Interview with Captain Thomas Watson (February 18, 2022)

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Interviewer: Matthew Kerr Interviewee: Captain Watson, Thomas C., 1987- An interview/narrative of Thomas Watson's experiences serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in Ukraine as a member of Operation UNIFIER. Interview took place on February 18, 2022 over a video call. ABSTRACT: The interview began with Captain Watson providing background on his pre-military life and early career in the military, with training in the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps at CFB Gagetown and his history with the Royal Canadian Dragoon’s. Next, Captain Watson talked about his experience training for deployment to Ukraine, how his previous knowledge assisted him while on deployment, and his initial thoughts on the operation in Ukraine going into deployment. Captain Watson went on to share his experience as the Battle Captain of the Tank Training Group in Starychi, Ukraine, as well as his later employment in Kyiv as a Liaison Officer to the Ukrainian Land Force Head Quarters, the General Staff Headquarters, and Ukrainian Surveillance Unit A2724. Captain Watson discuses his involvement in helping create a Doctrine Note for Unit A2724 and his involvement in the signing of the Technical Agreement between the Canadian Armed Forces and the National Guard of Ukraine. Captain Watson then reflects on his time serving in Ukraine and the lasting impact of Operation Unifier. He then provides his thoughts on the current Russian aggression and fear of invasion in Ukraine (as of Feb. 18, 2022) and the continued Canadian support. Lastly, Captain Watson shows his deep sense of pride both in his service and for the Ukrainian people who he hopes to serve again soon. 0:00:00 – 0:00:54 – Introduction. 0:00:54 – 0:02:52 – Growing up, postsecondary, and joining the Canadian Forces. 0:02:52 – 0:08:38 – Training in the Armoured Corps, early military career, and history with the Royal Canadian Dragoon’s. 0:08:38 – 0:14:01 – Deployment to Ukraine and initial experiences. 0:14:01 – 0:16:00 – Overview of military roles while in Ukraine. 0:16:00 – 0:26:15 – Time as Battle Captain of the Tank Training Group. 0:26:15 – 0:28:48 – Conflict in Eastern Ukraine and fraternization. 0:28:48 – 0:32:30 – Liaison Officer to the Land Force Headquarters and General Staff Headquarters in Kyiv. 0:32:30 – 0:36:11 – Liaison Officer to Surveillance Unit A2724 and helping them create a Doctrine Note. 0:36:11 – 0:39:38 – Involvement in the Technical Agreement between the Canadian Armed Forces and the National Guard of Ukrainian. 0:39:38 – 0:44:01 – Comparing time as Battle Captain to time as Liaison Officer. 0:44:01 – 0:46:47 – Fondest memories of serving in Ukraine and attending Ukrainian military exhibition. 0:46:47 – 0:49:07 – Understanding the value of Operation UNIFIER and how expectations of military service changed. 0:49:07 – 0:52:23 – How serving in Ukraine impacted Captain Watson both in his career and as a person. 0:52:23 – 0:53:31 – Receiving a medal from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and recognizing the value of Captain Watson’s work. 0:53:31 – 0:55:52 – The lasting impact of Operation UNIFIER and the future of Ukraine. 0:55:52 – 0:58:07 – The history between Ukraine and Russia and understanding current Russian aggression (as of Feb. 18, 2022). 0:58:07 – 0:58:55 – Captain Watson’s thoughts on the Canadian support to Ukraine. 0:58:55 – 1:00:43 – Captain Watson on wanting to return to Ukraine with his family and hopefully to serve again. 1:00:43 – 1:01:40 – Conclusion.

In Collection:
Contributor Subject Language Identifier
  • Interview #SC141_WYC_893
Keyword Date created Relation
  • Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews (HIST 426, Spring 2022).
Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 01:00:43
Alternative title
  • Unified: Canadian Support to Ukraine Since 1991
Geographic coverage Coordinates
  • 49, 32
Physical repository Collection
  • Canadian Military Oral History Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • Accession Number: 2022-020; Series: III; Item: 893
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • February 18, 2022
Technical note
  • Interview done through an online video call, .mov, 1.96 GB. Metadata by KD.
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

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