Its been about a month since my last publication but the time away has been worth while as I have a ton of new content coming your way. I met Cesare last Monday at CFB Borden...not what its called now but whatever. The meeting was arranged by Daniel Yun who will be featured here soon. I was taken away by how humble they both were and the support they were willing to give towards the project. Needless to say I'm excited to bring you Cesare's account. Master Corporal Cesare Ierullo served in Afghanistan from April - November 2010 as part of Task Force Kandahar.

I volunteered for Afghanistan for the opportunity to do something truly significant. I hoped to gain much from the experience and I certainly did. The time I spent in Afghanistan was the high point of my life to date, nothing back home has brought me the same complex rush of emotion and adrenaline. Not a single day has passed where I don't find my mind wandering back to 2010 in Afghanistan.

Our mission in Afghanistan was that of convoy escort and our platoon was officially titled National Support Element - Force Protection Platoon.

Nicknamed the "Road Runners" and consisting entirely of reserve Infantry & Armoured volunteers, we set out to to protect the invaluable cargo that was frequently dispatched across the province of Kandahar. We moved everything from ammunition to people, whether it was through the traffic laden, bustling Kandahar city or out in the far flung rural reaches of the province, we took much pride in the execution of our missions.

Coming home with all the experiences I brought with me made reintegrating back into my normal life before tour particularly frustrating. I left Afghanistan feeling tremendously angry and bitter about the whole affair for a variety of reasons. We had been violently ambushed with RPG's and machinegun fire and my friend Master Corporal Mark Soteroff was wounded. Another friend with the Combat Engineers Sapper Brian Collier had been killed.

As is typical with war there were moments of great dread, anxiety and doubt, fear and uncertainty but also were many moments of laughter and good times. The friendships and bonds that were forged with my peers in that country are long lasting and significant.

For what its worth, Afghanistan made me a better person and I'll always be grateful I had the opportunity to serve with such a fine platoon of soldiers.