Swan, Terrance: my armed forces experiences (November 9, 2009)
Rank: Captain.
Interviewer: Williams, Elizabeth
ABSTRACT: Captain Terrance Swan Begins with a very brief account of his career in the Canadian Forces. Born in Saskatoon, switched to ROTP in 1967 at the University of Saskatchewan. Joined the Airborne Regiment in 1973, deployed to Cyprus in 1974. Switched to the reserves in 1975 and moved to Victoria in 19 and switched to the Judge Advocate General, eventually retiring as the Area Legal Advisor (Pacific). He does not recall receiving any Rules of Engagement training or similar; the focus of his training was geared to NATO mechanised training in North-western Europe, during the Cold War, and was more interested in tactics than ROE. He recalls that they had no time to do work-up training for Cyprus, being given only a few days’ notice to deploy. However, he believes that the Airborne’s tendency of operating in small, independent groups was key in preparing them for Cyprus operations, due to the small OPs they had to staff there. He remembers the commander of Nicosia district’s “Rules for Firing”, as a unique document that had never been attempted before, but that the soldiers received it well. He says that there were few difficulties adapting to the new rules, because there was almost no fighting. Cyprus was mostly a “PR Battle”, trying to stop the Turks and Greeks from shooting at each other across the Green Line. He discusses the importance of deterrence, and making judgment calls between defending with force and defending with words. On the subject of the rules, he opines that soldiers like rules and orders. He says it was comforting to know what the rules were for each situation. The guidelines would also be helpful when operating independently, so that a soldier could make the best possible call in accordance with the orders. In closing, he believes that ROE are essential to the modern military. They have to be clear and simple, and there must be awareness that soldiers’ individual judgment will never not be a part of the decision-making process. Rules must be made and disseminated, but they must be practical for those on the ground. He concludes that Canadian soldiers are particularly suited to ROE, with enough judgment to act on their own but enough discipline to follow the guidelines.
An interview/narrative of Terrance Swan's experiences during the United Nations operation in Cyprus. Interview took place on November 9, 2009.
Interviewee: Swan, Terrance
- In Collection:
- Geneva Conventions (1949)
- Mechanization, Military
- Cyprus--History--Turkish Invasion, 1974
- Military law
- Cyprus--Politics and government--1960-2004
- United Nations--Peacekeeping forces
- Canada--Canadian Armed Forces--Drill and tactics
- Canada--Office of the Judge Advocate General
- Canada--Canadian Armed Forces--Regulations
- Peacekeeping forces, Canadian
- Canada--Canadian Armed Forces--Personal narratives
- United Nations--Security Council--Resolutions--186
- Canada--Canadian Armed Forces--Canadian Airborne Regiment
- Cold War
- North Atlantic Treaty Organization
- United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)
- Canada--Canadian Armed Forces--Military life
- Swan, Terrance--Interviews
- Canada--Canadian Armed Forces--Reserves
- Civil-military relations
- Humanitarian law
- University of Saskatchewan--Regular Officer Training Plan (ROTP)
- Rules of engagement
- 1 sound recording (MP3)
- 60.10867, -113.64258
- 35, 33
- Original sound recording (MP3) also available.
- Canadian Military Oral History Collection
- SW_614
- Special Collections Finding Aid: https://uvic2.coppul.archivematica.org/military-oral-history-collection
- November 10, 2009
- Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 48 kbps and 22 kHz. Recorded in digital format by interviewer, technical and cataloguing metadata provided by JF and JP. Interview recorded in digital format for UVic Special Collections in 2009. Migration metadata by KD and MT.
- Rights
- This interview has been posted with the understanding that it may be used for research purposes only. Should the interviewee or their heirs have any objections to this interview being accessible on the Internet, it will be removed promptly. Contact UVic Special Collections for permission if using for other than research purposes: speccoll@uvic.ca
- DOI
