Soley, Mike: my Canadian Forces recollections (March 17, 2012)

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ABSTRACT: First I started my interview with the date and the person that I was interviewing, in this case Mike Soley. After, I asked his permission to record the interview and I asked him to give me a basic introduction about himself and his military career. First told me that he was part of Princes Patricia Battalion as corporal. He continued to tell me about the Yugoslavian war, and his pre-deployment in Yugoslavia. According to him, he felt prepared after he arrived in Yugoslavia, and the rules of engagement were clear. He felt safe most of the times, and on occasion he was allowed to leave the camp, as long he had a pistol with him. He told me that the main objective was to maintain the peace in the area, remove the mines that were still dangerous, and confiscate left-over weapons from civilians. He did not encounter any dangerous situations, and he was never fired upon while he was in Yugoslavia. At the end of the interview I asked him . about his trip to Republika Srpska and according to him, the situation was stable there as well. On his last days in Yugoslavia, he was not necessarily relieved, but he was definitely happy to go back home. 0:00-01:09 - Military Background, Princess Patricia Battalion 01:09-03:37 - Beginning of Yugoslavian War and pre-deployment in Yugoslavia. 03:37-06:50 - Rules of engagement and the difference from NATO to UN 06:50-07:56 - Felt prepared for the mission in former Yugoslavia 07:56-11:23 - Everyday life in the former Yugoslavia was fairly safe . 11 :23-13:16 - Felt well equipped for missions. 13:16-14:33 - Mine marking and removal 14:33-17:08 - Confiscation of illegal weapons for population 17:08-18:26 - Good relation with civilians 18:26-27:29 - 2002 Yugoslavian tour 27:29-28:10 - No casualties for the UN soldiers beside traffic accidents. 28: 10-35:43 - In the rest of the tour, no specific events happened.

Interviewee: Soley, Mike, b. 1977

Interviewer: Ratiu, Ovidiu

An interview/narrative of Captain Mike Soley's experiences during the Yugoslav wars. Interview took place on March 17, 2012.

Rank: Captain. Medals and Honours: Campaign Star; NATO medal for the former Yugoslavia

In Collection:
Contributor Subject Language Keyword Date created Relation
  • Part of the Military Oral History Class collection of interviews.
  • Title of paper: "Canadian Forces under UN and Nato in Yugoslavia: From 'Peace Keepers' to 'Peace Makers'".
Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 1 sound recording (MP3)
Geographic Coverage Coordinates
  • 44, 19.75
  • 60.10867, -113.64258
Additional physical characteristics
  • Original sound recording (WMA) also available.
Physical Repository Collection
  • Canadian Military Oral History Collection
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • SM_725
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • March 17, 2012
Technical note
  • Digital sound recording in .mp3 format at 56 kbps and 44 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 2012. 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

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