Eron Main - UN Peace Keeping

Eron grew up in a military family. His father Jon served 35 years in the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Forces and Eron grew up on military bases across the country.

In 1983, Eron joined Canadian Forces as a Military Engineer. After graduation from the Royal Military College in 1987, he was posted to Nienburg, West Germany, where he served for two years as a troop commander on exchange with the Royal Engineers of the British Army. He then returned to the Canadian Forces in Lahr, Germany, as part of 4 Combat Engineer Regiment. This was during the Cold War, and Eron was part of the NATO forces who were stationed in Europe to guard against a Soviet attack. During his time in Germany, the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet empire disintegrated. This eased tensions in Europe, but was followed by the outbreak of numerous smaller conflicts around the world.

Following the civil war and break-up of Yugoslavia in 1992, Eron served with his regiment as part of the United Nations Protection Force in Croatia. He returned to Canada in 1993 and was posted in support of a reserve Military Engineering unit in Manitoba. He left the Canadian Forces, with the rank of Captain, in 1994.

Photo: Capt. Eron Main in Croatia, April 1992.