8094

 

8094 Ken Bindernagel

1969 Review

 

Jun 1969 - After graduation, I remained at the college for a few weeks to finalize some issues with the yearbook. I then went on contact training for 6 months with 1RCHA in Germany. I believe that I was the first person to show up at the unit in the new CF Green uniform.

Jan 1970 - I returned to Canada, completed phase training and was posted to CFSCEE Kingston in A Company as an Instructor for Officer Training.

1971 - posted followed to 2 RCHA in Petawawa as the Regimental Signals Officer

1974 – Posted to Directorate of Scientific and Technical Intelligence.  During this posting, I was also assigned to the 1976 Montreal Olympics as a Communications Officer responsible for the Protocol Division, the two airports and other venues. 

1977 – Posted to CFRC Hamilton as a Military Career Counsellor.  Some highlights of this posting included recruiting the first female cadets for RMC, recruiting Chris Hadfield and completing an MBA at McMaster.

1980 - My next adventure was with 726 Comm Sqn in Halifax. The highlight of the tour was meeting Eva (I coached the ladies B-Ball team at the base and as a reservist she could play for the base team) and getting married at the first wedding and flea market event. Signs advertising this event were placed around the city.

1983 - We then made our first move together to 727 Comm Squadron in St John’s Newfoundland where I was the CO. It took me a year to finally understand what they were saying and to remember that the West Coast is Cornerbrook and not Vancouver.

1985 - Posted to SHAPE HQ in Casteau Belgium for 4 years. I commanded a Communications Sqn within the Regional Signal Group Shape and transitioned the unit from above-ground to the first occupants of the new Shape bunker. We are still in touch with Canadians and NATO members we met at SHAPE.

1989 - Posted to 74 Comm Group HQ in Vancouver.

1992 - CFCC HQ in Ottawa was the next posting but before actually taking up the job was sent to UNDOF  HQ in Damascus. I was the last Canadian Force Signal Officer as the Austrians then filled the position. Returned to Ottawa in October to take up my position at CFCC HQ.

1993 – A friend from UNDOF now in UNIFIL asked if I was interested in a job in UNIFIL. I applied for the position, was accepted, retired from the CF and thus began a new career as a civilian in the UN. In July, after indoctrination in New York at UNHQ, I travelled to UNIFIL to become the Mission Budget Officer. My friend had left the mission before I arrived and I did not know a soul. I was met in Israel at Ben Gurion airport by our Russian IT officer and I stayed with him and his wife (she really was a rocket scientist) until I found accommodations in Nahariya Israel (housing location for UN international staff). UNIFIL HQ is located in the village of Naqoura in Southern Lebanon and each day the international staff would cross the border at the Israeli checkpoint and travel to the HQ.  UNIFIL was the largest UN field peacekeeping mission at the time and a good place to meet UN staff. In future missions, there was almost always someone who had served in UNIFIL.

1998 – In March received a call to see if I would be interested in going to the UN Mine Action Center in Sarajevo BIH. I applied for a job as the Chief of Finance and was accepted. I quickly learned the atrocities of mine warfare as in my first weekend in Sarajevo, a family was killed picking firewood in the area of the Olympic Bobsled course. It had not been demined. They were also demining in the area of my apartment and at the time, I hoped it was away from the house and not towards it.

1999 - I retired from the UN in June and returned home to complete the building of our house in rural Kanata.

2000 – In Feb, I rejoined the UN and travelled to Haiti to work in the International Civilian Support Mission in Haiti (MICAH). We closed this mission in April 2001.

2001 - With the closing of MICAH in April, I transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha Tanzania as the Budget Officer.  It was a great experience and the opportunity to observe a UN Tribunal in action as there were ongoing trials for the accused in the genocide in Rwanda.

2003 – In March, I took up a position as the Chief of General Services at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. In this early phase of the court, staff were busy establishing policies and procedures for the three branches of the court – Presidency, Prosecution and Registry including trips to Uganda and DRC  to establish field offices.  Eva and I rented a house in Voorborg which was within walking distance to the Court. We enjoyed the experience of living in the Netherlands.

2006 – I left the Court in December 2005 and had a short contract beginning in January 2006 to work on budget preparations for expanded operations in UNIFIL. International staff were now living in Lebanon and I resided in Tyre.

2006 -2024 – Life in Canada consisted of working around the house, socializing with family and friends, travelling as much as possible, reading and organizing two-week safaris to Tanzania. Eva and I have travelled on seven safaris to date with an average of 16 adventurers. Each one has been different and exciting and you never get tired of seeing the animals and the scenery. We sold our house in October 2022 and now live in an apartment in Kanata and continue to travel and enjoy life. First picture is reminder of roads on safari.