"What we enjoyed the most was riding in military vehicles." That was the reaction of the majority of the children from the Louis-Dupire school who participated in the culmination of Operation Santa Claus 2002 on October 4. Three classes visited military personnel at the Montréal Garrison where plenty of surprises awaited them, one of them being Santa who actually managed to free himself for the occasion.

Half a day was spent looking at military vehicles and the children even got to ride briefly in these impressive huge metal machines. While visiting with this high-energy group, I had the opportunity to learn more about Op Santa Claus and realised the extent of work behind this kindness towards military personnel deployed overseas and to what extent the Children, keen to learn everything the Canadian Forces, would benefit.

To situate you, I will explain what this important operation is all about. It is an enormous joint effort between 25 CFSD and the PSP in Ottawa who send out boxes filled with gifts to CF military personnel who will be spending Christmas abroad. Donations are solicited from various companies and given to the employees responsible for the project who then fill the boxes and ship them to military personnel posted abroad on a mission. The children's role in the operation was to make Christmas cards to accompany these gift boxes, which was the reason they were so kindly invited to spend half a day with the Forces. And believe me, they truly appreciated it! I have never seen children so attentive to what an adult was saying. I am referring to Capt Chalifour, Public Affairs officer for 5 ASG, who explained the role of military personnel within the CF while fielding sometimes funny questions from the children. It wasn't only the children who found this quite interesting.

"What is interesting is that this trip covers many subject matters!" said Jasmes Noucci, one of the teachers. We will be able to review the trip in class with a map and will show the kids in what part of the world these precious cards will end up. Capt Chalifour also gave a list of Internet sites on the subject. Teachers have confirmed that the kids have in fact visited these sites. As well, the trip allowed us to give a clearer picture of the role of military personnel on a mission. "We tried to explain that the soldier's primary objective was one of peace," says Mrs. Karine Lacasse, one of the teachers accompanying the group. Needless to say that children who are exposed to mass communications sometimes have a distorted image of military personnel, and this rewarding experience allowed them to learn a great deal.

Since it takes six to eight weeks for the boxes to arrive at their destination, advance preparation is a must. In fact, Mrs. Shirley Penny, Coordinator for Operation Santa Claus, starts in March explaining the project to companies and soliciting their support. Then, in September, products of all kinds (such as various treats) are sent to 25 CFSD warehouse where they are wrapped and put into boxes to be shipped overseas. Mrs. Penny is also responsible for shipping the merchandise to its final destination.