Irishtown-Summerside -
Anne Hopkins has plenty of things to do since retiring from the Armed Forces, however none more important than a surprise visit home for the holidays.
Hopkins gave her parents, siblings, and other relatives the shock of their lives when she showed up unannounced Christmas Day. However, the unexpected has always been part of the norm for the daughter of Ronald and Sarah Penney of Irishtown.
The eldest in a family of eight, Hopkins began her nursing career in Corner Brook where she stayed for about six years. In 1978, she found her calling, joined the militia and enrolled in the regular forces in 1984.
She was first posted in CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick, where she was a staff nurse at Oromocto Hospital, followed by three more years in Saint Jean, Que., where her duties ranged from in-patient care to public health.
If a military career is known for its relocating families, Hopkins, her husband Clayton (who was also a member of the forces), and son C.J. came to know it quite well. Her career took her through Winnipeg, Halifax, Shearwater, N.S.; Stadacona, Que. and eventually, the place she calls home today, Borden, Ont.
Her nursing roles have varied as much as the places she has lived- from being a university liaison officer to a medical technician teacher, until eventually she found her way into mental health services. Her storied career included an eventful experience as the administration officer at the 1998 crash site of Swissair Flight 111, that claimed the lives of all 229 on board after it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Halifax International Airport.
Life's work
In April of 2006, her life's work came together as she prepared for her own operation in Afghanistan. For eight months in 2007, Hopkins discovered just what that calling she had nearly 30 years before was. Trained for medical and psychiatric trauma, she felt her nursing and military training was finally complete.
"I felt for the first time in my 30 years in the military that I really did the job I was trained to do," Hopkins told The Western Star from the kitchen table of her parents home in Irishtown. "We were there to serve a purpose and we were there to serve the soldiers who were actually there to carry out a mission."
It didn't take long for her skills to be put to use in the war-torn country. She said she was only there two weeks when an American aircraft went down, killing eight and critically injuring 13 others. She was part of the team that stabilized those 13, including one who was "literally dead" when he arrived. They saved all 13.
"It was such a strong feeling of satisfaction and pride in the work that you do," she said. "I was so proud to be a Canadian, to wear that uniform. That uniform even today means the world to me."
Hopkins, who broke down at that point and took some time to gather her emotions, said she missed her uniform and the job she did in Afghanistan, saying she would go back in a heart beat. However, she was also quick to point out the trauma of losing a soldier was worse than the satisfaction of saving one. To this day, she said she can't watch the ramp ceremonies that send a dead soldier home.
"You still had that sense of pride, but when that body was passing in front of you, you knew where you were to then," she said, again losing the fight to hold back the tears. "That brought you to realize you were in a war, that you weren't just home doing a job everyday. To see all those young men pass in front of you, it tore the heart out of me."
When Hopkins returned from Afghanistan, she took over as manager of primary health-care service at CFB Borden for a year. She then went to Cyprus to work with the troops returning from Afghanistan. A mental health specialist, with a tour of duty under her belt, she is an asset in helping soldiers adjust to life after the war.
Returning to Canada
She returned to Borden again to take over as manager of mental health services. She retains that position today, but has since retired from the military after 31 years. One of her priorities is still ensuring soldiers receive the best treatment and care when they return from overseas.
"A lot of our young men and women, although trained and prepared for what they see and do, no amount of training in the world could ever prepare them for what they are going to see over there," she said.
Hopkins herself said she had a difficult time returning to her life in Canada, saying she felt like an outsider in her own family. Some adjust better than others to that change.
"The priority over there is a soldier is dying, bleeding out in front of you, your priority is getting that person back to normal," she said. "Maybe, you have someone dealing with shell shock because they saw two of their buddies blasted into the air in front of them, killed, and they are picking up body parts of these people afterwards. Those are the people who matter most to me."
Hopkins said sometimes they see military personnel struggle with normal family life, leading to separations, and sometimes young soldiers turn to alcohol and drugs to cope with the struggles they are facing.
"It's not because they want to, but because they can't put behind them, and miss, what they did over there," she said. "They feel like they are home now and not important anymore, and not part of that society.
"That's where we need our care, to make them realize they are home, they are safe, and it is time to get on with their own lives."
Hopkins is indeed home and safe. It is the first time she has been home in Irishtown in 10 years. However, she realizes there is much work awaiting her in Borden. So many are counting on her and that suits her just fine.
