The Van Doos are leaving
First, there where kisses. Then there where hugs. But as the clock was ticking, tears started to appear.
Covering the first Van Doos leaving for Afghanistan was absolutely heartbreaking: one of the most difficult assignment I had to cover yet. Many time I had to restrain my emotion, many time I had to restrain the tear that was coming to my eyes.
Seeing so many mothers hugging their kids, so many kids hugging their father, so many fathers hugging their son, so many loving spouse and girlfriends hugging their beloved one…
First, we had to “steal” those very intimate moments. And then, we had to step in to ask names. One time, it was so heartbreaking that I could not. I had to ask a friend of the guy, because his girlfriend was so in pain that I was just not able to ask myself (third photo).
I did not know it would be so emotional. Even after the event, when I was editing my photos, many times a “ball of emotions” came right down from my gut, up to my eyes.
It is a good thing after all that my friend Hubert, who was getting married the day before (pictures on this blog soon!), will leave only next week, when medias will not be invited. I am not sure I would have been able to do my job properly with him being one of the guys leaving yesterday.
I already talked about photographing grievance and other painful moments. Again, I had the proof that what we do is important. Late yesterday evening, Nathalie Dupont, the lady in the second photo, sent me this email after discovering it on the Gazette web site (reproduced with her authorization):
Bonjour!
Un petit mot pour souligner votre remarquable talent pour saisir l’émotion du moment! Si vous saviez tous les reproches essuyés par nos nombreux neveux et nièces avant le départ, n’ayant pas de photos convenable de nous deux… Une seule comme celle-là leur suffit amplement! Moi qui a longtemps cru que je n’étais pas photogénique… preuve à l’appui que le problème est souvent derrière la caméra, pas vrai? Merci pour ce baume au coeur!
(…) Pour les moments touchants, dommage que vous manquiez tous les ohhhhhh! et ahhhhh! des gens qui n’étaient pas sur place et qui s’ébahissent ici devant la photo
My free translation:
Hello!
Some words to underline your remarkable talent to photograph all the emotion of a moment! If only you would know all the everyone in the family was sad to not have a decent picture of us before his leave. Just one like this is more than enough for them! And me who was thinking all those year that I was not photogenic… Now I have the proof that the problem was behind the camera, right? Thank you for healing our heart!
(…) For the touching moment, it is sad that you miss all the “owww!” and “awwww” of the people gathered here when they look at the photo.
I sent her a high-resolution version of the photo. That is the least I can do to repay my invasion of their privacy.
With my work with La Presse, and now with this one for The Gazette, I feel very connected with those guys. I have photos. I have names. I will check the headlines with another eye now.
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Guy
Bravo ! La photo de l’amoureuse qui entoure son « chum » ne pas ému…mais plutôt « dérangé ».
Cette photo restera gravée longtemps dans ma mémoire « visuelle »…….Aucun mot n’aurait pu traduire ce moment!
Mais à la limite cette photo a volée un moment magique……ces personnes sauront sûrement appréciées ce moment UNIQUE.
Encore une fois Bravo Francis pour tes photos……
Je fus ému!
Guy
Patrick Matte
Merci pour ces photos Francis. C’est touchant et essentiel à notre compréhension de l’actualité.
Marcelle Fradcourt
Bonjour,
Je suis la mère du militaire sur la 2ème photo. Frédéric a refusé que l’on assiste à son départ de Valcartier. Lundi, lorsque j’ai vu la photo, je ne pouvais pas, à la fois les regarder, ni détacher mes yeux d’Eux. Vos photos traduisent toute l’émotion ressentie pas nos militaires et leurs proches. Chaque fois que je pose mes yeux sur les photos, j’espère y trouver des regards un peu moins tristes, quelque chose qui m’aurait échappé et qui pourrait me réconforter… Ils et elles sont arrivés mais sont si loin de nous, pour si longtemps ! Monsieur Vachon, merci d’avoir était présent !
France-Julie Guay
Sorry I don’t write English very well, I hope you don’t mind.
Your photos make me think of a discution I had with a nice lady on Remembrance Day . She told me that her husband is a veteran of Korean war and that her son was about to live to Afghanistan this summer. I told her how hard it was for me when my cousin ( that is more like a brother to me) had to leave for UN missions.
Then she told me something that I will never forget : » I told my son that I was disagree that he choose to be a soldier like his father. He answered me that he will do his live like it will pleases him. I was so sad but,we cannot stop them to live their lives like they wish to. The only thing we can do is to love them. »