Bold Eagle program tests graduates’ mettle

“I would tell myself, ‘OK. Five more days. That’s what I’ll give myself. Five more days, and if I’m absolutely run down by then, I’ll go home,’” she recounted following the Aug. 8 graduation ceremony. “But that end of the five days never came. I just kept pushing and I got to today, graduation day.”

It was a tough slog through the five‑week Basic Military Qualification (BMQ) course all the Bold Eagle candidates had to endure, but in the end it was all worth it, Pte Turner explained.

“I can’t say in the moment it was great,” she said. “But today, on graduation, it was great.”

Bold Eagle is an Indigenous summer program that operates out of Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta. It is the largest and oldest of the five courses run by the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) across the country, having launched in 1989 in Prince Albert, Sask.

This is a milestone year for the program, being the 35th year it has run. There was a one‑year interruption in 2020 due to the COVID‑19 pandemic.

Bold Eagle is open to any self‑identifying Indigenous person in Canada, explained program co‑ordinator Captain Trent Gervais. Candidates must be at least 16 years old, and so long as they self‑identify as Indigenous and have not already completed Bold Eagle or another Indigenous summer program, or the BMQ course, they are welcome to participate.

This year, 47 candidates successfully navigated the program and got to graduation day to be recognized and fêted by their peers, friends, family and members of CAF leadership.

Those who graduate have the option of taking the next step and continuing to serve in the CAF, but that continued service is not required. Graduates can simply complete the program and return to their lives, bolstered by the skills they learned in Wainwright.

Regardless of what the graduates do after Bold Eagle, or why they took part in the first place, Capt Gervais said they all get something out of it.

“I think a lot of them come here looking for something more,” he said. “Maybe it’s adventure. Maybe it’s the financial aspect. Maybe it’s the social aspect. Or it could be the discipline and the rigours of the military life that are appealing to them.

“We want to offer that to all the candidates that come here, and hopefully they find something that they’re really enjoyed.”

Ultimately, he said programs like Bold Eagle, or just joining the CAF without the Bold Eagle background, offer Indigenous youth an outlet to showcase themselves to the world in constructive and positive ways.

Why anyone would choose to participate in Bold Eagle is, of course, a personal choice.

Pte Turner said she had two reasons for taking the plunge.

“I wanted to do it so I could prove to myself that anything’s possible,” she said. “I also wanted to set an example for my younger relatives, and I wanted to be a good role model for them.”

She said she’d heard about Bold Eagle from a friend. The friend told her it had been challenging and difficult for him, but he still encouraged her to sign up.

But Bold Eagle builds camaraderie, and Pte Turner found a whole new set of friends amongst her platoonmates.

“I think what got me through were the new friends I made here and just sharing that same experience of feeling lonely and just having each other,” she said.

For Pte Jakob Nault, a 21‑year‑old Métis from Edmonton, Alta., Bold Eagle was a chance to find a sense of community, teamwork and family.

“I just felt like I wanted to be part of something that was bigger than myself,” he said. “Bold Eagle has been everything and more than that.”

Arriving in Wainwright on that first day, Pte Nault said he didn’t know what to expect. It was the instructors, staff and his fellow candidates who were integral to helping him get through it.

“It was definitely trying at times, but I’m proud to say that it was all worth it,” he said.

Similar to Pte Turner, Pte Nault said he had times when he may have felt a bit in over his head. He recounted how there were moments in the early days when the thoughts “Can I really do this?” and “Was I prepared enough to do this?” percolated in his head.

He said it was in those moments when he thought back to the words his platoon section second‑in‑command Master Corporal Mabrouk Echikr had said.

“He always just kept saying, ‘Tell yourself: I can. I will. I must. And just keep pushing through.’” Pte Nault said. “And that is a lesson I’m going to take with me going forward. ‘I can. I must. I will.’ Use that to just propel myself forward in life.”

What are Pte Nault’s plans for his future?

Nothing is official yet, but he said he plans on staying in the CAF and is in the process of transferring to the South Alberta Light Horse in Edmonton.