Carjacking, SFOR, OP PALLADIUM, Roto 13. Paul Hale

Major Paul Hale (Retired) was performing his duties as a United Nations Military Observer in Bosnia the day he and his Danish partner were carjacked by Serbs outside Sarajevo in April 1992.  He was shaken by this two-day odyssey and says, "That's when I realized I was not bullet-proof." This interview was recorded for the Balkans 35th Commemoration,  a volunteer, veteran-led initiative. Our mission is to commemorate the 35th Anniversary of Canada’s contribution to peacekeeping and stability operations in the Balkans.For more interviews, photos, videos, and oral histories documenting the experiences of Canadians deployed to the Balkans, please visit our website:https://balkans35.ca/

Op Palladium Roto 13, Paul Hale Photos

Paul Hale was born 15 June 1954 in Oldham, England.  His parents moved to Canada when he was quite young, so Paul was raised in northern Ontario, ending up in the Timmins area.  There he decided to join the Canadian Forces after serving in the reserves, and while in university he chose the officer path.   In 1976 he transferred to the Regular Force and became a member of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry,  serving with them for over 30 years.  Paul has been based across Canada and has participated in eight overseas tours:  two in Cyprus, two in the Former Yugoslavia, Angola, South Africa during their first democratic elections and two in Afghanistan. In Cyprus he served as a UN peacekeeper, working to keep the warring Greeks and Turks apart, while in Angola he was a UN observer responsible for ensuring that both sides of the conflict adhered to the terms of the cease fire.  In Yugoslavia Paul was attached to UNMLOY and UNPROFOR, where he witnessed firsthand the barbarity of that war; as Paul comments, “…there was no peace to keep…” It was also a time he reflects where the Canadian Forces did not sufficiently address the psychological realities of peacekeeping, and many soldiers suffered silently from PTSD.  Twice Paul deployed to Afghanistan, where he served in ISAF Headquarters and Operation Attention.  During this interview Paul reflects on the losses, and the successes and failures of these missions.  He had close calls during those missions, notably when he was carjacked outside Sarajevo on 15 April 1992. Paul retired from the Regular Force in 2006, but he joined the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada and the Lorne Scots (Halton, Dufferin and Peel) Regiment. He retired from the reserves in June 2014 with a total of 41 years and 9 months service.  In this interview Paul speaks compellingly of the importance and power of remembrance, as he recalls those who were lost under his command – and the families who went on without them.  

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