C'mon lads... time to step up with some pictures as I know damn well there must be be some photos of Bobby out there...
Filmmaker strives to capture strength of a military family
Published Saturday May 23rd, 2009
A solitary member of the Armed Forces stands at the foot of a grave in the National Military Cemetery on Remembrance Day and snaps a salute to a soldier killed in Afghanistan.
A documentary crew is filming from a short distance away, hoping to be as unobtrusive as possible. The Armed Forces member is a mother of three in her mid-40s who completed her basic military qualification training only within the last year.
The grave belongs to her husband - Canada's highest-ranking non-commissioned soldier to die in Afghanistan, Regimental Sergeant Major Robert "Bobby" Girouard of Bathurst.
Calgary-based filmmaker John Kerr of Crowsnest Films, is shooting a feature documentary on Bobby Girouard.
It was above and beyond the call of duty for Jacqueline Girouard to share such a private moment for a loved one lost, he says.
Retired general Rick Hillier, a former chief of defence staff, says he couldn't think of a better person, husband, father, son or soldier to be a documentary subject than Girouard.
"Bobby wasn't a big talker and a shouter," Hiller explains. "He was a leader by action and I think he's the perfect example for a Canadian to look at and say: 'My goodness, somebody who serves their country like that, who has those leadership attributes and values and skills and the commitment and dedication, you know, I want to be like that.'
"I think it's a powerful thing for somebody to put on film. I think it's awesome."
Girouard, who was 46 when his life ended abruptly, served in the Canadian Forces infantry. The military veteran had seen several postings, including Kosovo, Bosnia, Germany and other European countries while serving with NATO, but none with conditions as deplorable as those in Afghanistan.
Girouard served as a chief warrant officer in the 1st Battalion of the Royal Canadian Regiment and was based north of Ottawa at CFB Petawawa. He then became regimental sergeant major and, at the time of his death, he was the heart and soul of his unit - a man who was held in high esteem by the unit's senior officers and enlisted ranks.
Originally born in Bouctouche, Girouard grew up in Bathurst and he was looking forward to retiring at the end of the mission from which he never returned. A suicide bomber struck his light armoured vehicle on Nov. 27, 2006, killing Girouard and two others - an Afghan civilian and 36-year-old Cpl. Adam Storm.
Jacqueline enlisted after her husband's death and she joins her sons Robert Jr., who serves with his father's former regiment, and Michael, who is training to be a pilot in the Air Force at Royal Military College in Kingston, Ont. Her daughter, Jocelyn, married a member of the Canadian Forces who also serves in the Royal Canadian Regiment's 1st Battalion.
According to Kerr, Jacquie's visit to her husband's grave offered her a unique sense of closure.
"That was one of her goals and one of her reasons for joining the military was she wanted to salute her husband's grave in uniform on Remembrance Day," Kerr says, adding that the experience was "like a raw, exposed nerve of emotion."
Although Kerr has spent a lot of time with the Girouard family, he says the film will centre around Bobby because "in many ways, he is somewhat present in every frame of the film."
The Girouard family has a story to tell. It's one of pride, defeat, triumph and perseverance. Kerr, 35, is taking on the challenge of trying to articulate the memory of a remarkably dedicated soldier and family man.
"Ultimately, Bob will come through in the finished film as being the person that in many, many ways inspired and motivated these people to move forward with their lives and (make) the choices they're making in doing so," he explains.
Kerr says he and his crew had to move quickly at first, as Jacquie was about to graduate from basic training and Robert Jr. was to be deployed to Afghanistan. He left and returned in February from his first nine-month stint. The filmmaker says the family's co-operation has been amazing.
"It was unbelievable for them to open themselves up and share themselves and their lives with us at a time that was obviously very stressful, with Robert deploying and the demands Jacquie was facing going through basic training," he says.
The project came to the filmmaker partly by chance, but mostly by design.
Kerr embarked on his mission in April 2008. He had just finished reading Christie Blatchford's book Fifteen Days, which highlights 15 memorable days from Blatchford's time embedded with Canadian troops in Afghanistan. He barely had time to close the book when he was contacted by Susan Raby-Dunne of Bonfire Pictures in Calgary. Raby-Dunne brought the concept to him after discussions with a former neighbour of Girouard's when Girouard lived in Winnipeg. That person is retired major general Ivan Fenton, who was at one time a director of NATO.
Shooting began in May last year with two separate visits, along with the military cemetery visit in November. Kerr hopes the 70- to 90-minute feature documentary gets picked up by a broadcaster before long because he and his partners Raby-Dunne and Fenton are all into the project for about $10,000 to $15,000. Kerr now has roughly 60 hours of raw footage.
Kerr says Blatchford's book introduced the Girouards to him, but losing his father to a heart attack at 17 and having a younger brother, James, serve in the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry for a couple years really "brought it home to me personally."
Although Hillier did not know Girouard really well, he says they met several times while serving in similar regions throughout the years. However, he recalls very well his time spent with the family since Girouard's death.
"The first time I met the family was a day at Trenton when the body of her husband and the father came home from Afghanistan," Hillier says. Hillier recalled speaking with Jacquie in February 2008, days before she began her basic training.
"I remember, I sort of put my arm around her and asked her how things were going and she said, 'you know, it's tough'," he says. "She said the boys were home last weekend and they went out to the garage and lit the stove out in the garage like Bobby used to do. She said things kind of felt like the family was together and she said 'The one thing I do know is if I smile more, they smile more'."
Hillier says he gave Jacquie an enormous pep talk and promised he would attend her graduation ceremony.
The retired general describes the family as "inspirational."
"Jackie Girouard is just an incredible lady and she's got the heart of a lion. There's no reverse on that woman," he says, adding that her dedication to the family before and after Girouard's death, along with her more recent military efforts, are "really incredible."
Jacquie completed her training as a support technician and she could be deployed to Afghanistan before the Canadian mission ends in 2011.
