A Canadian veteran of the war in Afghanistan pleaded guilty to impaired operation of a motor vehicle following an incident last summer in Jasper Provincial Court.

Arguing that he suffers from post traumatic stress disorder, the veteran also had two serious charges dropped against him.

William Thomas Calvert had charges of assault and theft of property valued at over $5,000  dismissed after an agreement between the Defense and the Crown Prosecutor. All the charges stemmed from a June 16 incident in Jasper that allegedly involved an alcohol-fueled joy ride in a stolen van that was crashed and sunk into Pyramid Lake, the court heard.

Calvert, who served in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, one of the most decorated regiments in the Canadian Forces and which has existed since the First World War, appeared at the March 11 session of Jasper Provincial Court.

“It sounds to me that the crown could establish as fact only what you have pleaded guilty to and they have decided to press forward with those charges,” said Judge Don Norheim.

Defense lawyer Brian Hurley told the court that sometime in mid-June, Calvert was in a pub in Jasper drinking with some military friends. At some point during the night, Calvert got into a discussion with another bar patron, a veteran of the Vietnam War, and the two former soldiers began to talk about men and war.

According to Hurley, the older vet told Calvert that the Vietnam war was worse than the war in Afghanistan and that soldier’s today had things far easier.
Calvert remembers calling his father, asking for some details about the Vietnam war that he could use while talking to the veteran, but remembers little about the debate.

After the conflict between the two men, details become even sketchier.

According to Crown Prosecutor Kai Jensen, there were allegations of a stolen van that was driven into Pyramid Lake. There were allegations of an assault at a resort near Pyramid Lake where someone reportedly grabbed an employee by the shoulders and shook them while talking incoherently about an exploding boat.

“What we have is a lot of circumstantial evidence,” Jensen told the court.

Jensen said that while there were five witnesses to the crimes alleged against Calvert, those witnesses were summertime employees at nearby resorts and have since left the area.

“I really have no recollection of the night at all. It’s all just a blank,” said Calvert of his behaviour that night.

His lawyer told the court that the only memory Calvert has of the night after the fight is a vague one; He remembers climbing something, but he is not sure what.

Defense lawyer Hurley referred to Calvert’s military service in the Canadian forces throughout the court proceedings.

Calvert served in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry battalion and fought in Afghanistan’s Panjwaii district sometime in mid to late-2000.

The Panjwaii district, known as the birthplace of the Taliban, is located in Kandahar province in Afghanistan and has seen heavy fighting involving Canadian forces. A rugged valley with complex sprawls of mud-walled compounds, it is a guerilla fighting environment. Fire fights, artillery bombardments, air strikes, suicide bombers and roadside bombs have been consistent there over the past seven years.

In 2006, the Canadian Forces led Operation Mountain Thrust turned into the Battle of Panjwaii, where hundreds of Taliban and at least four Canadian soldiers were killed. Canadian forces left the region and returned several months later in 2006 again to launch and lead Operation Medusa, an effort to clear the Panjwaii of Taliban fighters. At least nine Canadian soldiers and hundreds of Taliban died in the fighting that followed.

Hurley said that Calvert was a decorated soldier who had served his country proudly in the Panjwaii Valley. While fighting alongside American troops, he fought well enough that he received a commendation for valour while under fire.

However, Calvert suffered from post traumatic stress disorder when he returned home, said Hurley. Calvert’s own mother and father noticed a difference in their son as soon as he returned from Afghanistan. He did not seem like the son they knew, said Hurley.

The court was told that Calvert is currently living out of a vehicle in British Columbia and is attempting to get a plumbing certificate. While he has formally cut ties with serving directly in the regular forces of the Canadian military, he still is in the reserves.