Member spotlight | Corporal Charlotte Mercer: Training others to save lives

November 8, 2024 – Defence Stories

By Captain Graeme Scott, Public Affairs Officer, Joint Task Force – Ukraine

Some might say that Corporal (Cpl) Charlotte Mercer was born to be in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). Born in Pembroke, Ontario, Charlotte is proud to be part of the third consecutive generation of her family to serve.

When asked why she wanted to take part in Operation (Op) UNIFIER, the CAF’s military training mission in support of Ukraine, Cpl Mercer explained, “I chose to come on Op UNIFIER because I wanted to be part of this positive mission. It’s such a great feeling to be able to teach the members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), the medical skills that will help them save lives.”

As an instructor with the Medical Training Element of Op UNIFER, Cpl Mercer was responsible for passing on her professional skills and knowledge to members of the AFU. This was no easy feat, but it was incredibly rewarding to watch the evolution of the students throughout the course. “Some of them have medical knowledge, some of them have no medical knowledge,” said Cpl Mercer. “We start with the basics and by the end of the course they are noticeably more confident and capable in their medical skills.”

When asked to explain her interactions with her Ukrainian counterparts, Cpl Mercer made it clear that they were highly motivated. “They want all of the information and skills that we can share with them, because they know that it may save their life or their friend’s life,” Cpl Mercer explained.

The members of the AFU wanted to share firsthand experience with Cpl Mercer as well. “Every day they [members of the AFU] are telling us about their experiences and sharing their firsthand knowledge with us, which helps us improve our instructional techniques,” said Cpl Mercer. “We can also take that real world experience with us back to Canada and fine tune our procedures. A lot of the time they [members of the AFU] don’t have the proper equipment, so they are having to improvise things like tourniquets with items like belts, as well as using ripped t-shirts as bandages. Obviously, this isn’t ideal but to save your friend’s life, you do what you have to do to make it work.”

When asked to expand on how this deployment had changed her outlook on life, Cpl Mercer explained, “After we complete every course all the Canadian instructors form up and salute the newly trained Ukrainian Medics as they return to war. It’s an extremely powerful moment to see all their faces for the last time knowing they are headed back to Ukraine, to defend their country and its people. It is an image that will stay with me forever.”