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Cyprus 1974: “This Ain’t No Picnic, It’s War” is the edited personal diary of Alain Gaudet, a twenty-two-year-old paratrooper with the Canadian Forces in a peacekeeping role in Nicosia, Cyprus. The diary is a fascinating look at daily life from the soldiers’ viewpoint. It gives the reader insight into the challenges and frustrations of a solider in combat, how he deals with the loss of friends and compatriots, and the extremes of emotions on display in a war zone.
In his M.A. research project, entitled “NATO’s Thorn, Canada’s Opportunity: Canadian Cold War Diplomacy and Peacekeeping in Cyprus, 1964-1974,” David Kielstra explored Canada’s domestic and military response to the 1974 Cyprus crisis. He is a researcher and writer for Project Ploughshares and the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies and has published in the Journal of Military and Strategic Studies.
|Alain Gaudet grew up in various communities between Ottawa and Montreal, and after high school, in 1968, joined the Canadian military. After his regular and combat training he became a member of the Canadian Airborne Regiment, which gave him the opportunity to travel, both within Canada and internationally. Since leaving the military in 1976, Alain Gaudet has had a varied career. He lives in France.