With pride to our serving men and
women in these uneasy times
I
liked the idea that as the commercial said; we did more by 0700 than most
people did all day. I loved as range safety officer getting shots down range
by 0800. I loved the brutality of route marches because they set us
apart from my civilian friends, as most of them could never have hacked the
pace. I liked standing in an United Nations observation post just before dawn
in a far away land, realizing that I and other soldiers in my unit were doing
something very special by representing Canada and the Canadian people,
undergoing physical and mental strains that many could not or would not face
to keep our country safe and ready. I loved climbing up cargo nets in full
battle order and repelling down cliffs. I loved running the assault course. I
liked the early morning runs and the late night polishing before a parade.
I
liked the smell of the quartermaster stores, an odd mixture of gun oil,
canvas preservative, leather, hemp rope and cigarette smoke. I liked the
racks of rifles and sub machine guns and I loved the gun sheds and tank
hangers where the vehicles and weapons of war gleamed dully and exuded
strength and capability and the power to “get er done” if need be. I
loved the name of the equipment when I started off, Sherman, Fabric National,
Sten and Bren because they spoke to me of the proud days when our Fathers
used them successfully in WW2. Our #36 Grenade was
the same as our grandfathers used in WW1 for God’s sake! I also loved when
the 105 mm and the M 109 gave way to them M 777 and the guns could shoot
accurately over 30 kilometres. I loved it when the old lady “the duce and a
half” was finally replaced by the modern MLVW. The Centurion tank gave way to
the Leopard and within weeks our tankers showed NATO they were the best.
I liked our soldiers, from all parts of the land, from cities of upper
Canada, small towns of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. They came from the
mountains and from the prairies from all walks of life. I trusted and
depended on them as they trusted and depended on me for professional
competence, for comradeship, for strength and courage. In a word we were
“soldiers”, then, and forever. I liked the surge in my heart when word was
passed that a unit was deploying, and I loved the infectious thrill of riding
homeward in convoy waving at the cars we passed and at pedestrians who I was
sure looked at us with envy as we rolled through their villages on our way
back to Base. I loved waving from the back of a truck at the kids in cars
that would trail us for a while before finally
passing.
The
work was hard and dangerous; the going rough at times; and the parting from
family painful, but the companionship of robust army laughter, the “all for
one and one for all” philosophy of the military was ever present. I once
enjoyed the best 2 hours sleep in my life laying on the ground at a rest halt
while doing a patrol. The weather was overcast but warm and a slight drizzle
did not deter my snoring, which could be heard 4 men down the line. Another 4
or 5 hours would have been nice, but there was work to be done.
I
liked the fierce and dangerous activity of the Infantry Rifle Coy as we began
an advance to contact. I liked doing the recce for a harbour where I had to
hide up to 40 pieces of wheeled and tracked equipment from the enemy. I
hated having to run ahead of our vehicles in complete darkness and trying to
be quiet as the drivers and co-drivers tried to back vehicles and trailers
into a black hole as quickly as possible so others in line could pass and
find me and also be properly positioned and put away. One could hear
cursing and unmeant bitching as crews stumbled in the dark to erect cam nets
and digging in for protection from an enemy attack, we cut and poked branches
holding up the nets to break the vehicle outline so as not to be recognised.
The lucky ones had a relatively small vehicle, others, a two and a half or a
5 ton to cover that even in day light would take an hour or more. At night it
was dangerous, demanding and extremely hard work. In the rain or freezing
snow this necessary chore was brutal.
Watching
my fellow soldiers as they took down the cam nets, loaded fuel, ammunition
and rations for yet another long day. Feeling truly exhausted and
knowing it was going to get a lot worse before it got better, actually added
value to the experience. We were soldiers and this is what it was like.
I
loved the name and the history of my Regiments;
“The Black Watch
(Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada”
“The Royal
Canadian Regiment”
“The
Royal Canadian Army Service Corps”
“The Royal
Canadian Electrical Mechanical Engineers”
“The Royal
Canadian Engineers”."
"The
Queen's Own Rifles of Canada"
"Princess
Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry"
I
loved the parades, the colours on parade and the guidon presentation, the
march past, the roll past, the advance in review order and the sound of my
hand slapping the stock of my rifle during the Present Arms. I could feel the
National Anthem inside me while the band played it. Some liked “The Queen” or
“O Canada”. I loved “The Maple Leaf Forever”.
I
loved walking through our position in complete darkness checking the welfare
of my men and NCO’s and ensuring them that they were not alone, as we stood
in our trench at first light, on stand to. I liked the weight of my steel
helmet on my head and the embrace of my webbing. It made you feel like
superman though in your heart you surely knew you were not. I loved the
weight of my rifle or pistol and knowing I could outshoot a lot of my men. It
was an ongoing competition during range practice to out do your friends as
well as your superiors. There was pride in self and country; and growing
mastery of the soldier’s trade. An adolescent could find adulthood. A man
could find fulfilment and old man finds great joy. I will never forget that I
was once a soldier. There is no higher calling. I would do it again in a
heart beat. I liked the traditions of the Army and those who made them.
I was a soldier once………….
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When i joined in 1955 we were still using the .303 Enfield Mk 5 Star from WW1 i still remember my rifle number L2440 and my original ID number SK ioo527
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