"This Ain't no Picnic, It's War"

Another book title out - Cyprus 1974 "This Ain't no Picnic, It's War": The Combat Diary of Alain Gaudet, Canadian Peacekeeper edited by David Kielstra. This is a wonderful look at the thoughts and the sentiments of a 22-year old Canadian Paratrooper who maintained a diary of events as he saw them. The forward is written by Major-General Alain Forand and although Gaudet is not always aware of the bigger picture, the general adds that "it is rare and extremely interesting to look and live an operation through the eyes of a soldier. It is refreshing to read Corporal Gaudet’s experiences straight from the heart and sometimes with “undiplomatic” comments concerning the on-going activities of his peers, superiors, the fighting adversaries and the unfortunate civilians caught in-between." (p.8) For this reason alone it has been a fascinating book to work on and one of the few that I have read cover to cover.

The book is also the first in a new series - Laurier Military History Series - prepared by the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies. The series is sure to produce a number of excellent short booklets between 40 and 100 pages. It continues the mandate of the Centre and works well with the desire of Terry Copp, the Centre's Director and WLU Professor Emeritus, to see quality work from academics and graduate students in print..