Canada Disbanded the Elite Airborne Regiment After Leaving Them Out To Dry – Sgt. Mike Rude’s Story

Описание: These elite soldiers dedicated their lives to serving the country only to be abandoned by their government in their hour of need. It was easier for decision makers than taking responsibility for the failure of leadership, government policy, and mandatory medication.

They were built up only to be destroyed.

This is the story of Sgt. Mike Rude and his life of service to Canada. Nothing was off limits as Mike shared his front row seat to Canada's modern military history from the late 80s through the Afghanistan war.

As a member of the Canadian Airborne Regiment, Mike tells all about Somalia, mefloquine, and the loyalty he still has to the regiment he loved the most.

I walked away from this interview feeling profound sadness and disappointment at how the government chose to handle the Somalia affair and discard some of our country's best warfighters.

But many rose from the ashes of their beloved regiment. Mike is no exception.

Mike moved on with his career and ended up going to Afghanistan where he was a sergeant in charge of an infantry section as they went "out the gate" into the heart of danger.

And after retiring from his military career spanning more than 20 years, Mike started The Rude Awakening Tour to raise awareness about mefloquine and support his fellow veterans.

This is the story of a Canadian warrior. This is a story of duty, loyalty, perseverance, and finishing the mission.

Recorded in August 2025.

ATTRIBUTION
War damage on Sarajevo buildings, Michał Huniewicz https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi..., CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons

MUSIC
"Journey" The Sound Of Remembrance by Michael Joseph Brake

CHAPTERS
00:00:00 - intro
00:00:41 - Mike's childhood
00:02:52 - basic training
00:04:52 - battle school
00:07:15 - Mike's love for Canada
00:08:51 - joining battalion
00:11:08 - the intense training required to join the Canadian Airborne Regiment
00:14:15 - life in the Canadian Airborne Regiment
00:15:52 - deploying to Somalia
00:16:57 - the average day in Somalia
00:18:50 - going to the Ethiopian border
00:19:44 - Somalia became a "peacemaking" mission
00:20:55 - Mike's best day in Somalia
00:22:09 - airborne soldiers tried to save a woman from a shark attack
00:22:51 - the rules of engagement and combat loads
00:24:30 - mefloquine, malaria, and getting sick regardless
00:27:18 - black hawk down
00:28:26 - things were backwards in Somalia
00:29:43 - it's a cruel world
00:32:10 - the end of the legendary Canadian Airborne Regiment
00:33:46 - the government betrayed the Canadian Airborne Regiment
00:34:26 - mefloquine causes psychosis
00:36:26 - Mike versus the skeptics
00:38:19 - the Airborne would have done anything for Canada
00:39:26 - paranoia on the beach versus in a war zone
00:40:23 - the Somalia affair
00:42:35 - what happened to the Airborne soldiers after disbanding
00:44:06 - Mike's deployment to Bosnia
00:45:16 - comparing Bosnia to Somalia
00:47:17 - the aftermath of the Bosnian war
00:48:17 - what was your best day in Bosnia
00:49:25 - what is a section
00:50:27 - coming home from Bosnia
00:51:33 - Mike's battle with alcoholism
00:52:33 - Mike qualified as a mountain operations instructor and saved someone in the process
00:55:15 - Mike's extensive qualifications
00:56:39 - jumping out of a plane for the first time
00:58:34 - when a jump goes wrong
00:59:39 - a smaller army means more specialties per soldier
01:00:20 - deploying to Afghanistan
01:01:21 - what was the average day like in Afghanistan
01:03:12 - Mike was chased by insurgents on his very first patrol
01:05:57 - being on the cover of a Canadian Forces recruitment poster
01:09:26 - Mike was fully promoted to Sgt before he took his course
01:11:32 - where Mike spent most of his time in Afghanistan
01:13:23 - fallen friends and fellow soldiers
01:17:03 - The Rude Awakening Tour
01:24:52 - service dogs save lives