Canada. Forces armées canadiennes - Unflinching: the making of a Canadian sniper

PRAISE FOR

UNFLINCHING

Unflinching is one of those books that you just cant put down. What a book! What a life! Jody is an inspiration. He never quit, he never gave up, no matter how tough the road was. This book will make you proud that Jody is a Canadian.

D ON C HERRY

Jody Mitics harrowing and heroic life story reveals Canadas frontline soldiers as I know them to be: intelligent, complex, emotional and loyal.... This book is inspiration for anyone hoping to re-invent their life. Jody has triumphed at it time and again.

K EVIN N EWMAN, journalist/anchor and co-author of All Out

I read it all, start to finish, in one enthralled session. Unflinching is raw, personal, unforgiving, unrelenting and draws one into Jodys life, with a vividness and a colour thats visceral.

G ENERAL R ICK H ILLIER, former Chief of Defence Staff for the Canadian Forces

Unflinching is pure Jody Miticsmart, funny, honest and tough. I think the first time I saw Jody he was kicking the hell out of the army half marathon on his new feet; the next time, he was a newly elected Ottawa councillor; and now hes an accomplished storyteller. Hed be almost irritatingly capable if he wasnt also a lovely human being.

C HRISTIE B LATCHFORD, author of Fifteen Days: Stories of Bravery, Friendship, Life and Death from Inside the New Canadian Army

Over the last several years, Jody Mitic has been a larger-than-life figure in the military community. Reading his experiences in his own clear, humble, funny and no-bullshit prose has offered insight to the very real human at the core of his story. I would recommend Unflinching to any Canadian, military or civilian.

M ATT L ENNOX, author of The Carpenter and Knuckle Head

Simon & Schuster Canada

A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

166 King Street East, Suite 300

Toronto, Ontario M5A 1J3

www.SimonandSchuster.ca

Copyright 2015 by Jody Mitic

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Simon & Schuster Canada Subsidiary Rights Department, 166 King Street East, Suite 300, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 1J3, Canada.

This Simon & Schuster Canada edition September 2015

SIMON & SCHUSTER CANADA and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-800-268-3216 or .

The author wishes to formally thank Perry Lefko for early development of the project and believing in it as a modern-day Canadian war story.

Front cover image courtesy of the author; Back cover image Errol McGihon/Sun Media

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Mitic, Jody, author

Unflinching / Jody Mitic.

Issued in print and electronic formats.

ISBN 978-1-4767-9510-2 (bound). ISBN 978-1-4767-9512-6 (ebook)

1.Mitic, Jody.2.Afghan War, 2001 Personal narratives, Canadian.3.Canada. Canadian Armed ForcesBiography.4.SnipersCanadaBiography.5.Disabled veteransCanadaBiography.6.City Council membersOntarioOttawaBiography.I.Title.

DS371.413.M58 2015958.104'7371C-2015-903848-0

C-2015-903849-9

All photographs in the insert are courtesy of the author, except as marked.

This book is dedicated to my fellow snipers and to the men and women in the Canadian Armed Forces, past, present and future. Pro patria.

P erpetual optimism is a force multiplier. It costs nothing to give, is priceless and has the power to transform people instantly. Jody Mitic is a shining example of how perpetual optimism works, of how one persons resolute determination spreads hope far and widebecause if he could pick himself up and begin anew after becoming a casualty of war, theres hope for all of us as we face lifes challenges. A friend of mine who loved being a soldier used to say, If this doesnt light your fire, your woods all wet. This attitude epitomizes Jodya soldiers soldierjust as accurately.

I read Unflinching , start to finish, in one enthralled session. It is a raw, personal, unforgiving and unrelenting portrait of life as a soldier, told with a vividness and colour that is visceral. It will take you through Jodys early days in the military, where he began the way we all didas a young soldier learning the ropes, honing self-discipline and stamina, qualities that would later serve him well on his various tours of duty in Afghanistan and elsewhere. This book is an insiders look at the training involved to become an elite sniper and the particular acuity this role entails. But more than anything, it offers a kind of travel opportunity, allowing the reader to walk a mile in Jodys army boots, and, later, to run alongside him in his prosthetics as he racesoften literallytowards a new and bright future.

I T WAS 2007 . I was a master corporal and sniper team leader in the Canadian Armed Forces. Id just celebrated my thirtieth birthday in Afghanistan. Id survived three tours over the course of seven years. I had been preparing for war for my entire adult life. But nothing prepared me for what was about to happen next.

On January 11, a week after my birthday, our three-man elite sniper unitBarry, Kash and meled by my boss, Gord, was sent on a mission. We were to intercept Taliban insurgents fleeing the Canadian Forces as we advanced on an Afghan village. We stepped through the wire at Strong Point Centre and headed through the thick mud of a farmers field. A while later, we arrived at an opening in a wall leading into the village. I was bringing up the rear and I couldnt see what was ahead, but Barry could. Barry was my point man and was always razor-sharp.

Two small steps led up to the low entry. Two small steps.

Barry went through the opening first, followed by Gord and Kash, rifles at the ready. They all cleared the entry without issue. I was up next.

I took those two steps up, clearing the entry. In the green glow of my night vision, I saw Kash covering the six oclock position. I tapped him on the shoulder to signal that I was in position and he moved to follows the others. We always keep ten metres between us when we are moving, just in case something goes wrong.

I sensed Kash moving away from me as I watched our rear for threats. When I felt the right amount of time had passed, I looked over my shoulder to confirm we were keeping the proper spacing. I took one last look at our rear and then turned to follow the team. But as my right foot touched the ground, a massive orange fireball soared across my face. For a few seconds I was floating, weightless, suspended in space and time. I didnt hear a sound.

The next thing I knew, I was on the ground. My mouth, eyes, ears and nose were full of dirt. I was confused. My night vision was gone. Where was my trusty C-8 carbine? Id had it at my side for the last five months. And then the pain hita pain so intense that it completely overwhelmed my body.

Such a small thing, an anti-personnel land mineabout the size and shape of a thick hockey puckbut full of deadly explosives.

I am not very religious, but they say there are no atheists in foxholes. As I punched the ground as hard as I could, I screamed, Oh god! Oh god! Oh god!

My fellow snipers rushed to my side. Sorry, guys. I just fucked the mission. At that moment, this was all I cared about.