Story Archive

Unreserved

Debbie Dompierre of Metchosin, B.C., Canada, reached a major milestone by completing basic training with the Canadian Navy. “It’s just as hard as it looks on TV,” she said. “There’s drill sergeants. They do yell all the time, they scream in your face.” Dompierre said she owed a great deal of her success to the support of her husband, Eric Meredith, 46, who recently retired from the navy. Her two sons have also served in the military. Dompierre is 56, making her the oldest reservist to graduate from basic training in Canada. “It’s like I’m starting all over again and doing something I’ve always dreamed of, but never thought possible,” she says. “One of the instructors said, ‘Is it true it’s your 56th birthday?’ I said, ‘Yes’ and she said, ‘Wow, that’s very impressive,’” Dompierre recalls. (MS/Victoria Times-Colonist) ...“Yes”? I think she means “Yes SIR!”