Adam Sweet still thinks about Afghanistan every day.
On his second of three tours in Afghanistan as part of the civilian Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team, Sweet met Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang. On Dec. 30, 2009, he was the last person to speak to Lang before she left with an armoured patrol for a tour. "She said, 'I'll see you when I get back,' " says Sweet.
Lang was killed when the vehicle hit a roadside bomb.
"Michelle is an example of true courage," says Sweet. "She was pursuing something she believed in, to tell the story of the Kandaharis."
Sweet, too, dreams of making the world better. He went to Afghanistan because he believed in helping the Kandaharis rebuild their communities, including schools and health-care centres. But he wasn't prepared for everything he would see while he was there. Sweet has spent years coping with post-traumatic stress disorder and, since returning to Canada, has spoken publicly about the need for deployed civilians to be better prepared for the trauma of war.
He now works with the Edmonton Economic Development Corp. and volunteers as part of the mentorship team with the U of A's Peter Lougheed Leadership College. He believes in coaching people on how to make good decisions. His advice? Be the best "you" possible for the good of everyone.
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