By Tanya Cronin

Former Canadian Peacekeeper signs book deal

Feb 16, 2016 | 3:31 PM

KAMLOOPS — It has been more than five years of struggle to find a publisher, but a former Canadian Peacekeeper’s dream of having his book printed is one step closer to reality.

Scott Casey was one of the first UN Peacekeepers to enter the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990’s, an experience he is hoping to share with the world.

His book ‘Ghostkeepers’ tells a story that goes well beyond humanitarian aid, detailing the violent combat Canadian Peacekeepers were thrust into to help keep civilians safe.

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It was a Nation exploding into civil war. In 1992, the collapse of the former Yugoslavia triggered an international armed conflict that would last more than 3 years, and eventually see nearly 100,000 people killed. 

“Canadians were thrown into what was declared a peacekeeping mission, but it wasn’t. We were actually returning fire and going well beyond the rules of engagement that were provided by the UN,” says Scott Casey, Former Canadian Peacekeeper.

As one of 750 Canadian UN Peacekeepers in Bosnia, Scott Casey was on the front lines. The violence he would experience, unimaginable. The trials and tribulations this soldier endured in a peacekeeping role, all detailed in a book he has written.

“It takes you through a metamorphosis of being this rural farm boy, to a Canadian soldier, literally being shelled and shot at everyday, to coming home. It’s that whole transition process and how it changes a person when they come home.”

From ground level perspective in war torn Bosnia, to living homeless on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, the 350 page, 105,000 word book – entitled ‘Ghostkeepers’ – is about sacrifice, service, heartbreak and sheer tragedy. And after years of  rejection, it is finally in the hands of a publisher.  

“I’m in a state of euphoria right now, it’s an elation that’s beyond words to be honest. It’s been a 5 year struggle to find a publisher that would sign on and I just signed my name 5 days ago, and I’m pretty stoked about the whole thing.”

Ghostkeepers gives the reader a true view of what it’s like to wear a blue helmet and be in a combat zone. Much of that very gruesome. Casey recounts terrifying moments, like witnessing an innocent mother and her two young children, shot to death.

“All they were doing was carrying water home, they were executed for that basically. That was very troubling and I’ve dealt with that over the years, and it’s been one of the most ingrained things I’ve had to deal with personally.”

The common perception of a peacekeeper is to provide humanitarian aid, but Scott Casey’s mission went well beyond that, engaging in operations that no one knows about. Many of which, Casey could never mentally prepare for, and will forever be an internal battle.
    
“In the book I have this feeling where it’s actually good to be where I am, that mental state that I had come to in the combat zone, which when you think about it is very frightening. Where I actually liked what I was doing, so when you come back out of that, it’s very tough. I don’t take anything for granted, I’m very fortunate to be where I am today and I love life,” says Casey.