Miranda BrumwellEverybody knows in order to be in the Canadian military, you are expected to show strength and courage in any situation, no matter the stress, danger or risk involved. They are the first line of defence in protecting Canadians and the country in which we reside.
It also takes a lot of courage to be the child of a serving member. In 2017, April became known as the Month of the Military Child, a time to recognize the service and sacrifices they have made, such as frequent postings and family separations.
Military children are known to be mature, with the ability to stay calm when dealing with stressful circumstances calmly. As is the case with Katrina Hunter, daughter of Captain Terry Hunter. She proved her bravery not once, but twice.
In July 2011, when Katrina was just 15-years-old, her and her father were touring, on his motorcycle, the state of New York, near Poughkeepsie. While clocking 110 km/hour, something ripped the rear tire. The bike went into a speed wobble and Capt. Hunter attempted to guide the bike towards a clearing on the side of the road. The bike tipped on its side and Capt. Hunter protected his daughter to the best of his ability.
While Katrina managed to get out with only a chipped tooth, scrapes and a bloody nose, her father didn’t fair out so well. His injuries were far more severe than her own, and he was knocked unconscious during the impact, lying close to the bike’s exhaust.
In an otherwise stressful situation, Katrina managed to push her fear aside and directed passersby to pull the motorcycle away from her father, thus saving him from further injury.
“That was pretty quick thinking for a young adult who was in a stressful situation seeing her father unconscious and having just survived a motorcycle accident,” said Capt. Hunter.
In her most recent act of bravery, on March 15, 2018, Katrina was driving with her boyfriend in a rural area just outside of Ottawa, Ont., when they witnessed a vehicle rollover. With no other witnesses in sight, Katrina quickly called 911 as the driver emerged from the back of the vehicle.
“My daughter stated that she and her boyfriend observed liquid pouring out the back, and suspecting it was gas, took the girl to a safe area away from the damaged vehicle,” said Capt. Hunter. “The female driver stated she injured her arm. My daughter and her boyfriend kept the female driver under observation until police, and a fire truck arrived.”
Currently finishing up her final year at the University of Ottawa, Katrina hopes to one day become a French immersion school teacher.
