For Bracebridge native Megan Tost, a Canadian Forces infantry corporal recently sent to Kandahar, Afghanistan on a seven-month tour, Remembrance Day is of utmost importance.

Though the 23-year-old will not be able to follow her usual routine of parading with her unit in Barrie, Tost will commemorate the sacrifices of members of the Armed Forces and of civilians from afar.

“Because of the soldiers who gave their lives in the Great Wars, we are able to live free and proud,” Tost said in an e-mail interview with this newspaper. “But we must not forget about the more recent missions and the almost 100 soldiers who have lost their lives here in Afghanistan doing something that they so strongly believe in. We need to remember them as well, and take a moment of silence for their sacrifices.”

Tost joined the Canadian Forces six years ago and was deployed to Kandahar mid-September. She is a member of the force protection platoon and generally the lead driver for re-supply convoys.

“Our main job is to be the fighting force for re-supply convoys that go out to the forward operating bases throughout the province,” she explained. “When a re-supply convoy goes out, there are only a few ‘fighting vehicles’ within the convoy itself.”

She lives in a large tent with nine other soldiers from her section, and enjoys her own space created with sheets of plywood.

“It’s not big, but it’s mine,” she said. “Kandahar is an incredible sight to see. It’s so different from district to district. Inside of Kandahar City the traffic is heavy and the streets are filled with people. The buildings are made of brick and the roads are paved, but in most parts of the province it’s your typical mud hut communities — tiny little villages settled at the bottom of mountains or beside old minefields.”

She is the only female in her 46-member platoon.

“But women are not uncommon in the military,” she added. “Being surrounded by men 24-7 can be challenging at times, but at the end of the day the guys I work with are great. They treat me just like one of them. They do the same things and say the same things that they would do or say if I wasn’t here. We have all learned to live together and get along together as a team despite of sexes.”

To prepare for Afghanistan, Tost’s platoon completed a 13-month pre-deployment training period at CFB Petawawa.

“During this time we worked on our physical fitness, learned about the locals, the country, the religion and specifically what our job would be here,” she explained.

On top of the normal day-to-day training in Petawawa, the platoon completed month-long exercises in Texas, New Mexico and Wainwright, Alberta.

“These exercises were full of scenarios we would face when we got into (Afghanistan). We also spent time in Petawawa getting driver courses on the vehicles we would be using here, crew commander courses and machine gun courses,” she added.

The younger of two siblings, Tost said her family feels the same as any soldier’s family would about her tour of duty.

“They are obviously nervous for me, but are incredibly supportive at the same time,” said Tost. “Whether they support the mission or not isn’t the question. They support me and at the end of the day that’s what matters.”

She said she was nervous in the few weeks leading up to her departure, but once she arrived she found her home away from home.

“Everyone is so close and supports each other,” she said, noting her section follows the motto “If it’s your time to go, then it’s your time to go.”

“There is nothing you can do about it, so being scared the whole time is only going to affect the way we do our jobs. We need to have a clear mind and be mission-focused in order to be effective.”

She said having good friends who are well-trained soldiers around her helps ease her mind.

“I am confident with my section’s skills and confident with my own skills, so I know that no matter what we may have thrown at us, we will pull together and make it through,” she said.

Perhaps the most gratifying part of her job is seeing the difference Canadian Forces are making overseas.

“You can see it when you’re driving through Kandahar City and the kids are walking in their school uniforms giving you the thumbs up,” she said. “It gives you that little bit of an extra boost to help you get through the day. The changes we have made are already evident and each and every soldier here, whatever their job may be, is passionate about the work we do and we would not be here if that wasn’t the case.”

Before joining the Canadian Forces, Tost was a member of the Bracebridge Cadet Corps for six years and was a cadet master warrant officer when she aged out.

When she first joined Royal Canadian Legion Branch 161 in Bracebridge, she was the youngest ordinary member. She says the legion is an important organization to be a member of, whether military or civilian.

“Being a member to me means that not only are you remembering our fallen heroes from the Great Wars, but also you are remembering and celebrating the lives of our soldiers who have laid down their own lives here in Afghanistan,” she said.