The Saddest day of my Life-RC 2007

What happened before I left camp: it was the saddest thing I have ever had to go through. It was kind of hanging over our heads all day, actually the realization that we were leaving started at the beginning of the week. Then all day Friday, everyone was getting packed, doing stuff, moving bunks and getting their luggage to Coy-lines. Amanda, Shepley, Crackers, Falkner and I where leaving right after sunset.
We didn’t start crying until we were on the sports field for the last time, in uniform waiting to march on. Megan and I had kind of planned to go to the washroom before parade, so we did. We had lots of time so we didn’t hurry. We go, and then we saw Shepley and Racquet so we stopped and talked to them. (I had given notes out to the people who I thought would appreciate them) I had give one to both of them, and earlier Shepley had read it, didn’t expect it, and cried, which made me almost cry hearing it. So I asked Zack if he had read his, and he said yes, but when he said it, he looked down, swallowed, then blinked a couple of times, then was like,
“Yeah, I read it.”
I was like, “Oh no, he may start crying to and if he does, I’m gonna lose it.”
He almost did…like there were tears in his eyes then he was like, “I don’t wanna leave.”
We agreed with him then he mentioned Crackers. (Because Megan and Crackers had been dating for a couple of weeks now) then we talked for a little longer (like 20 seconds) then we talked away and started crying. Megan was like, “Man, I’m gonna miss then/him so much.” And I couldn’t believe that I had almost made Zack cry with my note.
We got back to our platoon and Udsen was like, “Are you guys crying already?”
And I said, “Oh, be quiet because I have a reason to cry.”
We formed back up, and then I think we were still crying when Shepley and Zack came back and Racquet finally started crying. Then Amanda started, but she had sunglasses on so you couldn’t really see it. Those guys started laughing at us, and then they noticed Amanda’s sunglasses and that she was crying but it wasn’t as noticeable. Then I mentioned that I wanted some too so I could hide the fact that I was bawling. So Irvine, Don handed me his glasses. I tried them on and I got Amanda laughing because I looked ridiculous so I took them off.
Sometime during this, Zack told us, or mumbled that he just didn’t want to leave…and that was saying a lot for him.
So we stopped, or more correctly, calmed down enough to start getting more ready for the parade. We march on and we had been telling Megan how she totally deserved the medal that she got. Our plan was to cheer as loud as possible when she went up. So we did. It was the best and Cote made himself proud with how loud he was cheering.
But before this, Chase had passed out. I mean, I heard something and looked and I thought it was Forrester at first because it looked like him, but it was Chase. I think Forrester was holding him up and that’s why it looked like he had passed out, then I saw Wah standing almost out of ranks and then it was bad. Chase went to the MIR tent and when I called him later, he said that he heard us cheering for Megan.
Then we did everything fir the final last time. I was proud to be a part of the parade, so because of this, I didn’t think too much on how I was leaving on a couple of hours.
When they played Amazing Grace with the P&D band, it was so good. I cried during this and I didn’t think I actually would...And I almost started crying when Megan went up to get her medal. Amazing Grace was amazing. I don’t know if I will ever hear that sound again and it will have the same affect on me. Then singing “Oh Canada” as loud as we can then “God save the Queen”, after learning most of the words simply be singing them over and over. And thinking about how the national anthem is almost like a prayer and it was amazing.
Then we did the final march pass and then we marched off. The march off was so cool because the officers held out their swords over top of our heads as we marched by. When we march off, the band plays “Blackbear” and three times during the song, we (the battalion) yells out “Oi!” We do it until we cannot hear the band anymore. That is probably the funniest part of the parade.
After we march off, we go to Sicily and wait for the final words of the CO. it is the best part of the pareade. On the way there, WO Schleppe called cadence then for the last time, CLI Rifle Coach called their cadence for the last time. It was amazing. When we called it, Natalie’s voice cracked, and she was like, “I’m gonna miss you guys.” Only, I didn’t hear that and it started most of the guys crying. It was so sad. It was heart breaking actually. It feels like your heart is staying with these people and it is, really.
We broke ranks and started saying good-bye. I saw Forrester crying and then what really tugged my heart was seeing Chase bawling. So I went up to all the guys that I wrote notes to, because in these notes, I asked if they wanted to be my brother. I asked Chase first, and gave him a hug. Then I can’t remember what happened next. I know I gave almost everyone a hug good-bye because I was scared that I wan’t going to get to see them after I had to sign out. I gave Wah a hug and he was bawling too.
Then we had to do a shoulder dressing and I was between Carson and Okatoks, when Natalie tapped on my shoulder and handed me her necklace: I lost it. The necklace was an angel that her grandpa gave her two days before he died at Christmas. Then I really started crying and I couldn’t stop. Carson was a little scared because he asked me if I was going to be okay and I didn’t answer. He put his arm around me. Okatoks kept looking at me asking me if I was going to be okay. Then he put his arm around me. After about ten minutes I looked at Natalie and she smiled and she wasn’t even crying. A few moments later, she taps me and says, “It’s because you touched my heart.” (I started crying harder and McLellen put his arm around me again.
Racquet was crying his eyes out and so was Shepley (he was the least likely to see after camp because he was going in to the PPCLI) and Falkner was trying not to cry but he started to. For some reason we had to move over by the band and was we were going, Amanda was called to go on her flight. It hurts my heart thinking about how Don was like, “Amanda, they called you.” And Amanda turning around and yelling out, “Sir!”.
So we moved and before Amanda was called, so was Shepley. And I gave everyone a hug again and Crackers because he was getting a PPU that night.
I was getting worried because I didn’t know when I was signing out and whether or not I was going to get to say good-bye again. So I went up to Schleppe and asked him but he didn’t know what to do. So I had to go and ask to officers that where getting the first serial ready to go. They didn’t know but I got to give Amanda, Shepley and Falkner another hug. I went with Schleppe to Coy-lines and somehow managed to run into Mom and Dad, but not before I saw Cossey and gave him a hug, he had been crying from saying good-bye to Rachel and some of his cadets.
When Schleppe was walking me to Coy-lines, he said, “Man, I’m gonna start crying now. I managed not to before.” I said, “It’s because Rifle Coach is amazing.”
I was still crying when we met Mom and Dad and they got to met Schleppe.

NOTE: I'm not finished.

-J