Steel Spirit: Military doctor finds artistic outlet through cartoons

The Steel Spirit is a gallery of art submissions and stories from military personnel, first responders, and hospital practitioners (service or retired). The Steel Spirit has transitioned to a digital space so that artists can continue to share their works and stories with the community. Lt. Col. Andrew Currie is one of the performers.

“I am a very impatient artist. I’m the guy with the hairdryer on watercolor and I draw (something else) between the layers.”

Lieutenant Colonel. Andrew Currie is a military doctor in the Canadian Armed Forces and has always moved forward with the determination to make progress – whether it’s making an impact with his military career or his non-stop love for creating works of art.

Currie originally decided not to go to college to train as a motorcycle mechanic in Arizona. He always loved taking things apart and diagnosing and repairing them. However, he ultimately decided that he wanted to pursue a career with more opportunities.

In 1989, Currie enrolled in Pre-Med at the University of Regina. Three years later, he joined the Canadian Armed Forces Medical Officer Training program at the University of Saskatchewan. Not long after, he received his first deployments to Bosnia (SFOR) and Kosovo (KFOR) with Princess Patricia’s 1st Battalion, Canadian Light Infantry.

“To be able to travel to other places in the world where healthcare is almost non-existent, and to see the impact it has to be able to help some of these people. It’s surprising. It is extremely satisfying.”

Currie’s introduction to implementations propelled him further in his career. In 2000, he completed a Master of Science in Occupational Health, after which he was posted to the Medical Intelligence Cell in Ottawa in 2002. In 2008, he began his second postdoctoral training with a fellowship in sports medicine. In 2011 he became a basic surgeon at CFB Borden.

In 2012, Currie was deployed again, this time to Afghanistan. He was the leader of the residency mentoring program in Kabul. It was during his stay in Afghanistan that other employees took notice of his artistic side.

Currie had started drawing cartoons on a white board in an attempt to make others laugh during their stressful days. People liked it so much that they started taking pictures of his cartoons and chasing him when he fell behind in updating the board regularly. He also started making caricatures of staff who were leaving as farewell gifts.

After Afghanistan, he was later posted to the Canadian Forces Health Services Detachment in Geillenkirchen, Germany. Then it was back to Ottawa as head of the communicable disease control program. He also spent three months in Beirut, Lebanon as Task Force Surgeon for the Government of Canada mission to bring Syrian refugees to Canada.

Currie’s long list of achievements has continually expanded over the years. He also has qualifications as a flight surgeon and basic diving medicine. His latest posting is currently in Esquimalt, BC as the Pacific Regional Surgeon.

“It’s amazing to see how much Andrew has achieved over the years and yet he has never stopped creating his works of art. Not only that, he also brought his artwork to his workplace and helped with morale. He is a doctor who enjoys connecting with his patients and his comrades. That says a lot,” says Barbara Brown, founder of The Steel Spirit.

When asked what the secret weapon is in terms of how he finds the time to create his artwork and achieve so much, his simple answer was just four words. “I don’t watch television.”

The Steel Spirit is a platform for submitting artwork by military personnel, first responders, and hospital practitioners. They are always looking for new and emerging artists with and without experience, from any background and any age. For more information or if you would like to get involved, please visit: www.thesteelspirit.ca

REMARK: There will be a Steel Spirit Gallery at Barrie City Hall in September and October. If you are interested in the services and would like to participate or learn more, please send an email (email protected) For more information.