Profile: Marcel Heichert
- Jeanelle Mandes | November 11, 2014
Marcel Heichert, a 30-year-old veteran soldier from Whitebear First Nation, fought in Afghanistan in 50 degree heat. Heichert joined the army because the military life required a lot of discipline and he wanted to build upon that. Now he is currently studying administration and majoring in accounting at the First Nations University of Canada with hopes of someday working as an accountant.
“The military life seemed like an adventure and it seemed like a job where it mattered to be physically fit because I liked to exercise. The job seemed like something that I like to have stories to be proud of to tell later on in life. It required a lot of skill and discipline.”
Heichert started his training as a youth in taekwondo which was taught at his school in his reserve in the evenings.
He was living in Moose Jaw in grade 12 and he was a part of a class where his teacher had the students do an obstacle course in the base armories. They were taught what military training was like.
“We had a couple of soldiers that showed us what it’s like to be yelled at and doing some push-ups and doing an obstacle course. Those kinds of things appealed to me, it seemed like fun.”
In 2003, Heichert moved to Regina to take some evening science classes and it was then he submitted his application to the military.
“I met a guy who was in the military reserve and he asked me if I was interested in joining the Canadian Forces Reserve.”
Heichert had already submitted his application for a different trade as a signal operator but once he met the guy, he changed trades for the military. The following year, he started the basic training and started working while still attending school.
Heichert says the qualifications a person needs to join the military is passing a physical fitness evaluation including completing a certain amount of pushups and hitting a certain time a 2.3 kilometer run. Also a person needs to have at least a grade 10 education with high school transcripts and must be of 16 years with a copy of a birth certificate.
Heichert describes what he experienced in the army as being dangerous and hot. “You’re fighting in 50 degree weather, it was like a jungle. It was bearable but yet easy to burn out.”
Heichert says he has seen how the military experience changed the soldiers when they returned home. A lot turned towards alcohol. But Heichert didn’t allow that to happen to him. His experience in the army helped him view how precious life is and he notices how people in the world take advantage of it.
Heichert believes life is very valuable after serving his country. His advice to those wanting to pursue a future in the army is to maintain your health and don’t get caught up in the drinking.
“When it comes to life and death situations, you’d think people would take life seriously and they wouldn’t take it for granted. War is definitely not a good thing, a lot of people die and there are families that are destroyed.”