Nous Étions Invincibles

by Denis Morisset, Claude Coulombe

Personne ne connaît réellement ces hommes en noir qu’un hélico vient de déposer aux abords d’un petit village d’Afghanistan. Et ces autres qui sortent d’un marais pour abattre un criminel de guerre en Croatie; qui assurent la garde protégée d’un général canadien au Rwanda; qui sévissent contre des preneurs d’otages au Pérou ou qui font mentir le président Milosevic, en faisant la preuve, sur place, du non-désarmement de la Serbie.

DENIS MORISSET a fait partie des seize premiers membres de la Deuxième Force opérationnelle interarmées (FOI2) de 1993 à 2001. Sa formation et son parcours stupéfiant en secoueront plus d’un et il tient du miracle qu’il soit encore là pour tout raconter. Sept de ses compagnons ne peuvent en faire autant.

Plus encore et pour cause, le Canada ne rendra jamais hommage à ces combattants anonymes dont les vraies médailles de bravoure se résument aux nombreuses marques encore visibles sur leur veste pare-balles.

À l’instar du SAS britannique et de la Delta Force américaine, cette unité spéciale d’intervention, selon David Rudd de l’Institut canadien d’études stratégiques, « a surtout été mise sur pied pour s’infiltrer derrière les lignes ennemies, rechercher des objectifs-clés et les détruire. Ses membres ne sortent pas pour arrêter des gens ou pour distribuer de la nourriture. Ils ont été formés, entre autres, pour abattre des cibles. »

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Nobody really knows who these men are- men in black dropped off by a helicopter on the outskirts of a small Afghan village; wading through swamps in Croatia, intent on killing a war criminal; who ensure the protection of a Canadian General in Rwanda; who subdue hostage takers in Peru; and who prove, on-site, the Serbian disarmament lies told by President Milosevic.

DENIS MORISSET was part of the initial sixteen-member Joint Task Force 2 (JTF 2) unit from 1993-2001. His extensive and rigorous training and hardships will make more than one reader realize that his being alive today is nothing short of a miracle. Seven members of his unit have not lived to tell the tale.

Canada, for good reason, will never render justice to these anonymous combatants whose only medals of bravery are the numerous scars still visible on their bullet-proof vests.

Unlike the British SAS and the United States’ Delta Force, this special Canadian intervention unit was, according to David Rudd of the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies, trained “to infiltrate into dangerous areas behind enemy lines, look for key targets and take them out. They don't go out to arrest people. They don't go out there to hand out food parcels. They go out to kill targets.”

278 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[David Chabot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un des meilleurs livres du genre que j'ai pu lire.

[Étienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for a second time Nous étions invincibles by Denis Morisset and Claude Coulombe, which is an autobiography of Denis Morisset about his time with the Joint Task Force 2 (JTF2), the special forces of the Canadian Army (similar to the SEALs & Delta Force in the US, SAS in the UK, GIGN in France). The JTF2 are viewed as an elite special forces in the world, probably in the top3, but we never hear/read about them because their missions are classified. Morisset was amongst the first members of the rebirth of the Special Forces in Canada and has been part of missions in Ex-Yougoslavia, Rwanda, Afganisthan, Latin America.This book is a great way to enter their world. Being interested in wars and tactics (I love FPS & Tactical war games and war movies/series), this is a must-read to me.


One of his missions in Columbia was actually turned into a Hollywood movie (Tears of the Sun). Morisset talks extensively about the hatred for his French background amongst some of his superiors, the camaraderie and trust they had in each other and the ugly events he witnessed. Most, if not all of the JTF2 were on steroids and other pill cocktails to keep up physically/mentally during his time there. One of my favourite anecdote from the book is when they visited an American base for training purposes in Virginia. They were asked to do a night-time Helicopter drop, I believe it was with ropes. When the Canadians' turn came, they felt something moving under their feet on the ground, but they couldn't care less and moved up to complete their mission. The moving things were venomous snakes that were put there by the Americans as a joke, and the latter were astonished that the Canadians jumped in there like it was nothing. One squad members had to go to the hospital because he was bit and needed an antidote, but it really portrays how these guys only care about the mission. There's another funny one about that training week, where they had to cross a really wide river sliding with a rope, again at night I believe. The river was filled by alligators too. At some point, the river proved to be too wide, for they were really tired from all the training they've had in the previous days, and one of the JTF fell in the water. All his squadmates followed him into the river and drew their knife, just to realize the alligators were in fact fake plastic ones. They really didn't like to leave a man behind.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre tout simplement incroyable. J'ai terminé le livre en moins de 48 heures car je n'etais pas capable d'arrêter et je voulait savoir la suite sans délai. Il y des chapitre plus difficle que d'autre (à cause des images choquantes), surtout le chaputre 11 "l'empreinte du diable". Très bon livre.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Une formidable opportunité d'avoir ce type de lecture qui nous permet de découvrir la dure réalité que les agents d'élite vivent.

J'ai adoré le livre. Aucun chapitre ne m'a donné envie de faire une pause dans ma lecture ; tous sont captivants et bien écrits.

[Élisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Se lit vraiment rapidement! On découvre toute un monde caché, on s'attache aux personnages, etc

[Sylvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK pas pour tout le monde.
Vous aimez les romans légers et qui finissent bien ...
Ce n'est pas le livre pour vous. Donc JJP s'abstiendra!

Moi, j'ai bien aimé.
Très difficile et graphique par moment, mais que vous voulez, c'est ça qui est ça. On tue les gens ben ça ne se fait pas nécessairement gentiment. J'ai appris plusieures choses intéressantes, surtout sur le SPT que vive les militaires et leurs familles.

Bien écrit.