The Red Deer reservist has been serving with Canadian troops in Afghanistan since January and will soon head back there from leave to complete an eight-month tour of duty sometime in September.
And while the uncertainty of that end-date has meant his wedding plans have been put on hold, Waters, 25, said that's just something he must accept.
"It can be frustrating at times," he said in Red Deer on Tuesday, "but it's just a matter of focusing on the job at hand."
An artillery man attached to the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry near Kandahar, Master Bombardier Waters was also the inspiration behind the recently concluded Afghani Kids Campaign to provide school supplies to local children.
Co-ordinated by his mother, Susan, the project raised sufficient donations to provide as many as 2,500 children with supply-stuffed backpacks.
Waters said the idea came up when his mother asked him to describe conditions around Kandahar.
"Every time you drive somewhere you'll see people on the side of the road asking for things like a pen - making a sign like they're drawing on their hands, and you know they're looking for a pen or a pencil," he said. "I only planted the seed for the idea and my mom just took off with it."
Waters said he wasn't exactly surprised at the extent to which his mother took that idea - involving her church and local businesses in her months-long campaign. Like her, he credits everyone who contributed to the effort.
"It's really the people of Central Alberta who made this thing happen."
On the ground in Afghanistan, where temperatures can reach 55C, Waters gives credit to the Canadian Forces.
On the intensification of the military campaign and an increasing number of casualties among Canadian troops, he expressed confidence in the campaign.
"We have very good leadership and people who take care of our soldiers," he said. "So having confidence in all those things helps a soldier's confidence, and that's where everything is good for us."
PUBLICATION: Red Deer Advocate
DATE: 2006.06.21
BYLINE: DANIEL MACISAAC
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