Corporal Kayla Slocum spent Christmas in Amman, Jordan as part of the team helping to process and welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada.
The Barrie native joined the military six years ago and hasn't looked back.
“This is my first deployment, and so far it has been a great journey,” said the dynamic 26-year-old. “Meeting and working with people from other Canadian organizations and seeing first hand how they operate has been a highlight for me - on top of the delicious local food!"
Cpl. Slocum is an Army Communication and Information Systems Specialist with Canadian Forces Joint Signals Regiment in Kingston (CFJSR).
She provides communications from Task Force Jordan headquarters in Jordan, back to Canada.
Her participation in Operation PROVISION started at the end of November when she left Kingston where her husband, Eddy Slocum, also works at CFJSR.
Cpl. Slocum is part of the Canadian Armed Forces contingent, working in concert with other federal government departments, supporting the Government of Canada’s #WelcomeRefugees initiative to welcome 25,000 Syrian Refugees to Canada.
Operators like Cpl. Slocum are generally the first to arrive in theatre and the last to leave.
She works behind the scenes in civilian clothes but the skills she brings to the table are essential elements to the success of the mission.
Cpl. Slocum’s parents, Phyllis-Joy and Gord Moodie of Barrie, had Christmas without their daughter this year.
But even away from home, Slocum enjoyed a traditional turkey dinner with her military and civilian colleagues in the Middle East.
Canadian Armed Forces personnel deploying on Operation PROVISION assist Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and International Organization for Migration with the administrative processing of applications including medical screening and the collection of biometric data, as well as providing a military command and control element for Canadian Armed Forces members.
Cpl. Slocum moved to Barrie when she was a toddler and lived here until she left for the military.
She has been in Amman for the past six weeks and her return dates have not yet been set.
The military is currently conducting redeployment planning.
