transport. Daymon encouraged me to go ahead. After positioning my bike in front of the machine I thought to ask him to pose with the bike and the LAV. As we continued to talk, I took another photo of Daymon perched on top of the LAV as we chatted. He then offered to take a couple of photos of me and my bike next to the LAV.
When I told him about my Human Family project and asked if it would be ok to use the photos for my Flickr project he said it sounded like a great project but explained he is not authorized to grant or deny permission. That said, he continued “Given that the LAV and I have been on display all week and have been photographed thousands of times, I can’t see any problem with a bit more social media exposure.” Since his presence was in large part public relations for the army, it seemed only reasonable.
I asked how he got the “gig” to come to Toronto for the week and he said “I just volunteered and since a number of our drivers are currently deployed to operations in Latvia, the pool of volunteers was small and I was chosen. I was really pleased since it also gave me a chance to visit my family.”
Daymon’s message to the project was “It’s important to think of ways to give back to one’s country.” He felt good about his military service. “It has already given me lots of experiences I never would have had in civilian life… for example, the chance to drive this!”
We shook hands and I thanked him for being such a friendly representative of the Army. I told him I hoped the truck would come soon. He said “Me too. It’s hot out here.” I looked for him and the LAV as I returned from my ride to the west end and all I saw was a big empty parking lot.
This is my 760th submission to The Human Family Group on Flickr.
You can view more street portraits and stories by visiting The Human Family.