INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSION Company was Major Jock Kinnear, a Korea Vet a wise old (I thought) man. He organized initial platoon training to include a cross country map and compass march at night. Well the whispering started right away. I had already learned that the soldiers ate first in the field (the reserves never fed us in filed kitchens on exercise) and I wondered what else I should do to give them confidence. I took the platoon sergeant aside and said that it would make more sense at this point if he realized my real lack of experience and share any ideas as to what the best way was to organize the overnight walk in the woods. He was a good soldier and warmed to the idea immediately. With his ideas we completed the march in record time to meet a partisan next to a lake. Lesson number one of many to follow. Mike O’Brien Many Sleepless Nights I recall the time 2 RCR went on winter warfare exercises with the air force in Nfld. back in the 70’s. Being loaded and unloaded from helicopter’s for days at a time and continuously on the move, with very little sleep. I recall one point where we had no sleep at all for 3 days straight at one point. The whole time we were ordered to set up our tents and with the promise of a few hours sleep we eagerly set up camp only to just lay down and get the dreaded order to PULL POLE .This happened so often that everyone was delirious with fatigue. One of our WO’s, Bill Johnson even walked right into a tree and gave it a fine verbal blast. After numerous more orders to PULL POLE after setting up camp, I looked up at the sky with tired eyes that looked like a raccoon fully exhausted from days and nights of non-stop training and said in a loud voice, “Oh Sweet Jesus save us!” To which MCpl Gerry Francis, future RSM, doubled over laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes. The rest of the exercise was mainly a blur until we finally got a good night’s sleep. Those were some of the great times serving with the best officers and NCOS that I will never forget. God Bless Us All. Pro Patria Dennis Elliston (UHER) J Coy and Recce Platoon. Another Duty Officer’s Experience in the Jnr Ranks Mess I’m certain that we can all relate similar events that we experienced during our early years of service. One that happened in 1 RHC in Aldershot occurred when Irv Kerr entered the men’s canteen and tried to stop a squabble on his own. [ 151 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSION He was gently picked up by a large Micmac by the name of Malbeouf and strung up on a coat hook by his Sam Browne and told to stay there, whereupon Malbeouf proceeded to single-handedly punch out all the belligerents. Once finished, he lifted Irv off the coat hook and told him the he could go back to the officers’ mess. No one ever challenged Malboeuf! Dave Leslie Ortona Toast in Afghanistan It is December 2006 and Operation Baaz Tsuka has been ongoing for several days. 21 Dec came and while we were waiting for the Canadian unit that would replace us here in the vicinity of Howze-Medad Afghanistan, I took the time to acknowledge to our soldiers that today was our Regimental birthday. This day would turn out to be a great memory from Afghanistan that I will keep with me for a long time. Operation Baaz Tsuka is in full swing and the majority of Charles Company Combat Team is still in an all-around defensive position overlooking the village of Howze-Medad, the police substation is built and manned and the locals seem to be coming around to our way of thinking. Until the sun started to rise and remove the chill from the frosty night our Regimental Birthday was the furthest thing from our minds, but today was the 123rd birthday of the Royal Canadian Regiment. LCol Lavoie, realizing that the vast majority of his Battle Group would be deployed forward for the birthday ordered his team weeks earlier to get all the ingredients together, namely dark rum and brown sugar, so that his soldiers could celebrate the 123rd birthday with the Ortona Toast. The Ortona Toast originated from a Regimental Birthday celebrated at the Ortona Crossroads in Italy, on December 21st 1943. On that December 21st, it was realized that it was The Regiment’s Sixtieth Birthday, and Lt-Col. Spry (acting Commander of 1 Cdn Inf Bde) was invited to visit the Battalion’s Command Post and drink to the health of The Regiment, this he did although the Command Post was under shell fire at the time. Capt Mitchell prepared a punch of issue rum, sugar and water, and those who participated in the toast were Lt.-Col. Dan Spry, Major Strome Galloway, Capt Sandy Mitchell, Capt Marty Upper, Lieut Walter Roy, Capt [Padre] Rusty Wilkes, M.C., and RSM Archie McDonnell. Just as the ceremony was concluded Capt Dick Dillon, M.C. and Lieut Buck Bowman, M.C., reported in from two fighting patrols which they had been leading with considerable success. So was the Diamond Jubilee of The Regiment observed; not only within sight of the enemy but engaging him. And so, it is with some surprise but delight that I see LCol Lavoie and his Tactical Headquarters pull into our headquarters position and he has my Company Quartermaster, WO Keith Olstad in tow. It is to be noted that during the original Ortona Toast, all that was available were some dirty white glass mugs and this also has become part of our tradition, minus the dirt. We gathered all the soldiers that we could without compromising security and had them all gather around our headquarters LAV. WO Olstad had enough white mugs to hand out to all the senior leadership and paper or Melmac cups to the rest. The [ 152 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
INDIVIDUAL SUBMISSION drivers had all started boiling water, knowing what was coming and soon everyone had a drink in hand. LCol Lavoie spoke for a moment about how proud he was of Charles Company and how proud he was that we had bounced back from our losses and continued to be the best Company in the Canadian Army. He then explained the significance of the Ortona Toast to all those gathered. He then said, “to my knowledge, this is the first time since the original Ortona Toast in 1943 that it has been done in combat”. He then invited Colonel Jonathan Vance, Commander 1st Canadian Brigade Group and the senior Royal present to lead the toast. Col Vance would continue on with his amazing career and is now the Chief of the Defense Staff. Col Vance jumped up on the ramp of the LAV and would begin, “to all my dear friends, to all those present and to all those who have departed, and in honor of our 123 years of service” he then concluded with, “To the Regiment, Pro Patria”. Everyone drank up and slapped each other on the backs and wished Happy Birthdays all around and then it was time to get back to reality and back to the war. The significance of that moment has not been lost on me and every year since on our Regimental Birthday, no matter where I am, I tell this great story and I hope it becomes part of our great history. John Barnes Breakfast in the Command Post Captain W was the Signals Officer in 3RCR on a three-week winter exercise in North Norway. He shared an arctic tent with his signal sergeant and the battalion headquarters signallers. As well as planning communications for the battle group he did 12 hour shifts as duty officer in the battalion command post. The thing was that Captain W didn’t choose to share in the mundane aspects of tent group communal living leaving all tent tidying, lamp and stove filling, and food preparation to his subordinates. Of course, when he was on duty in the command post and food arrived from the tent for the duty signaller, he expected to receive his rations as well. After some days of putting up with his demands the signal section decided on a compromise. The two hard boiled eggs demanded for breakfast arrived and as was his habit he rapped the first on the edge of the map board above the logbook to break the shell. Much to his chagrin and to the glee of the assembled witnesses the egg was raw and in breaking pretty much contaminated the whole of the duty officer’s space. The signaller who had brought the eggs was very apologetic about the mix-up between cooked and uncooked eggs in the tent. Captain W was much more polite to his tent mates thereafter. Thomas Paterson [ 153 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
Recce Course I was on a course in Germany that definitely tested me. It revolved around a three-man team that could be placed almost anywhere and perform tasks from observation to sniping and scouting. Everyone had to show that they were tough enough and smart enough to be part of this team. The classroom part of it lasted two weeks. It was mostly PT, AFV recognition, tactics, field craft and equipment. It was a piece of piss, no problem. The field part of it consisted of 4 weeks of kicking our asses. It started with a non-tactical test of map and compass skills, stamina, sleep deprivation, and your ability to think clearly. We basically walked around the clock through the mountain ranges around the Rein valley for four days from checkpoint to checkpoint. At each checkpoint you were asked a series of questions and received your next grid coordinates. We each maximized every minute of sleep at the checkpoints while the other guys in the group of three were being asked their questions. No time was wasted in eating at the checkpoints because you could put something down your throat while walking. Sleep is key! Speaking of Sleep, we then had a couple of days of special training for “Stalking”. To prove the point of camouflage and tactics, the instructors gave us a piece of terrain that was about 60 feet by 60 feet. It had a gravel road running down one side and was elevated about two feet above the road. The piece of ground was riddled with dead fall, uneven terrain and almost knee-high grass. They sent five guys in at a time to hide in a position that gave them cover yet allowed them to observe and take a shot without being seen. It was actually easy to pick out most of the guys as they tried to hide behind obvious things like logs etc. Noticing this and being in a panic as I was now given my 30 seconds to hide, I ran over to the side of the road and simply laid down in the tall grass on the slope right beside the road. The other guys were found within two minutes and the Sgt was giving people shit for not finding me. Eventually, he had the group of about 20 candidates walk down the road, to get closer, as he was now standing with one foot on either side of my waist. He had them stop about 20 feet away from me and gave them the perfect speech about hiding in a spot where nobody would think you would be can save your life. He kicked me and told me to get up. I got a good assessment for that. If I made that sound easy, my mistake, stalking is far from easy. After a couple of days of practice crawling, we had the test. You had six hours to crawl across a two km piece of ground towards the instructors. The objective was to get within 100m of the two instructors without being seen. Yes, they did have binoculars. If you were seen, you had to go back to the start. I was lucky and passed first time. I felt sorry for the guys who did not pass and had to go out the next day to do it all over again. One thing that I had never done before was using a three-man rubber assault craft. The river was about forty feet wide and, in Germany, obviously ran past or through a few small towns. The current was not too strong however, the things that were not in our favour were that it had to be done at night, it was February and each town had a small set of falls with about a two-foot drop. [ 154 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
While doing this, there were instructors in each town at the falls to make sure that everything was ok. We completed it in about four hours, and the worst part was getting out of the boat. My knees were so frozen in the bent position that it was sheer agony to straighten them. After loading our gear, we went into the last town, with the instructor, to observe the other crews going over the last set of falls. As I am a big fan of TV documentaries, I had explained to my crew about the fact that we needed to be going fast enough over the small falls in order to clear the suction that is created by the falling water. Obviously, not all crews were aware of this, and as one crew went over at a snail’s pace, they made it over ok but were sucked back under the falling water. Their craft quickly filled with water and they capsized. Needless to say, private parts were shrinking, as elk mating calls could be heard for miles. For the safety of the equipment, one guy had a 20-foot line tied from his ankle to all of the equipment in the craft. It took this guy about five minutes to swim to shore as he had to drag all of that shit on the bottom as he swam. Another guy got out of the water so fast that we were all kind of surprised that he was even wet. The third guy was not lucky. As he hit the falls, he completely dislocated his shoulder. Once on shore they put him in a deuce and a half, which is obviously not the fastest or most comfortable ride and headed for the Baden base hospital. That would take more than an hour. We heard that it never popped back in for the entire ride and they had to knock him out at the hospital to get his muscles to relax enough to get it back in place. Patrolling was awesome! We did one patrol after another around the clock for four days. We had groups of four personnel. As one guy was getting and writing orders for a patrol, the other three were doing a patrol…and this just kept going for four days. On the third night of patrolling one guy on our patrol walked off the trail and just fell over. When we asked if he was OK, he replied. I just fell asleep, give me a minute. It happened again about an hour later. We were all feeling it. Next was “Escape and Evasion”. After an afternoon of training on the topic, the test was that night. After dark they just told everyone to get in the back of the deuce and a half. As we had our training camp set up at the North end of a small town, they drove everyone about 2 km out of the South side of town to a small parking lot in the woods. They let everyone out and then explained the rules. You must make your way back to the training camp by going through the town and not being seen by any of the instructors who are patrolling the town. As the two staff members were doing up the tail gate everyone was standing about 30 feet away directly behind the truck. A bunch of candidates were busy picking partners and trying to discuss some kind of strategy. I looked at Pete Simard (RIP) and nodded toward the truck. He looked at the truck and nodded back. The instant the truck started moving, we were off. We were not seen by the staff as we were directly behind the truck. No one else was able to make it on the truck as it was going too fast for anyone to catch now. As per the rules, we returned by going through the town and not being seen by the instructors. After the truck was parked back at camp, we hid behind a set of shrubs and waited for two guys to return before we made our way to the instructor’s tent to say we were done. It is all about using your brain and staying within the rules provided. [ 155 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
Obviously, we ate rations for about two weeks out of the four as we were out on foot a lot but wow! The cooks we had with us were incredible. That is actually a big part of what kept my moral up. The final phase of the course, or so we thought, consisted of another round of sleep deprivation. But this time, you had a tactical mission to accomplish that was a big part of determining if you passed or failed. (Yes, people could actually fail at things back then.) Three guys patrolling for four days, with your house on your back, through the beautiful mountains in Germany. We had an instructor with us the whole time assessing our ever move. About two days into it, we had to come down a slope in which a train track was cut into it. We threw our packs down and then jumped ourselves. I hit really hard and was walking funny for the rest of the day. The next morning, it was really bad. We met the medic at the nearest road, and he explained that I had partially torn my Achilles tendon and crushed most of the fatty sacks in my heel. I had the choice of painfully walking like Igor for a couple of days or getting in the ambulance and failing the course. Two days left out of six weeks. Nobody worth his salt would have gotten in that ambulance. I did my best Igor impression for the next two days and was very glad to see the sun rise on the last day. We received a set of map coordinates to be at in approximately three hours. As we looked at the map, it was only one km away... piece of piss. Until we looked at the compass and realized that the rendezvous point was directly up the mountain. Thankfully I had a good instructor who carried my pack the last half of the way up. Igor was hurting. As a truck picked us up, they took us directly to an interrogation camp and put the nuts to us again. That is a story. Clint Slusar My Video Camera Although a few guys on the tour were keeping diaries, I wanted to record my experiences, literally. I took video of everything that I could, starting from the departure on our private train in Baden Germany on April 12, 1992 to the boarding of our private plane to leave Zagreb when our tour was done on September 27, 1992. Most of the footage was simply the guys being guys, while conducting activities and the things I had seen or did day to day. Some of that stuff was memorable as it clearly showed the destruction and hardships that war causes, as well as the attitudes of my brothers in arms and the comradeship we shared as this experience bonded us for a lifetime. My section joked around a lot and seemed to have nightly talks about any subject. Almost a month into our tour, one of the fun things I filmed, which I still laugh at today, was my section having a big belly contest as we took a break from building a bunker on a hill overlooking the town of Sirac. Our time together, as close as we became, clearly revealed that one person in my section did not fit in. He was out of shape, slow to learn, unhygienic and had little to no desire to better himself. One morning the Platoon Warrant confirmed that there would be no repercussions if we physically forced him to shower. He went willingly. [ 156 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
Once entering Sarajevo at 1:30 a.m. on July 02, 1992, we secured the airport and I recorded the morning arrival of the first Hercules aircraft to bring in aid. I kept my camera rolling throughout the day as we delivered aid and then proceeded to our Camp (Beaver), which was a small abandoned Serbian base in the city that would be our base camp for the remainder of our month in Sarajevo. As we arrived in the dark and needed to remain lights out while setting up our tents, I had perceived the structure we were in as some kind of three-sided vehicle maintenance building, providing a certain measure of protection. We were awakened the next morning of July 3rd at 4:30 a.m. to a firefight that broke out about, what seemed to be 500 meters away. It was quickly noticeable that it was not directed at nor would involve us. Although we felt somewhat protected by the building everyone was surely awake and stayed awake. At around 5:30 a.m., I climbed on top of one of our armoured personnel carriers to video the sounds of that continuing battle and get a view of the small base we were in. Only then did I notice that the structure we had slept in was made of corrugated steel. The morning light highlighted the abundance of holes in the walls and roof that had been shot to crap making it clear that this was not a shelter from anything. We all quickly learned that shrapnel, bullets and mortars could hit or land anywhere at any time. We began to militarily renovate the barracks and buildings on the base that we were to stay in. This included thoroughly cleaning the place and covering over the large windows in the staircases so as not to draw attention to lights in our building at night and to avoid giving snipers a clear view. We set up the rooms to accommodate our sections and were given a standard operating procedure (SOP). No one will step foot outside of this building without wearing their flak-jacket and helmet. Like most of the occupants of Sarajevo, we were without city electricity or water. We took old metal framed wood seated chairs and cut a hole in them to make toilet seats as the existing Muslim toilets were merely a hole in the floor. We used a 5-gallon jerry can of water to flush. We made a shower stall by modifying a janitor’s closet that had a floor drain in it. We heated water with immersion heaters, in metal garbage cans, then filled jerry cans and used them to pour the water over ourselves. We took a similar approach to heat water to do our own laundry. Sometimes our sleeping quarters and hallways looked like a Gypsy camp with all the clothes hanging around to dry. For power, a generator was set up and ran 24/7, not far from our second story room window. Sleeping at night was a bit tough as the generator was loud. However, this white noise was a blessing in disguise. About halfway through our stay in Sarajevo, we were hooked up to the power grid and no longer needed the generator. On that night a lot of us in my room wished that the generator was still running as it had conveniently drowned out the sounds of the nightly battles throughout the city. From that night until our departure from Sarajevo, the noise had disrupted our sleep. I could only imagine the residence that had to go through this for such a long period of time. However, for us, the noise was the nice part considering that we were not usually intended to be at the receiving end of the noise makers. Bullets had whizzed through our camp at all hours, some of which were definitely meant for the guys that had been missed by inches. Mortar rounds also landed in our camp every couple of days, mostly at night, but you never knew. The beginning of July 22nd was no different; a lot of the guys were having problems sleeping. The joke was that all of us were on shift as so many of us were awake. Around [ 157 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
1:30 a.m. I started filming a battle that seemed to be taking place about 800m away. I could see the odd tracer and flashes from the explosions as I stood in the second story window of the empty room at the top of the stairs. Unfortunately, my camera could not pick up the illuminations of the battle, but I could clearly hear rifles, large caliber machine guns, grenades, and rockets. I could also hear the distinct hisses of bullets passing to the side of me. I was not alarmed as bullets were flying at all times of the day. The ones you need to worry about are the ones that crack. If you hear a loud crack, it is most likely that you or someone next to you is the target. It turns out that shortly after those first few harmless hisses; I heard the crack as a bullet hit the window frame that I was standing in. I immediately said, “That was shrapnel!” as I figured, “Who would shoot at me?!” Replaying the video undoubtedly clarifies the fact that it was a bullet and I was dumb to be standing in a window silhouetting myself. I was recording so that I would be able to confirm how close and stupid that was. Obviously, not all was meant for us. I had filmed corpses which were at a couple of locations just a few feet from our camp fence-line, as well as those victims captured on film during some aid distributions throughout the city. I still remember making a delivery to a warehouse without incident however, as our convoy returned the next day, I had seen a body lying in the middle of a pathway through some low shrubs in a park across the road about 100 meters from the warehouse. I was certain that the corpse was not there the day before as this was part of my arc assigned to monitor during our deliveries. I quickly imagined this man leaving the warehouse with his share of food and being shot simply for what he carried. It was not the military, but growing up spending time on a farm, that allowed me to view death in a calm, non-emotional and logical manner, as I could see death as part of a natural process. However, I did not film this, as I was having a rare moment of emotion. It was not logical; it was not natural. Life had meant so little in that place, at that time; I am amazed that none of us left Sarajevo in a box. During one particular food convey drop off at a warehouse, all was going well until we were leaving. As we drove about 100m from the warehouse to the crossroads, a group of Serbian trucks was waiting for us to leave and as we drove our last APC out, they drove in. As this was before cell phones, I showed the Sergeant that I had a video camera and that I was willing to walk back to prove that they were stealing food. I wanted the world to see this! As our primary mission was to complete food deliveries, he had to radio HQ for us to get permission and they said no. We had other convoys to complete and there was nothing they could do. That was a downer of a day. On a good note, having this record helps me to remember what actually happened instead of only recounting those events my mind chooses to focus on. In fact, I was able to share my video footage years later to remind one of my comrades that it wasn’t all bad, and this helped him to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I was also approached by a production company, and some of my footage is now in the movie, “Sector Sarajevo”. Things we have done in the past surely shape the people we are today. Clint Slusar [ 158 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
Another Saturday Night Second Battalion, Germany, 1967, in Sennelager for the annual live firing concentration, quiet Saturday night. The Adjutant (moi) gets an urgent call from Brigade HQ: a dozen of your soldiers are raising Cain in the dancehall downtown, send an officer and 2½ ton to pick them up. The Adjutant decides to go himself and arranges for a Deuce, our MP- Sergeant (“the Sheriff”), and three of the Regimental Police in his jeep to bring them back. Half an hour later we’re in the town of Sennelager. The dancehall was on the main street. There is a crowd of 100 or so locals grouped around the entrance. We dismount and are received by two Brigade MPs who update me on the “riot” and state that they’re “not going back in there.” So, the five of us march in. First sight seen: a substantial pool of blood on the floor of the hallway leading to the dancehall proper. We continue to the dancehall. Large hall, lots of tables and chairs, with the dance band still playing grimly on stage, about a dozen Canadians in combats sitting around tables in the centre. I recognize some of them, Antitank Platoon. I tell them the party’s over and that we’re here with a Deuce to take them back to camp. No reaction. No movement. A few more words, objections from their apparent leader, so I make it an order. More refusal to move and more lip from the leader. I tell Leroy M. that he is under Close Arrest, and to get up and move out. More talk, and finally they get up and we move into the hallway. When we get there, Leroy M. asks me if he’s still in “Close”. I reply “Yes”. He says, “Then I might as well make it good” and lands one right on my chin, knocking my cap off. So, the RP get into the act to protect the Adjutant, as does the Antitank Platoon to protect their buddy, and there is a free-for-all. Fortunately, I hear the sound of pounding boots behind us, I look back, and there is a squad of German Policemen looking determined, doubling towards us in step, nightsticks poised in their right hands. I let out a loud “Halt”, they stop, as does the melee, and I assure the nice policemen that the situation is in hand and that we’re going to leave. They let us go. Piecing the story together after the event revealed that the Antitank Platoon had not been able to fire on the Recoilless Range for three days, so had stayed in camp, idle. Saturday night they decided to go to town, found the dancehall, and went in looking for a good time. At some point there was an altercation between British soldiers and German locals, the Canadians got involved (I don’t remember on which side), and it turned into a general dust-up. Everyone else left in a hurry, and the Canadians calmly returned to their beers as kings of the hall. The band played on. Some weeks later, the Adjutant has the accused Leroy M. marched into the CO’s Office. The charges are read, the CO tells him that he is lucky because the charges nearly included mutiny, and gives him 90 days Detention. The prisoner is marched to the Fort York Guard Room pending approval of the sentence, which exceeded the CO’s authority, by the Brigade Commander. After the sentence is approved the prisoner is consigned to the Detention Barracks. Ina twist of fate: the 4 Field Detention Barracks had been closed earlier that year and the 2 RCR Guard Room had been designated the Brigade Detention Barracks. The designated CO of the new Detention Barracks was none other than the Adjutant the prisoner had punched. This made for a delicate situation, but both of us handled it correctly, and “the Sheriff” really was a great Sergeant of Military Police. [ 159 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
Since Leroy M. was the star of the 2 RCR Hockey Team, his Detention had to be adjusted to meet the requirements of Battalion Hockey. We frequently passed each other, me on my way to the office, he marching unescorted to the arena for hockey practice, hatless and beltless in black coveralls, properly carrying his skates suspended by their laces in his left hand. He always gave me an eyes-right salute in passing, which I returned smartly. The life of an Adjutant was not dull. Lessons learned: 1) don’t leave troops idle to themselves too long, 2) sometimes officers must rush in where angels fear to tread, and 3) you don’t have to expect the unexpected because it happens anyway. Just do the best under the circumstances. Herb Webber 3RCR Officers’ Mess Dinner In the early 70s I was a young Subaltern in 3 RCR posted to Petawawa and the Battalion would normally have one Mess Dinner a month. As was the tradition at that time, the Subalterns would stay after the Mess Dinner was officially over to finish the Port, a barbaric tradition. After one of these Mess Dinners, the Adjutant, Brian Johnson, returned to the dining room with a new bottle of Port to supplement the dregs left on the table. The Subalterns thought this was very nice of him until it was noted that the new bottle of Port was cheap plonk, and cheaper than the Port that they had been drinking. At that time, for those of you who do not recall, the 3 RCR Officers’ Mess was perched on a hill overlooking the Ottawa River and the windows in the dining room opened onto a slope that would eventually take you to the River. So, the Subalterns, being appropriately lubricated and appropriately upset with the Adjutant for presenting us with an inferior bottle cried out in their pain, “Out the window!” and opened a window to eject the Adjutant from the dining room. While they were in the process of throwing the Adjutant out the window, the CO; Dave Ells, appeared on the scene and demanded that we unhand the Adjutant and was immediately involved in the pushing and shoving around the open window. He was quickly followed by Mike Kelly, OC P Company, who demanded that we take our hands off the CO. But there only being three of them and about 15 Subalterns, they were all flung out the window, one after the other. No one was hurt and no one received Extra Duties for this rough manhandling of three very senior Battalion Officers. Fast forward many decades to 2011 and I am attending the Army Ball in Ottawa with my wife, Christine. I was a few weeks away from retirement. As the Ball was winding down, we decided to leave before the crowd departed. We were ascending on one of the escalators when I looked behind me and noted that Mike Kelly, now long retired, was behind us on the escalator with his wife. I told Christine that Mike was behind us and she knew of him because of the stories I used to tell her of throwing Mike, the CO, and Adjutant out the window. We had not seen them during the Ball, and I had not seen him for many decades, so we waited for them at the top of the escalator to say hello. As Mike and his wife stepped off [ 160 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
the escalator, I offered him my hand and, as it had been a long while since we had seen each other, said “Hi Mike, Dennis Tabbernor.” Mike took my hand shook it warmly and said “I know who you are. Do you think I would have forgotten the guy who threw me out the window?” Busted. We had a good laugh at the memories and then proceeded on our separate ways. Dennis C Tabbernor My Destiny and The RCR - A Chance Encounter with the RSM I enrolled in the Canadian Army in St John’s, Newfoundland on 03 Oct 1961 and shipped out by train to London, Ontario. After a few days in holding platoon we received our uniforms and our civilian clothes were taken away, not to be used during basic training. We started our basic training at the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) Depot in London where we trained for three months. In the new year most of us were transported to Camp Ipperwash, approximately 1-hour drive west of London, near Lake Huron. We completed three months field training in Ipperwash and upon completion we were posted to The First Battalion the Royal Canadian Regiment which was stationed in Ipperwash. Upon graduation we received our belt buckle, hat badge, and red patch. We also got our civvies back and could now be granted a week-end pass. In the late summer of 1983, I was driving a jeep to deliver mail to our troops (2nd Service Battalion) who were camped out on the Mattawa Plains in Petawawa. I saw a soldier marching in the same direction so I stopped and asked him if he would like a ride. He said, “It looks like rain so I guess it would be a good idea to accept your offer.” I noticed that he was a CWO and that he was wearing the RCR hat badge. He told me he was headed for the RCR bivouac area. As it turned out, they were situated close to our troops. The RSM introduced himself and asked me about my job with the Service Battalion. I told him that I was the Chief Clerk for Maintenance Company and that I had started my career with the RCR. He said he would like me to accompany him to meet the Commanding Officer of 1RCR. He took me over to the CO’s tent and poked his head in to ask permission and we were invited in. The CO was LCol L Bowen, someone that I knew from my time with The RCR in London some years earlier. He said we need a Chief Clerk with RCR background, and asked if I would be interested in moving to London? I said I would be proud to be the Chief Clerk of The RCR but didn’t think that the CO of 2 Svc Bn would be too happy about that idea since I had only been in the job for 16 months. He said let me worry about that and shook hands and I continued on my way. I never spoke to anyone about this conversation and thought that it most likely would not [ 161 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
happen. However, in less than a month a posting message arrived, and I was posted to 1 RCR London as the Chief Clerk. It was a posting that I never thought I would get because I was posted to Petawawa. I spent the best 3 years of my career with that battalion and they treated me like royalty. In case you are wondering, the RSM was none other than CWO Marvin MacDonald. In February 1984 we/1 RCR battle group moved to north Norway as part of Ace Mobile Force (AMF) North. As the Chief Clerk I was responsible to ensure all personnel were processed through the Departure Assistance Group (DAG). The day before our departure one of our Medics came to me with the Yellow Inoculation book for the RSM, who had left the day before to help with the first flights out. I put the book in my pocket, thinking I would pass it onto the RSM when I got to Trenton. When I arrived in Trenton, I learned that the RSM had hopped on one of flights of the previous day. It was not a serious problem because he wouldn’t need the yellow book until we returned to Canada. The next day when I arrived in Bardufoss, the RSM rushed up to me and whispered that he had forgotten to drop by the MIR to pick up his yellow book. I reached into my pocket and pulled out his yellow book, he really didn’t like getting needles. I will always remember the smile on his face when he saw his yellow book. Leo Boyd Cyprus December 1966 I was a young Lieutenant in Cyprus in 1966. In December, the CBC concert party arrived to provide entertainment for the troops. I was tasked to be the escort officer. Among the entertainers were Tommy Hunter (the country gentleman), Al Chierney (a famous fiddler), Katherine McKinnon (Farewell to Nova Scotia fame), Danielle Dorice (a well-known Quebec singer), Miss Canada 1966, Gordie Tapp, and many other entertainers totalling approximately 80 members. One evening the group was to entertain in Kyrenia. I arranged for two buses to transport all the entertainers and for two scout cars to escort us through the Turkish enclave, as was the custom when traversing this area. Once in Kyrenia, Mr. Errol, the Turkish Cypriot leader in the mountains called our Commanding Officer, Lt Col Phil Labelle, on the phone. He was incensed that we felt it necessary to provide an armed escort for our entertainers through his territory. The Commanding Officer told me to release the scout cars, to get my pistol and when the evening entertainment was over, I would escort the buses myself. Before departure, the ladies were each given a large bouquet of flowers. I then loaded the group into the buses and started the trek through the enclave. When we reached the first Turkish Cypriot check point, we were stopped, and the guard would not allow us to either pass or to turn back. He said that I could pass through but the two drivers [ 162 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
(Greek Cypriots) would remain in his custody. I tried to reason with him and told him that his boss, Mr. Errol, had guaranteed us safe passage. It was dark outside, and I soon noticed that our buses were being surrounded by about 30 Turkish fighters armed with rifles and machine guns. I then ensured that my pistol was ready and loaded so there would not be any question of a good pension for my widow if things did not go well. Without warning, the ladies on the bus disembarked and started handing out flowers and kisses to the Turkish fighters. I truly believed that there was no way that they would let us go now. At this point I learned something about Gordie Tapp, he was furious with the situation and demanded that I sort it out because he had another performance the next day and he needed his sleep. The other entertainers, however, were considering this to be a story to tell their grandchildren one day. After what seemed an eternity, a Canadian jeep came from the direction of Kyrenia with a sergeant and driver. I quickly explained the situation to the sergeant and told him to tell Major Tim Ryley to send help. In a completely slurred voice, he said “WOULD YOU SAY THAT AGAIN SIR”. He had spent the night in the Sergeants mess. The driver told me that he understood, and he was off. Not more than 10 minutes later we had vehicles descending on our position from the south with Major Tim Ryley in the lead and from the north with the operations officer Major Frank Norman. We were then escorted to the Ledra Palace hotel in Nicosia, where the entertainers were staying. A party erupted in the hotel that night and musicians were playing their instruments in the hall, shouting loudly and generally making life difficult for Gordie Tapp. Don Jazey The Night Mike Company Foiled the 82nd Airborne In 1977, I was member of 3RCR, in Germany, where I commanded One Platoon of Mike Company. In September, the battalion took part in the annual Corps level REFOGER exercise (EX CARBON EDGE) conducted in a large swath of Southern Germany. After a few days of much maneuvering, the exercise paused, from Friday Midnight to Sunday Midnight, and no movement of tracked vehicles was allowed. Around noon Sunday, our company commander returned from battalion HQ with word that a brigade from the US 82nd Airborne Division would be joining the exercise as enemy force. It was assessed that this brigade would parachute into the division’s rear area to disrupt operations. Probable target was the Divisional Support Command (DISCOM) far to the rear. Mike Company was tasked to stop this from happening. About 1300 hours, our company headed west away from the FEBA. We drove past artillery positions, battalion HQ, Admin Company, several RCD armoured squadrons, brigade HQ and all of 4 Service Battalion. Along the way, we also went by a number of confused [ 163 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
German civilians who wondered why M113 APCs were driving on what was supposed to be a quite Sunday afternoon. After almost 200 kms, and having consuming most of our diesel fuel, we arrived at an RV near DISCOM. At a hastily called O Gp, the American LO explained that DISCOM was deployed in a wooded area roughly five kms North to South by two kms East to West. On both sides of this typically well-manicured German Forest were large expanses of farmland. Each area was large enough for an airborne brigade to parachute into. As it was now well past last light, orders were quickly issued to occupy both potential Drop Zones. C/S’s 11 and 12 were assigned to “secure” the Eastern DZ, while C/S 13 and Coy HQ moved to the Western one. Our area of responsibility was massive and the company’s 16 pintle mounted 50 Cal HMGs would have been of little use stopping a brigade of determined airborne soldiers. Just after midnight, when exercise movement was again authorized, we saw a long line of C-141 Starlifter aircraft approaching the Eastern DZ from the South. I reported to C/S 1 that at least ten aircraft were flying overhead at low altitude with their para doors open and that it appeared the lead aircraft was executing a turn to the left. Shortly after my call, C/S 13 came on the net to report that they had located the ground control party. These individuals were the wearing the green tabs of Exercise Control Staff and hence considered to be neutral. This group’s task was to assess for suitability of the DZ, measure wind speed and direction and pass this information to the aircraft. The Three Platoon 2IC had recently served with the Canadian Airborne Regiment and was well aware that, in peace time, a parachute jump cannot take place without air-ground communications. So, Three Platoon “isolated” the USAF Combat Control Team from their radios and the airmen were “encouraged” not to respond to several frantic radio calls from the approaching aircraft. The commander in the air, having been unable to contact the Control Team, was then forced to issue a “Stop Drop” order. The fleet of planes flew south and eventually out of sight. We continued to occupy our assigned areas until first light when the company formed leaguer for breakfast. It was quickly determined that all vehicles were dangerously low on fuel. However, the very appreciative, and impressed, DISCOM LO said he could help us out and led the company to the divisional fuel point. After we had topped up, we commenced our long drive East to rejoin the battalion. By the time we arrived, the 82nd Airborne group was probably already back in Fort Bragg, North Carolina and wondering how their brilliantly planned assault had been thwarted. Cam Carbert Don’t Mess with the Pioneers Back in the eighties when the CF was downsizing, Body Mass Index (BMI) was introduced to get rid of “fat” soldiers. At the time, I was a Warrant Officer and Platoon Comd/2IC of 2 RCR Pioneers. The Company Commander summoned me to his office one day to inform that he was [ 164 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
contemplating placing one of the Cpls and one Sgt on Recorded Warning for BMI because they couldn’t keep up on the weekly morning runs. I told him that both were good soldiers and excellent pioneers and are fitter than the average soldier in the Bn. So, I made a deal with him to save my two pioneers. “In two weeks, the company is having a competition which consists of a 10 km rucksack march by platoon and if Pioneer Platoon wins, leave my guys alone”. “Deal” he said! To make a long story short, Pioneer Platoon won, and my pioneers were protected. Moral of the story is - never underestimate a pioneer and his ability to make things happen. Whether it be a bridge made from local timber or out rucksack the average soldier. Derek Ingersoll Be Careful what You Wish For. In early 1968 I was moved from Bravo Company to be a Platoon Commander with Alpha Company of 1 RCR based at Wolseley Barracks in London. The Company Commander was Art Skaling and our CSM was Moose Austin. On short notice in February 1968 we were dispatched to Camp Picton, Ontario to reinforce the 1st Battalion of the Canadian Guards as they prepared to deploy on an AMF(L) South exercise to Vieques, an island off the coast Puerto Rico. Two companies’ worth of soldiers from the Guards had DAG’d red for the deployment and given the nature of the exercise it was necessary for 1 RCR to backfill them with two companies, Alpha, and I believe Delta was the second Company. Needless-to-say we were delighted to discover that we would be heading off to a tropical island for a few weeks of training during a very cold winter. When in Picton, my driver Corporal Hank Latendresse, signed for a three-quarter ton truck, which was to be our platoon’s only transport while in Vieques. The vehicle came with the standard EIS which he also signed for. The vehicles were all moved to the Airhead in Trenton by Guards personnel, so it wasn’t until we arrived on the Island that Hank was able to retrieve the vehicle he had signed for. When he went to get the vehicle, Hank discovered that all of the EIS for his three-quarter ton had been misplaced or stolen. A search was conducted with nothing found so it was decided that we would employ the vehicle for the duration of the exercise without the EIS. A couple of things that we experienced on the island, and that were most unfamiliar to us, were land crabs and tarantulas. The land crabs came on shore in the evening and made a heck of a noise and did the same thing going back into the Caribbean in the early morning. The tarantulas loved the heat, so when we tucked into our hoochies at night - which comprised a mosquito net, wrapped around the bottom of an air mattress and a sleeping [ 165 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
bag - the spiders would cluster on the outside of the net trying to get to our body heat. The combination made for many a restless night. As I recall we had two soldiers in the platoon who were bitten by tarantulas, and one of them was Hank Latendresse. They both were a bit sluggish for a couple of days due to the venom and it sure spurred the rest of us to take all precautions. Near the end of the exercise we were concerned, as a platoon, that Hank would be required to pay the cost of the missing EIS. We were sitting around a campfire and I mentioned to the troops that we needed to help Hank out, but I didn’t say how. It ended up being a case of “be careful what you wish for”. When I woke up the next morning multiples of the missing EIS were scattered around my hoochy. The troops had gone off in groups that night, without coordination, and commandeered the required kit from Guards’ vehicles scattered around the bivouac area. While I applauded their initiative, we were left with the problem of getting rid of the excess kit, which the troops gladly did the next night which was our last on the island. It was a good lesson learned for me, that is, it is critically important that a commander articulate his intent clearly and concisely or he/you may end up with a garage full of stuff you don’t need! Walt Holmes Great Expectations Saint Valentine’s Day has evolved into a colossal commercial enterprise eclipsed only by Christmas. The dictionary defines Saint Valentine’s Day as a day when valentines, that is, greeting cards or tokens of affection, are exchanged with sweethearts. Some say it is the yearly opportunity for men to apologize for all their misdemeanors, misbehavior, and lack of romantic attention to their partners for the previous year; to ease their guilt and placate their beloveds. Regardless, of the root cause of this phenomenon, beaus go batty for at least one day a year. In recent times, the tokens have grown in grandeur and everything, from chocolate hearts to new cars and Caribbean cruises, is sold to lovesick suitors. Harried husbands strive to outdo each other by spending more money or showing more imagination than their peers. They lavish their sweethearts with flowers (the Florist business booms with blooms) and gift certificates for everything from exclusive Spa visits to oil changes. The oil change is not recommended – as a Valentine gift that is. My brother Steve tried it when they had a special at Midas Muffler but, it didn’t go over well. The special was not so special to my sister-in-law. The Valentine’s Day celebration probably developed from its coincidental falling so close to Lupercalia, an ancient fertility festival held on 15 February. The feast was celebrated in Rome, in honor of the rustic, licentious, deity Lupercus. Ancient mythology also claims that the spirits of passion roam the earth on Valentine’s Day, scattering their elixirs among vulnerable, unsuspecting mortals. Spouses and beaus are enticed by Eros and charmed [ 166 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
by Cupid. Ethereal romantic energy stalks the earth. A few years ago, quite a few years ago actually, in the late 80s, I was rudely reminded of the crass commercialism of our modern Valentine’s Day. It was a week before, V-day, when I decided to buy my wife a nice pair of earrings. Being frugal, I reviewed several copies of the Whig, the local newspaper, and got out as many flyers as I could find to look for sales. Several of the stores in town offered jewelry at reduced prices, some up to 50% off, and two stores had specials on earrings. The closest one to where I worked, at Fort Frontenac, was on the lower half of Princess Street. I would venture over there as soon as I could, before they were all scooped up by the roaming love-sick suitors in the city with limited funds. My plan was falling together. On that day, because of a formal retirement luncheon for an old comrade at work, I wore my best (my only) three-piece grey pinstripe suit with my brown Dacks wing-tip shoes. I sported the stylish contemporary accoutrements of the time, a medium width purple tie with an almost matching mauve handkerchief in the left breast pocket. Even if I do say so myself, I looked rather dapper, “like a natty, white-collared Bay Street Banker,” one of my colleagues commented. Valentine’s Day that year was unseasonably warm, and townsfolk promenaded along Princess Street, soaking up the solar rays of a tantalizing sun. Softening ice crunched under my wing tips as I walked, with a spring in my step, toward the jewelry store. Rivulets of melt water swished down the gutters. It was glorious weather for the time of year. I was determined to get there before the crowd of last minute, men shoppers descended on the place, like locusts, in an attempt to get the best deals. My expectations for this day were great. I entered the store and started browsing in the earring section right away. Several other husbands were in the store, obviously, like me, looking for bargains before they could be snatched up by the multitude of milling men. A large, bewhiskered man, in a chequered flannel shirt, denim jeans and steel-toed work boots was fondling a necklace which looked like a trinket in his huge meaty paw. Leaving him, abruptly, at the necklace counter, an excessively made-up clerk with a glued-on smile rushed over to meet me with undue haste. She reminded me of Dickens’s Miss Havisham, an eccentric, recluse. She lived in a gloomy locked mansion, where all clocks had been stopped on the day that her betrothed bride groom had jilted her. The wedding meal moldered in a dark, dank, and dusty, unused dining room. Habitually, she dressed in her wedding dress, tattered, and yellowed with age. She was the virtual virgin of vindictiveness. Hopefully, this one was not so bad and would assist me in my quest for a moderately inexpensive, but high quality, exquisite, pair of earrings. Not too inexpensive though; that would be gauche, my wife would think I cheap (which I guess I was) and would not be impressed. I was reminded of a fellow officer who bought his wife a frying pan for Christmas. ‘The old one is kind of beat up” he said, with a feigned look of concern on his face, “she’ll be happy that I noticed,” he said as an afterthought. This did not go over well as you can imagine. She still reminds him of this faux pas at every opportunity. He was a good example to his fellows of what not to do. Now to resume the tale of my Miss Havisham at the jewelry store. After the requisite, “How [ 167 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
may I help you?” and before I had a chance to inquire about their specials, she whisked me down to the end of the counter where a small ornate oak cabinet with clouded blue tinted glass awaited in a remote corner of the store. With an antique looking gold key, which hung around her neck on a thick silver cord, she carefully opened it. She then proceeded to show me an impressive selection of glittering earrings. She went on with the obnoxious, condescending patter of a used car salesman informing me in detail of the origin of each specific piece. After a quick inspection, I noticed a particularly fine-looking pair that I was sure my wife would like, and asked the obvious question, “How much?” “They are Eight-nine-ninety-five,” she said in a too soft conspiratorial voice. I asked her to repeat it and she said it again one decibel louder. “Eight-nine-ninety-five” she recited. I hadn’t really heard her clearly, with my hearing loss from over twenty years in the Army, but in embarrassment, I nodded my approval. As I was contemplating the purchase, she expectantly rummaged under the counter, and produced an elegant gold embossed box, with the store logo, a caricature of a lion, on top, and vellum-like, pink paisley wrapping paper. “I’ll take them,” I said, and casually handed her a crisp $100.00 bill with a feigned flourish. Before my eyes there was a total metamorphosis: the color drained from the clerk’s already waxy-white colored face. Her starched smile turned to the derisive smirk of Cruella De Ville. She was what some people called ‘gob-smacked’. Finally, she recovered, lifted an eyebrow, pursed her lips in distaste and said, “That’s Eight-hundred and ninety- five-dollars.” (Big bucks in those days). She articulated this in a practiced monotone, and emphasized each word – loudly, so all in the store and I’m sure, some outside could hear. “Could we move to the left a couple of decimal points?” I stammered, trying to remain nonchalant – with limited success. The clerk did not reply; she was struck mute. Suddenly the fawning attention ceased. She gave me the evil eye, for what seemed an eternity, and then abandoned me dismissively, to attend to more deserving victims – with fatter wallets. Attempting to recover some of my ruffled dignity, I straightened myself up to my full height and puffed out my chest with the purple hanky. Performing a quick left turn, I marched down the store’s length to the door. Miss Havisham’s penetrating glare drilled into the back of my head all the way out. Chastened, I left the store and headed for the comfort of the mall, where kinder, gentler, sales-clerks abode. I still get shaky when Valentine’s Day approaches – or when I get within sight of that jewelry store. Miss Havisham massacred my great expectations. It was a Dickens of a time. Bill Leavey [ 168 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
Winning Is Not Everything It was February 1962 and it had been a cold snowy day at Ipperwash Camp and a bone- chilling wind was blowing across the parade square and among the H-huts. The on-duty fire piquet crew had just finished checking our main source of heat, the potbellied stove. It was “Paardeberg Day” and celebrations had already started in the Mess. Although it was dark and snowy, I was very careful not to go anywhere near the parade square as it was considered holy ground by some. Remembering all too well what happened the day I took a short-cut to make it in time for pay parade in the drill hall. A stentorian voice boomed across the parade square telling me; “GET OFF MY PARADE SQUARE!” I think that was my quickest about-turn ever! There was a boisterous crowd in the smoke-filled Mess with lots of activities in progress. After having enjoyed some conversation and a few steins of beer, it was time to try my luck at a game of darts with my partner Mike Underhill, another freshly minted lance-corporal. Just about the time that we won our game, the RSM and DSM entered the Mess on their traditional visit. It was the start of another life-lesson for me! I was well aware that the DSM (fondly known, by some, as KD) was in charge of the BOC duty roster and owner of the parade square but what I did not know that he was a mean dart player. So, when he challenged us for a game, we accepted, and a hush fell over the crowd. Did those two lance-jacks, full of Dutch courage, realize what they were doing, really? It was a well-played game, we held our own and as luck had it, I had the game winning dart. Ignoring all the non-verbal warnings, I throw the winning dart and my fate was sealed! Our names appeared on the BOC roster with great frequency for a while! In the months after whenever our paths crossed, his reply, with a sardonic grin on his face, would be, “You have a good day too, Corporal!” Tom Van Roon [ 169 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
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[ 171 PRO PATRIA 2020 ] Visit The RCR website at: www.thercr.ca
The Royal Canadian Regiment Voluntary Contributions Program The purpose of the Voluntary Contributions Program (VCP) is to provide funding for Regimental initiatives benefitting individual members of the Regiment, as well as to support major Regimental projects and operations. A portion of the contributions received will be invested in order to aid in the financing of longer-term projects, thus ensuring that the Regiment retains the capability of maintaining historical traditions and of defining and promoting the distinctiveness of the Regiment. From its inception, the VCP rates have been pro-rated by rank, with more senior ranks asked to contribute a larger individual monthly contribution than junior ranks. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS What VCP rate should I be paying? Remaining a paid-up contributor, in accordance with your rank, to the VCP is one criterion for receipt of the Regimental departure gifts upon retirement. These Regimental departure gifts or entitlements include the Regimental scroll and coin after two years service in the Regiment; and the Soldier of the Queen statuette for 20 years or more of Regimental service, if contributing to the VCP. As of 1 July 2013 the new monthly VCP rates by rank will be as follows: • Pte $5.00 Enhanced Departure Gift Soldier of The Queen • Cpl/MCpl $6.00 • Sgt/WO/MWO $10.00 • CWO $15.00 • OCdt/2Lt/Lt/Capt $12.00 • Maj/LCol/Col $20.00 • General Officer $35.00 What does VCP support? • Free issue of accoutrements (e.g. initial issue of cap badge, buttons, PT shell, Sergeant’s sash) • Regimental Departure Gifts • T ributes (e.g. flowers) sent on behalf of the Regiment • Support to The RCR Association Bursary • Support to The RCR Pipes and Drums • Support to Regimental operations • Bookkeeping/Accounting/Banking For more information visit: www.thercr.ca [ 172 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
THE RCR ASSOCIATION SERVICE & ASSISTANCE FUND General 1. T he RCR Association Service and Assistance Fund does not form part of The RCR Fund, however, support from this fund is applicable to the regimental family and as such information regarding the Service and Assistance Fund is provided here for information. 2. The Service and Assistance Fund is held within The RCR Trust and administered by the Trustees. Monies accrued in this fund may be used as grants to be paid out to Service and Assistance applicants. Upon recommendation by The RCR Association Standing Committee on Service and Assistance, a letter will be forwarded to the Chairman of the Trust requesting that a grant be made payable to the applicant. The letter should include the name, address, contact information of the applicant and a copy of the application. Based on the committee’s recommendation, grants up to but not exceeding $2000.00 may be approved. Standing Committee on Service and Assistance 3. T he RCR Association Standing Committee on Service and Assistance will convene at the discretion of the Chairman of The RCR Association Board of Directors (BoD) to approve applications for financial assistance. The Standing Committee will consist of the Chairman of the Association and at least two Directors from the BoD. 4. All applications for assistance will be treated confidentially. Applications for Service and Assistance 5. Applications for Service and Assistance for retired members of the regiment shall be submitted directly to the BoD at [email protected]. Serving members may request assistance from the Service and Assistance Fund through their chain of command. The request is then forwarded to RHQ who forwards to The RCR Association Service and Assistance Fund Committee. Note: Service and Assistance Funds must be staffed by a serving members’ chain of command; direct applications from a serving member to the Service and Assistance Fund committee will not be actioned. 6. Upon receiving a request for assistance, the Chairman of The RCR Association will convene the Service and Assistance Committee. The Committee will consider each case in accordance with the following criteria: Eligibility 7. Eligible applicants must be: • A retired member of the CF whose former service would qualify the individual to be a member of The RCR Association, or • A widow of a member of the regiment, or [ 173 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
• A member currently serving with a unit of The RCR or on ERE, or • A ny individual who has been on the posted strength to a unit of The RCR, or • A wounded member of the regiment who has been medically released and it has been determined that, as a result of the release the individual has lost an entitlement that would have normally been covered by DND, DVA or SISIP, or • A n individual who served with the regiment in a theatre of operations where their medical problem was acquired. Review 8. In reviewing each application, the Committee will take into consideration: • The current financial situation of the applicant, • Whether all other avenues of assistance have been exhausted and if not, advise the applicant where to go for other forms of assistance, and • The recommendations of the chain of command, if any. 9. In assessing eligibility, note that the following persons do not qualify: • Those who have already been provided financial assistance through this program to the maximum amount of $2000; and • T hose whose financial situation would be alleviated through other forms of assistance provided by DND, VAC or SISIP. [ 174 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
REGIMENTAL SPORTS SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM 1. Intent. The intent of the program is: • To demonstrate the regiment’s support for the personal endeavours of its individual members in competitive sporting activities which demand physical exertion, stamina and intelligence and which promote a healthy and active lifestyle consistent with the expectations and demands of service in the infantry or the Canadian Army generally; and • To provide positive public exposure for The RCR as a goodwill partner in the support of its members. 2. P olicy. The RCR supports its serving members’ personal competitive sporting endeavors by providing a small ex gratia grant in order to defray the personal costs associated with such competitions. Such a grant constitutes a goodwill gesture and is neither service- related Temporary Duty nor duty travel, however, a separate decision to support an activity by providing TD (e.g. for a CISM event) need not necessarily prejudice selection for a grant under this program. A member accepts all personal risk associated with the sporting activity and signs an acknowledgement to this effect as a pre-condition of application, however, nothing in this regimental policy supersedes or affects existing CAF regulations and policies concerning a members’ requirement to engage in physical activities and physical training, nor does it limit normal CAF and/or CAF member responsibility or liability as established by CAF policies. A serving member is any member of the regiment embodied in the Regular Force, including a member of an attached arm serving in an RCR battalion, or the Primary Reserve or Supplementary Reserve who is actively parading at their place of employment. 3. Qualifying Activities. In order to qualify for a grant a member of the regiment must be actively engaged as an individual or as a team member in a competitive sporting activity organized under the authority of a recognized professional or amateur sporting authority in which participation reflects credit on the Canadian Armed Forces and the regiment. There is no minimum or maximum time in which the member has been involved in the sport, however, the member must show, to the satisfaction of the Selection Committee, that their effort is reasonable and sustained. Such activities include, but are not limited to traditional individual athletics (running, cycling, triathlon, skiing, martial arts, swimming, tennis, etc), individual members of a team sport (hockey, soccer, lacrosse, etc), motor sports (Targa, Stock Car, Chump car, etc) and extreme sports (skateboard, BMX, snowboarding, etc). Activities which clearly contain no physical or stamina component such as pub darts or poker, or which are merely for personal recreation (i.e. there is no element of sustained competition such as a one-off golf tournament), or which would in the judgement of the Selection Committee tend to bring the Canadian Armed Forces and the regiment into disrepute will not be considered. [ 175 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
4. Eligibility. A member submitting a request under this program must be a contributing VCP member at the appropriate level for their rank. The annual grant may be received by a member up to a maximum of four times, consecutively or non-consecutively, in a member’s career. Members must make application through their battalion chain of command or ERE mentor who will verify that the activity qualifies and forward the application to RHQ for selection. Selection is not automatic and must be reapplied for in subsequent years. The member’s rank, MOS and gender are not selection factors. 5. E very RCR battalion and the regiment’s ERE community may each nominate up to three personnel annually for a total of 15 grants. 6. Funding. Each individual annual grant is $500.00, supported by The RCR Trust to a yearly maximum of $7,500.00, or as subject to review by the Regimental Executive Committee. Unused battalion and ERE allotments do not accumulate; any budgeted funds not used in a given year remain with The RCR Trust. 7. C alculation of Time. The annual grant year is based on the NPF fiscal calendar of 1 January to 31 December. The deadline for annual applications to reach RHQ is 31 October for the following year. Applications prior to 1 September, late applications or applications in arrears will not be accepted. 8. Application. Battalion COs or ERE Mentors must forward to RHQ//Regimental Adjutant: • the member’s completed Regimental Sports Sponsorship Application and Undertaking, found on the RHQ ACIMS Sharepoint site at: https://acims.mil.ca/org/rhq_the_rcr/default.aspx; and, • p roof of the applicant’s past involvement (progression in the sport) and upcoming involvement in the qualifying sporting activity (registration documents or other relevant documents such as photographs if necessary). 9. Selection. On receipt of the applications, RHQ will verify the applicants’ contribution to the VCP and convene a committee consisting of the Regimental Secretary, Regimental Major, Regimental Adjutant and the Regimental Warrant Officer to consider the applications. The committee makes its decisions based on the recommendations received from Battalions COs or ERE Mentors, however, it will advise the Chair of the REC to reject any application which clearly does not meet the criteria of this order. Each battalion may submit a maximum of three nominations; should a battalion not use some or all of their allotment, the Selection Committee will draw straws to determine the re-allocation of vacancies among the other battalions and ERE, after which the relevant battalion/ERE will be asked to submit an additional nomination. As the widely dispersed ERE mentors do not operate under a single unit HQ, RHQ will act in this capacity and accept any number of ERE applications for referral to the committee and ultimately the selection of three ERE names. [ 176 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
10. Notification and Disbursement of Funds. The Selection Committee will notify applicants through their Battalion chain of command or ERE Mentor. Disbursement of funds will follow immediately by cheque, to be presented by the CO or ERE Mentor with photographs to be forwarded to the Regimental Adjutant for publishing in Pro Patria. There is no subsequent requirement to retain or submit receipts. 11 Publicity. As a condition of receiving a grant, the member must agree to wear the regiment’s authorized blue PT shirt or running jacket or otherwise display The RCR cypher/cap badge in a suitable location (not provided as part of this program). In cases where an individual athlete has obtained sponsorship other than from the regiment, the Selection Committee will determine whether the symbols of the regiment may be appropriately displayed in combination with those of the other organization(s) and may direct reasonable restrictions or conditions based on the specific circumstances. Subsequent photographs of the competition event are always welcomed for inclusion in Pro Patria or for publication to the regimental web site. [ 177 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
Corporal Brent Poland “Children of the Fallen” Education Fund Background: 1. T he Children of the Fallen Fund does not form part of The RCR Fund, however, support from the Children of the Fallen Fund is applicable to the regimental family and as such information regarding the Children of the Fallen Fund is provided here for information. 2. In response to a bequest by the family of Corporal Brent Poland following his death in Afghanistan in April 2007, The Royal Canadian Regiment established the Children of the Fallen Education Fund to provide support for the post-secondary education of the children of soldiers of the regiment who died in the service of Canada. Purpose and Objective: 3. T he objective of this program is to financially assist those eligible students studying at a degree or diploma granting post-secondary institution, on a full or part time basis. Value: 4. The maximum value an applicant can receive from this bursary is $1000 per academic year to a maximum of four years. 5. If the number of applicants exceeds the monies available to provide the $1000 bursary for each request, the bursary amount will be split accordingly on a priority basis to provide for more applicants, but will not be reduced below $500 per applicant. 6. The bursary can be used at the discretion of the recipient, and is intended for, but not limited to, tuition, books, equipment, transportation, etc. 7. The bursary is paid by cheque from RHQ, direct to the applicant. The bursary is taxable. Eligibility: 8. The following guidelines will be used to determine eligibility and priority of award for education support: • Applicants must be the child or stepchild of a soldier who has died, ‘on duty’ (operations or training), or has died as a result of injuries or an illness attributable to service while a member of the regiment, or serving in a unit of the regiment. Such a determination is made based on the supporting documentation, as required, provided by the applicant and may include the findings of a Medical Officer or Veterans’ Affairs. • Priority will be given to those children attending their first year of post-secondary studies; those attending later years will be considered only when all first year applicants have received education support; and 9. T hose eligible for this bursary are not excluded from also applying for the Association Education bursary. [ 178 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
Application Process: 10. A pplicants must fill out the requisite application form (available from RHQ) and submit to RHQ which verifies the dependent status of the applicant in relation to the deceased member. 11. S ubmission may be direct to RHQ, or through any regimental element which will forward it to RHQ on the applicant’s behalf (i.e., units, serving and retired regimental personnel, regimental mentors, etc). 12. All applications are to include proof of academic enrolment for the fall session of the calendar year. 13. L ate applications will not receive bursaries or be considered for bursaries in the current year unless funds remain from the current year’s disbursable earnings. Timelines: The deadline for applying is 31 July of each calendar year. Approval Process: 15. D isbursement of funds is procedural and dependent on monies available to disburse. Approval is not based on academic merit, standing, or personal financial circumstance. Applicants must only prove eligibility through the application process in order to be considered, no other supporting documentation is required. 16. The Regimental Major, Regimental Adjutant and Regimental Warrant Officer sit as Bursary Committee members in order to compile the necessary information and verify particulars. Once this process is complete, the committee recommends approval to The RCR Trust for the disbursement of funds, based on the eligibility guidelines. 17. Coordination of bursary disbursements will be coordinated between RHQ and The RCR Trust. [ 179 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
THE ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT Children of Fallen Soldiers Bursary Program APPLICATION FORM 1. Name of Applicant: Address: Postal Code: Phone: ( ) Date of Birth: 2. Secondary School(s) attended & dates: 3. What grade or University year did you or will you complete this June? 4. School from which final marks were obtained previously or will be obtained for the current scholastic year: 5. Courses you intend to complete in the current scholastic year: School Activities: 6. Community Activities: 7. Name the institution you plan to attend in the next scholastic year. If this is your first year, please include a copy of your letter of Acceptance: 8. I am the child (or Stepchild) of: (Rank, Initials, Name) Who died on while serving in (or with) the Royal Canadian Regiment (Date) 9. All sections of this form must be completed and all pertinent documents, including the acceptance to the institution of higher learning, submitted to the bursary committee with the application (with the exception of the final marks, if not available at the time of application). 10. Signed: Applicant: Parent/guardian: Place: Date: [ 180 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION BY 30 JULY TO: Regimental Headquarters, The RCR Victoria Barracks Petawawa, ON K8H 2X3 Tel: (613) 687-5511 Ext 5086 Fax: (613) 588-5932 Attention: Regimental Adjutant PLEASE FORWARD A COPY OF YOUR FINAL MARKS BY 1 AUGUST OF THE YEAR OF APPLICATION. CHECKLIST. Have you enclosed: Application Form Final Marks (if available) Acceptance document from University/College Proof of eligibility [ 181 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
THE RCR ASSOCIATION EDUCATION BURSARY Background 1. The RCR Association Education Bursary does not form part of The RCR Fund, however, support from The RCR Association Education Bursary is applicable to the regimental family and as such information regarding The RCR Association Bursary is provided here for information. 2. T he Royal Canadian Regiment Association will award bursaries of $1,500 each. The number of bursaries awarded in a given year will depend upon the number of applicants and their suitability. Eligibility 3. Eligible applicants must be: • a child or grandchild of a serving, former serving or deceased member of The Royal Canadian Regiment; or • a serving member of The Royal Canadian Regiment or a spouse of a serving member; or • a member in good standing of a Cadet Corps affiliated with or sponsored by The Royal Canadian Regiment; and • in his or her final year of secondary schooling and preparing to attend an institute of higher learning (University, Trades School, Teachers’ College, Technical College, Nursing School). 4. In the case of a serving member or serving member’s spouse the above criteria applies except there is no time limit between completing secondary school and commencement of attendance at an institute of higher learning, however, marks for high school graduation must be supplied. 5. Potential applicants should note that the following persons do not qualify: • former serving members themselves; and • anyone who has already commenced a post-secondary school education program. Application Process 6. Applicants must complete a bursary application for the current year, which may be found at: https://thercr.ca/the-association/the-bursary-program/ 7. Failure to provide the following documentation will invalidate an application: • Secondary School Principal’s recommendation. A letter from the applicant’s home room teacher in lieu of the Principal’s recommendation is acceptable; • letter of acceptance for first year enrolment from a college or university; [ 182 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
• for serving members, a letter of recommendation from the member’s Commanding Officer; and • transcript of final grades from a secondary school. Selection 8. The winners of the bursaries will be chosen based on scholastic achievement, community service activities, military/cadet service (if any) and family financial position. Timelines 9. A pplications must be received at Regimental Headquarters by 15 July, which forwards the applications to The RCR Association Bursary Committee for selection. [ 183 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
THE ROYAL CANADIAN REGIMENT ASSOCIATION BURSARY PROGRAM APPLICATION FORM This application is available online 1. Name of Applicant: Address: Postal Code: Phone: ( ) Date of Birth: Email: 2. Secondary School(s) attended & dates: 3. What grade did you or will you complete this June? 4. School from which final marks were obtained previously or will be obtained for the current scholastic year: 5. High School credits you intend to complete in the current scholastic year: School Activities: 6. Community Activities: (Community service is an important selection criterion and should be recorded in detail. Letters of reference or appreciation may be included.) 7. Name the institute of higher learning, which you plan to attend in the next scholastic year: 8. IS YOUR PARENT, GRANDPARENT, OR GUARDIAN: a. A serving member of The Royal Canadian Regiment? b. A former member or deceased member of The Royal Canadian Regiment? OR c. Are you a member or spouse of a member of The Royal Canadian Regiment? OR d. Are you a member in good standing of a Cadet Corps affiliated with or sponsored by The Royal Canadian Regiment? [ 184 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
If the answer to items 8a, 8b or 8c inclusive is “yes” please provide the following information: Name & Service Number of Parent, Grandparent, Guardian or Spouse who is serving or has served in The RCR: Dates of Service: The RCR Unit or ERE: 9. T HE FOLLOWING CERTIFICATE IS TO BE COMPLETED WHEN APPLICATION IS SUBMITTED PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH 8D ABOVE: “It is certified that is a member in good standing (Name of Applicant) of (RCR Unit, ERE, Cadet Corps – Number & Name) (Cadet Corps Commanding Officer – Signature) (Date) 10. T o access the family financial need, the following additional information is required and will be treated in confidence: a. Total of both parents’ or serving members’ gross income for the previous calendar year: b. Number of supported children, including applicant who are attending: pre–school high school public school university 11. Please attach to this application a reference from your secondary school principal. If a cadet or serving soldier or spouse, a letter from your unit CO must also be enclosed. 12. A ll sections of this form must be completed and all pertinent documents, including the acceptance to the institute of higher learning, submitted to the bursary committee with the application (with exception of the final marks, if not available at the time of application) 13. SIGNED: Applicant: Parent, Guardian, CO: Place: Date: PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION BY To: Bursary Committee, The RCR Association 30 JULY. Regimental Headquarters The Royal Canadian Regiment PLEASE FORWARD A COPY OF YOUR FINAL Victoria Barracks MARKS BY 31 AUGUST OF THE YEAR OF P.O. Box 9999, Stn Main APPLICATION. Petawawa, ON K8H 2X3 CHECKLIST: Principal’s Letter of Recommendation Have you enclosed: Application Form Acceptance document from University/College Final Marks (if available) Community Service letters/references Letter from CO (if applicable) NOTE: It is important to send your application with all information complete. Failure to do so can jeopardize your chances!! Use the checklist above to ensure all is in order. [ 185 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
THE LAST WORD Fellow Royal Canadians Pro Patria 2020 would not have been possible without the production of articles by members of our Regimental family. Thank you to those who provided assistance and guidance, in particular Lisa Twomey of Creative Spark Design, who made my task as editor a great deal easier. Please permit me to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to you all. It is my intent that Pro Patria continues to be a journal that reflects the values of The Regiment and provides a written record of our achievements. Please send your suggestions, comments or critiques to RHQ, Attn: The Regimental Adjutant or [email protected]. Any errors or omissions should be brought to my attention at your earliest convenience. Please note that in the next 6-12 months Pro Patria will not be printed and distributed in the numbers it has in the past. We will adopt an ‘on demand’ philosophy with respect to publishing printed copies. The RCR Association no longer requests or provides printed copies of Pro Patria to their members. Pro Patria! Scott Robinson Captain Regimental Adjutant [ 186 PRO PATRIA 2020 ]
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