FOURTH CANADIAN RANGER PATROL GROUP

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Instruction * Training * Information Winter 2010

The Newsletter of the 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group

NEW PATROL TRAINING La Ronge Patrol DP1 AB/SK Detachment By WO Gilliard 4 CRPG’s newest patrol opened in La Ronge, SK, in October. Selecting the location can be challenging. It is impor-tanto ensure that the location will prove to be viable, and allow for suc-cess for all in-volved. After sev-eral recce’s while on exercise with Wollaston Lake and Fond Du Lac pa-trols, La Ronge was chosen as the most likely location to fit all of the required criteria. La Ronge is the largest community in northern Sas-katchewan, located approximately 250km north of Prince Albert. It has over 3500 people residing in the town itself and about 2000 people on the adjacent First Nations lands of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band, plus around 1000 people residing in the bordering settlement of Air Ronge. This dynamic, evolving community has a history and prehistory that encompasses the trials, triumphs and tribulations of the Cree-speaking First Nations people who have lived here for innumerable generations.

The community has also born the mark and seen the passage of the explorers and traders of legends such as McKenzie and Pond. La Ronge is situated on the southwest shore of the lake that gives the town its name. The lake is a major tributary to the Churchill River system. Historically, La Ronge has been a travel-lers’ crossroads, a trading outpost, a missionary settle-ment, a fishery center, a home to bush pilots and the province’s water bomber fleet, as well as a tourist mag-net.

The Aboriginal forefathers have left their legacy in and on the people of La Ronge and many other northern cen-ters, while the early trappers, traders and explorers have had their names attached to the geography of many of the locales and also to many of the surnames of the present day popula-tion. Pride in the

area’s history, heritage, and culture runs deep within the community. When the first European trader/explorers reached the area, they learned an in-depth awareness of the natural resources and the geography of the region from the locals. They would also have seen that this was a country that had long been a center of civilization, culture, and tradition, as indicated by the pictographs that dot the shorelines of the adjoining Churchill River and lakeshore outcroppings.

DP1 Staff and Students of 4 CRPG’s newest patrol, La Ronge.

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After week of meetings with the Town Council, Band Council, RCMP and the general public, advertising and recruiting began in La Ronge. The word was spread through TV, radio ads and interviews, as well 1200 mail-out flyers sent to every address in the community. October 18-22 saw our Detachment Commander, Detach-ment Sergeant Major, two clerks and myself conducting briefings and recruiting. Warrant Officer McNicol, MCpl Revet and I then returned to do more briefings and re-cruiting the following week. With the DP1 (the basic Ca-nadian Ranger course) set to start Oct 30th, we had our work cut out for us to ensure that all background checks (CPICs) and enrolment forms where completed. Our hard work paid off with a final result of 22 new Canadian Rangers (CRs) being recruited.

The DP1 commenced on the 30th as planned and contin-ued until Nov 9th. On weekends the training ran from 0900hrs to 2000hrs. During the week, to accommodate the work schedule, training went from 1800 to 2200hrs. This is longer than the 6 days allotted for a Ranger DP1, however it allowed for us to conduct a field exercise, which would encompass GPS, navigation, and search and rescue (SAR), besides the usual classroom training on these topics. Many thanks to WO John McNicol for re-maining in La Ronge, to assist with the instruction and to do a lot of the computer work for us.

Day one of the training saw our new Canadian Rangers learning the basics of the Rangers and JCR’s in the morning, with the rest of the day spent learning the Lee Enfield rifle in preparation for the next day on the range. The range day went well. It was meant to be a Lee En-field familiarization, so after the weapons handling test

all Rangers had the opportunity to fire up to 50 rounds. The remainder of the week saw the Rangers completing the theory classes and preparing for the field exercise. Most of the participants had no problem with the navi-gation and GPS classes, as most of them work for the Province and this skill set is a necessity in their jobs. Once all of the training was completed, all that remained was the final prep for the graduation parade. The Patrol Commander having to learn the drill commands made for hours of enjoyment for the instructors. Of course, as always the Rangers seem to pull all the movements to-gether and were able to display a fine example of preci-sion, Ranger Drill.

The oldest building in Saskatchewan. This Church was built in 1854 and is Located in Stanley Mission,

approx 60 Km from La Ronge.

On parade: La Ronge DP1 get ready for their grad.

AB/SK Det Comd presents course certificates.

On the range: Introduction to the .303.

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Reserve units and personnel come out to train with us over the past several months and we will continue to see an increase in this over the years to come. Our Basic Wil-derness Survival Training (BWST) sessions continue to be a hit with other units and we will be meeting in April to ensure that we are delivering the best product we can, while also beginning to look at more advanced wilderness survival training events. By the time you receive this newsletter, I will also have attended two additional important events: patrol training in Pouce Coupe, BC, which will be visited by Brigadier General O'Brien from the Canadian Ranger National Au-thority (CRNA), plus Exercise Northern Bison, which is a very large multi-unit winter exercise conducted by 38 Canadian Brigade Group (CBG) near Churchill, MB. This event will see our Canadian Rangers act as guides and winter specialist for both the Regular Force and Primary Reserve. I have recently approved each of the Provincial Detach-ment's training plans and budgets for next Fiscal Year, including the JCR’s and I can tell you that I am excited for what next year will bring. We have over 130 separate training events planned for next year and numerous op-portunities for each of you to get out and learn new skills while having an excellent time. I look forward to seeing everyone on the land, or here in Victoria. Until Next Time: "Tell the truth about what you see and what you do. There is an army depending on us for cor-rect information. You can lies all you please when you tell other folks about the Rangers, but don't never lie to a Ranger or Officer. – Standing Orders, Rogers Rangers – Major Robert Rogers - 1759

Well, it is that time again, and I am – as usual – past the due date for my submis-sion to our Newslet-ter Editor, Canadian Ranger, Stacy Par-sons. I keep telling myself that I need to get these dates into my "Outlook" cal-endar, so I can get regular reminders to keep me on track.

As I write this it is late January the colours of fall have been replaced by the drab grey colours of a Vancouver Island winter. I should not complain, as the balmy +8 degrees outside seems a whole lot better than the -20’s that most of the country is suffering through, even though the warmer temperatures usually come with a big helping of West Coast rain, but spring is right around the corner and there is always lots to do. When I think back over what has happened since the last time I had a chance to sit down to write, the largest thing that jumps out at me is the receiving of the Western Spirit DVD’s. Many of you should have already received a copy of this excellent product, and while it was a long time in coming, I am certainly very satisfied with the fin-ished product, which was very professionally done. We received 250 copies for the whole Group and I have di-rected that everyone who participated in Exercise West-ern Spirit should receive copies, including all those who conducted the Reces's and provided the support. As well, we are trying to keep some copies for public affairs items to be given out to VIP’s and community leaders. That being said, we have already identified that we do not have enough copies, but I will be getting a second batch produced in the new fiscal year to make up for that short fall. Please remember that we now have over 900 Cana-dian Rangers and 600 JCR’s within 4 CRPG so not eve-ryone who was not associated with the exercise will get one, but if you are interested in watching the production – and I hope you are, it can be viewed on our website at any time at http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/4crpg/archives/ews/documentary_en.asp [or Google “4 CRPG” and the link is at the top of the front page]. 4 CRPG continues to conduct outstanding training in each of the four western provinces, from individual patrol exercise to multi-patrol exercises and collective training events. We have had several Regular Force and Primary

CO’s CORNER LCol T.C Byers, MSM, CD

is a quarterly publication produced by 4 CRPG Headquarters with Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter issues. The Ranger is issued by author-

ity of the Commanding Officer of the 4th Canadian Patrol Group. Editor: Ranger Stacy Parsons, AB/SK Det Managing Editor: Capt Russ Meades, DCO 4 CRPG All submissions are gratefully received via the Chain of Command. The Managing Editor reserves the right, on be-half of the Commanding Officer, to include, omit, or other-wise alter submitted articles and other materials or parts thereof as deemed necessary and to edit for grammatical correctness, readability, technical accuracy, and good taste.

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Note from the Editor Happy New Year to all Staff and Rangers of 4 CRPG Ranger Parsons Although by the time you read this article the New Year will already be in full swing, I am writing for the first News Letter of 2011. As the fiscal year draws to a close at the end of March and the new one looms on the hori-zon, I think back over my short tenure so far as your edi-tor. This will be the third newsletter that I have worked on. I will admit that I was a little nervous about the idea of taking on this task; however, the CO and staff have assured me that they are pleased with my work so far. With that in mind, I look forward to having the opportu-nity to attend more Detachment exercises, enhancing my storytelling ability and meeting more Canadian Rangers.

In October, I had the opportunity to attend my first offi-cial training event as the editor. Ironically, that visit was to BC Detachment’s Basic Wilderness Survival Training (BWST). My very first exercise as a Canadian Ranger was also during wilderness survival training, held in Peace River, Alberta. So, as I write this I also look back and remember my own experience. October 2010 saw BC Det very busy with many multi-patrol exercises. Among these events was their BWST held at Windy Point, south of McKenzie, com-bined with an ATV mobility exercise starting at Vander-hoof.

BC Det’s field Headquarters during survival training near Windy Point, BC - October 2010

Hungry ATVer’s enjoy a break

4 CRPG HEADQUARTERS - Adjutant to Receive MMM Captain Shannon Wills, 4 CRPG’s Adjutant, will make a special trip to Ottawa in March 2011 to be inducted into the Order of Military Merit (ORMM) at the rank of Member. Capt Wills receives this award for her many years of singu-larly dedicated service to the Canadian Forces. 4 CRPG’s CO, LCol Tim Byers, announced the award at the head-quarters staff Christmas dinner in Victoria in December. Captain Wills started life in uniform in the Cadets in the early 1980’s and joined the Canadian Forces as a part-time soldier in 1986, serving initially as an MSE Operator (Driver). Her association with 4 CRPG began 1993 when she changed trades to Administrative Clerk and started helping the (then) “Canadian Rangers (Pacific)” as the Chief Clerk. By 1995, Capt Wills (then a Master Corporal) was employed out of trade as the unit’s sole stores person, supporting all of BC’s remote patrols as well as the instruc-tors and staff. Captain Wills was the top scoring candidate on every course she took from basic Training to her Senior Leaders Course. She was promoted to Sergeant in 1999 and returned to the position of Chief Clerk. She was promoted to War-rant Officer in 2001. Twice recommended for the Commis-sioning from the Ranks program (in 2002 and 2004), only a lack of officer positions in the unit denied her. In March 2003, Capt Wills formally transferred to 4 CRPG and be-came the Group Superintendant Chief Clerk (GSC). She was promoted to Master Warrant Officer that same year. In August 1999, the Chief of Land Staff (Army Com-mander) approved 4 CRPG’s new personnel structure and Capt Wills received her Commission and promotion to Captain in December of that year. A little-known fact about Capt Wills is that in addition to her impressive administrative talents, she is also an expert rifle shot. She attended the Canadian Forces Small Arms Competition (CFSAC) in Ottawa in 1989 and won the Queen’s Medal for Reserves and RCMP. She then went on to represent Canada as part of the Canadian Forces Shoot-ing Team at the international shooting competition in Bis-ley, England and personally won the Green Jackets Cham-pionship. She attended CFSAC again in 1994 with impres-sive results. Upon receiving her award from the Governor General, Capt Wills will be authorized to place the letters, MMM, after her name. Congratulations to Captain Wills on a job very well done!

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ence how difficult it can be to find someone lost in the woods from 500 feet or more above the tree canopy. After a charter flight from Vancouver and a bus ride from McKenzie, the trainees duly arrived at Windy Point, shepherded by WO O’Connor. Administration and safety briefings were followed by a late supper and a lecture on survival psychology, after which the troops were paired up for an early night under their issued ponchos in the bush nearby. Up before first light, the training day consisted of instruction on shelter building, snares & trapping, foraging, signal fires, bear aware-ness (including a live shotgun fa-miliarization range), and dis-patching and pre-paring animals for food. Early the next morning the candidates were searched for any contraband (i.e. extra food, cigarettes, and anything else deemed unnecessary by MWO Fozzard) and put into pairs with someone they didn’t know. They were then taken to twelve different sites to begin the task of setting up their survival areas. Rangers and staff visited the sites infrequently throughout the exercise to assess progress and offer helpful hints and advice on ways of improving the candidates’ camps. After a two-hour drive from Prince George, I arrived at the survival training headquarters on day two. It was a great experience to watch that group of Rangers together and see them share ideas among themselves while teach-ing others. The candidates clearly realized that Rangers are very unique and strong individuals with their own way of doing things. The “oh yeah’s” and “I never thought of doing that,” came from both soldiers and Rangers alike. The soldiers evidently understood that the Rangers have vast experience with many ways to survive and live in the wilderness and that it would be difficult to put into a day’s training what the Rangers had been doing all of their lives. Nevertheless, the emphasis was on the basics and each of the soldiers absorbed the necessary elements of the training. The interaction and vast pool of knowl-edge among the Rangers also brought them quickly to-

The mobility exercise was a carefully coordinated event led by Warrant Officer Patterson, which saw a large ATV convoy snake its way from Vanderhoof, pass near Fort St. James, and pause just long enough at the survival training location near McKenzie to eat and rest, before heading back. An excellent example of our Canadian Rangers dominating their Area of Operations (AO). The Commanding Officer (LCol Byers) and Group Sergeant Major (Chief Warrant Officer Ames) took part in the first two days of the ATV exercise, then they flew by helicopter to visit the survival training at Windy Point. BC’s five-day Basic Wilderness Survival Training ca-tered to 24 Regular Force and Primary Reserve soldiers from across the spectrum of Army trades. Ten carefully-selected Canadian Rangers provided the instruction and two Rangers assisted in a support role with logistics. The

training was commanded by Captain Meades, 4 CRPG’s Deputy Commanding Officer, who was assisted by BC Det’s Sergeant Major (Master Warrant Officer Fozzard), with Warrant Officer O’Connor providing instruction and co-ordination. Master Corporal Routledge ran the stores and all of the logistics. There were two CP (Command Post) locations; a main rear CP and a forward smaller CP ,which was important as this allowed for quick access to the students’ survival sites. A helicopter was also on call for emergencies and to provide air observation train-ing as background activity. The aircraft was a big hit with the Rangers who had the opportunity to fly and experi-

A blurry view from the helicopter of the CO, DCO and their guide on horse back.

Ranger Teresa Short teaches snaring to the troops

Rgr Cowan discusses tips with Cpls Wong & Goulitehenko

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One of the most important tips always provided by Rang-ers was the importance of keeping busy. The mind has a tendency to wander and focus on things that a person may not have worried about before. One of the male soldiers, who had significant experience being away from home, nevertheless admitted that even though he kept himself busy by collecting wood and foraging for edible plants, he found that with nothing to distract him and all the quiet time in the bush, he often thought of his little girl at home and could not wait to get back to see her. He real-ized just how much he missed her. A valuable personal lesson regarding the psychology of survival. In the after action report (AAR), many participants said they wished that the training could be extended with more stands and more depth over a longer period (two days of instruction instead of one). Some of the soldiers said they would have liked to see more information on how to bet-ter identify the best-burning wood, food identification (what they could and should not eat) and the best places to find the it, and how to identify such things as active squirrel areas. Perhaps they’ll have to return for the en-hanced training! By the end of the training, after three nights in a simu-lated survival situation, all participants had used the skills they’d learned to good effect and had a great time doing it. Many are very interested in returning for an advanced course, while a few others, though they were happy to have had the experience, just hoped they would never have to sleep on another pine bed. Thanks to the permanent staff of 4 CRPG’s BC Det and all of the Rangers from Mackenzie, Vanderhoof and other patrols who worked so well together to make this a great survival training event.

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gether to work as a team, sharing ideas, learning from one another and enjoying what they do. The element of surprise was a great starter on the morn-ing of the final exercise. Kit lists were previously issued with the joining instructions, so any items not on the list were taken away, after which the students were paired up with a stranger, which made any pre-planning useless. For one or two students, the training was some-thing of a refresher of previous experience and knowledge, but for most it was all entirely new. Tips from Rangers in-cluded using magnesium blocks to light fires, making trench fires, im-prove shelters, utilizing the reflective survival blankets in different ways - like putting them under the pine bough beds or overhead. There were tips on the different ways to use the wire saw and the best way to use it. Most were surprised to realize just how much firewood is actually needed for a night and the amount of pine boughs it takes to make a shelter. Many had never built a signal fire before, so tips on the best ways to en-sure that it lit fast, were very helpful. Other tips in-cluded, laying your kit out for easy access so you can find it in the dark, to learning about the lichen, roots and which mushrooms could (and perhaps more importantly can-not) be eaten. One particular soldier was very grateful in learning the most important use of moss when he real-ized he’d run out of toilet paper. All of the participants were found enjoying different tea’s made with rosehips, fungus, and spruce for flavor. No pink elephants were reported!

MCpl Scarisbrick and Ranger Kean in their newly-made home!

Rangers Krueger & Kris-tiansen demonstrate how to

building a signal fire

A sense of humour can be a great help!

BASIC WILDERNESS SURVIVALTRAINING BC Detachment (E-mail from Sgt Rob Backus, Seaforth Highlanders of Canada (Vancouver), to WO O’Connor of BC Det).

I just want to drop you a note to thank you and the Rangers for putting on a great a training session. I serve in a reserve infan-try regiment, Seaforth Highlanders, and have always been interested in this training. Like many people I have read the books/manuals and watched the TV shows and training DVDs, but I anticipated that it would not be the same in real time. Prior to this course I had never had any exposure to the Canadian Rangers. To be honest, most thought that it was just a bunch of northerner’s that cruised around on snow-mobiles with Lee-Enfield's, but had no idea how they fit in with the “Army”. Thanks to this course, I now under-stand and deeply appreciate the role that they fulfill. My comments for next time we do our Arctic training will include, “Where is our Ranger support?” The course/exercise that the group provided met all my expectations. The Rangers that taught us were knowl-edgeable in their crafts, and conveyed the material to us in a meaningful and respectful manner. After the training with them I was completely confident for the “survival/field” portion of the training. This is where my survival partner and myself really began to appreciate what effort is required for the multitude of tasks you need to con-sider, and the priority in which to begin your work. The support that the Rangers and CRPG staff provided throughout the training was excellent and the materials that we where given to work with were appropriate. Again, I would like to thank you and would like to attend other courses/training hosted by the CRPG as it is top rate. Best regards.

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EXERCISE “FEARLESS WOLVERINE” Manitoba Detachment By Rgr Wanda Huff On October 15 2010, 24 Junior Rangers from Snow Lake and Lynn Lake experienced a weekend of Basic Wilder-ness Survival on Exercise Fearless Wolverine, which was hosted by the Lynn Lake Canadian Rangers and held in the Lynn Lake area. The Lynn Lake Canadian Rangers had five skills stations set up for the JCRs to participate in as a quick refresher: improvised shelters, signal fire construction, tool handling and safety, food & water, and fire starting (from a flint). Upon completion of the stands, the JCR’s were divided into their survival teams, dropped off at their designated survival site and given their limited supplies. Each team were given an axe, a sealed bag of “scavenged” items and two tarps. Each JCR was issued half a military sleeping bag (either the inner or outer), a ration, a bottle of water and a sleeping mat. They also had their personal pack which was restricted to minimal kit. All JCRs started with the same equipment. Tarps and mats were provided as it was discovered that spruce boughs were quite limited in the area. Each JCR camp had a designated Canadian Ranger who built their own shelters within visual range; the Ranger was allowed to step in only when safety was compromised but instructed to remain invisible.

All exercise participants were given the scenario: they had been in a plane that had crash landed in the nearby lake, the items provided were all that they managed to scavenge from the crash site and surrounding area. Each team selected a leader who would assist them in prioritiz-ing their tasks and needs. Their “survival” commenced late Friday afternoon with a light rain and they would be “rescued” Sunday. By evening it was clear that the girls had taken the lead

Home, sweet home! It takes skill, experience, and common sense to make bush-living look this easy!

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with well established shelters, roaring fires and wood stocked for the night. The evening set in with a gorgeous sunset and a calm demeanour but some time during the night, that demeanour changed from a meditating guru to a grouchy old man with an icy cold rage. The wind was cold, damp, strong and unyielding, which accompanied a thin white blanket of snow on the moss by morning.

Needless to say the change in weather assisted the JCR’s in motivation towards their survival scenarios: sharpening their focus on starting a fire, collecting a LOT more wood and reinforcing their shelters. Before the weekend ar-rived, many JCR’s thought the days would be long and boring with no TV, computers, iPods or video games to pass the time; it was shortly discovered that time passed quickly when planning the rationing of food, water col-lection and purification, wood gathering for fire, rain/wind proofing the shelters, attempts at fishing, berry col-lecting, spear and weapon construction in hopes of small game hunting. The camps thrived and to be honest, I don’t know if they would’ve accomplished as much or learned what they did, if the weather would had remained as peaceful as it began. The JCR’s surprised themselves and impressed

Adult Committee members and Canadian Rangers alike. We witnessed great leadership skills, effective team work and successful and innovative problem solving. Overall, morale was quite positive and determined. The exercise was considered a great success and Snow Lake would like to accept the challenge of returning the favour and hosting another in our neck of the woods in 2011. Thank you Lynn Lake Canadian Rangers, you did a great job and provided the JCR’s with great role models and a future goal of what they can accomplish, if they try. A special thank you to Sgt Dennis Holmes, Lynn Lake’s Patrol Commander, for he and his fellow Rangers from Lynn Lake shouldered the heavy responsibility of ensur-ing the exercise’s success.

EXERCISE KAKWA FALLS Grande Cache Ranger Patrol AB/SK Detachment By Ranger Jim Savory

“Rangers - This is not an Exercise!” The Grande Cache Patrol of the Canadian Rangers had been eyeing the Kakwa Falls area for a possible Search and Rescue Exercise for some time and the Canadian Military decided that this fall was the best time to achieve their goals of an extended ATV excursion and a practice of Search and Rescue skills. First, a recce (scouting pa-trol) was needed to determine possible quad routes from Grande Cache to the Kakwa falls. Patrol Commander Rick Drummond had quaded to the Kakwa River from town, and sledded around the Falls area, but a route be-tween the two needed to be explored and mapped. In mid-October Rangers Jim Savory and Denis Grenier accompa-nied him on a Recce of the trails. We drove a truck up to the Kakwa area towing a trailer for the quads; it is a four to five hour trip by highway and dirt roads. We took off on the quads after setting up our “Great job guys/girls, you continue to make us proud!”

JCRs show off the results of their hard work.

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patrol at the Kakwa River. Much to the surprise of the all, ice dams had altered the nature and depth of various river and creek crossings. It was more challenging then weeks before and quads slid or got stuck a number of times. In fact, ice became a con-tinuous challenge the second half of the trip. Quads with trailers were winched slowly up icy slopes and quads slid and jack-knifed numerous times. It was dark when tired Rangers tackled the last icy stretch of the day’s journey. Quads slid down hills that were smooth with glare ice. Ranger Grioux slid sideways and caught an edge, instantly tumbling the quad on its side and throwing Gilles on to the unyielding ice. Our Patrol medic Ranger MacFadden was quickly on scene assess-ing and administering the injured comrade. Slowly and painfully Gilles was put on a quad and driven tenderly the remaining kilometers to Sherman Meadows for a STARS Air Ambulance pick-up. These actions were conducted exactly as briefed during orders. It just goes to show the need and value of planning! The quads lit up a landing site and all Rangers shared the tasks until our member was safely aboard the helicopter and whisked off to Grande Prairie and further medical care. Nearing midnight, the rest of the Patrol set up camp and determined that the Search and Rescue drill would not need to be performed the next day, as all rose to the occasion of the real thing.

Ranger Giroux had successful surgery on his broken col-larbone/ribs and returned to Grande Cache within days, while the rest of the Patrol had returned to town on the Sunday by trucks and trailers. It was a trying experience for all, but as Commander Drummond stated - all Rangers chipped in and performed professionally and competently as a team.

tent and headed down the trails. We soon discovered that crossing the swamps presented unique challenges that tested patience, equipment, and vocabularies! There were times when all three quads were stuck in the mud and we had to winch one before it could help the others out. The Rangers kept trying different trails and consulting maps until that decisive point where you are near the halfway mark of your gas and a choice to pro-ceed or return was needed. “Let’s push for town boys!” was the cry and push we did to make Grande Cache after a ten hour ride. We then returned the next day with an-other truck to the site of our unused tent! The Friday following Remembrance Day the Patrol con-vened at 5:30am at the Ranger hall and were joined by Warrant Officers Peters and McNicol, staff from the De-tachment HQ. Four “tub” trailers would be pulled by quads and driven or accompanied by Rangers Eric Dan-

denault, Lonnie Rae Preston, Dominic LaCroix, Mark MacFadden, Glen Phillips, Selena Hewitt, Gilles Grioux, and the three from the Recce. The first challenge arose quickly when a wheel rim was bent only an hour into the journey. Two Rangers made a speedy return to town and then joined with the rest of the

STARS Air Ambulance

Falls on the Kakwa River.

Rugged terrain: Negotiating the Kakwa river by ATV

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BIOGRAPHY – Capt R. A. (Russ) Meades Deputy Commanding Officer 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group

Captain Russ Meades was born in Abingdon (or “Abendun” as the Romans called it in AD 70) in the Royal County of Berkshire, England in June 1962. He was schooled at Tarelton and Penwortham in Lancashire. He joined the Territorial Army in London in July 1981 and in 1982 was posted to the 2nd Battalion the Wessex Regiment (Volunteers), which was then a resident air-mobile infantry unit of 5 Airborne Brigade (now 16 Air Assault Brigade). Captain Meades served primarily in 2 Wessex’s D and B Companies as a rifleman, machine-gunner, section 2i/c, section commander, platoon ser-geant, and acting Company Quartermaster Sergeant (CQMS). He served for a year as an instructor in the Bat-talion Training Wing and he was the acting Platoon Com-mander of 10 Platoon in 1989. He also qualified as an instructor in Small Arms, Physical Training, Unarmed Combat, and Mountaineering and served in Germany, France, Cyprus, and the U.S. His first trip to Canada was in 1988 to teach climbing to the British Army in Jasper, Alberta. He met his wife while on leave in Edmonton and immigration (and attach-ment to the Calgary Highlanders as a British soldier) fol-lowed in 1990. Captain Meades enrolled into the Cana-dian Forces and the Calgary Highlanders as a Warrant Officer in January 1991. As a Calgary Highlander, Capt Meades served as Train-ing Warrant Officer, Platoon Warrant Officer, Company Sergeant-Major and Quarter Master Sergeant Instructor (QMSI), before being appointed as Acting Regimental Sergeant Major in August 1996. He was confirmed as RSM and promoted to Chief Warrant Officer in February 1997. Highlights from his tenure as RSM included a pri-vate audience with Her Majesty the Queen at Bucking-ham Palace in May 1998 and being tasked as RSM of the Reserve Battle Group during the Land Forces Western Area (LFWA) exercise in Wainwright that same year.

In May 2000, Capt Meades received his commission and was promoted to Captain. He served for a year as a rifle platoon commander in the Calgary Highlanders, and then between 2001 and 2007 he commanded B Company, A Company, and HQ Company. He attended the Light In-fantry Company Commander Course in Valcartier in 2003 and the Militia Command and Staff Course in King-ston in 2004. Captain Meades also served full-time as the officer in charge of the LFWA Training Standards De-tachment for Alberta from 2004 to 2007. In July 2007 Capt Meades was selected as the full-time Operations Officer for the 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group (4 CRPG), headquartered in Victoria, British Co-lumbia. He was appointed Deputy Commanding Officer of 4 CRPG in May 2009 and shortly afterwards trans-ferred his Regimental affiliation from the Calgary High-landers to the Royal Westminster Regiment. He com-manded the 460-member British Columbia Detachment of 4 CRPG from April to November of 2010 while the incumbent was on UN duties in the Sudan. In his civilian capacity, Captain Meades graduated from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1994 with an Honours Diploma in Journalism, after which he was a legal editor with Carswell Publishing from 1994 to 1997. From 1997 he was a technical editor with Valmet, a global oil and gas automation company, and then ran the company’s Technical Publications Department from 2003 to 2004 when he accepted a full-time military position. Captain Meades is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He shoots well with practice, but plays guitar equally poorly whether he practices or not. His other pastimes include physical training, avoiding renovations, and attempting to keep his motorcycle upright. He is married to Melanie and they live north of Victoria with their two teenage sons, Jake and Brock.

The CO presents Capt Meades with his CD1 dur-ing survival training near McKenzie, Oct 2010

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WHO WANTS TO GO TO RESOLUTE? AB/SK Detachment By Ranger Ray Toews

Who wants to go to Resolute? Where the heck is Resolute - way up in the high arctic! Up went my hand, I'll go! Never one to pass on an adventure I didn't give it much thought. One of the big advantages to being in the Cana-dian Rangers is the opportunity to see and do things not available to most people. Orders received, kit list drawn, and it was off to the arctic for three weeks in Aug.

A little bit of research on the Internet gave info on what I was in for. Op Nanook is an annual sovereignty exercise conducted by the Canadian Forces. In 2009 it had been in Iqaluit and this year it was a combined exercise with the Canadian Coast Guard. Various units would go into the arctic to do their patrols and training, while the Coast Guard would conduct an exercise to clean up an oil spill. They are tasked with cleaning up "small" spills left by ships, while the Department of Environment is responsi-ble for the big spills if one should ever occur. Op Teller-utite was a simulated spill of 5000 liters of diesel fuel from a tanker which had run aground and the slick was heading for Resolute Bay.  

Our job would be to prevent it or clean it up. Arriving in Yellowknife the night before, the next morning I was on board a First Air ATR twin turboprop. Already things looked different, 18 seats at the back of the plane and the front half partitioned off for cargo gives one the idea that passenger-carrying is only part of the job up here. The City of Yellowknife is not much different than my home in Fort Vermilion. The trees are smaller and there are lots of rocks and water, but otherwise it felt pretty familiar. A couple of hours north of Yellowknife we

landed in Cambridge Bay. From 30,000 ft you can't see a whole lot of features other than there is a LOT of water in the north. Cambridge Bay is not like anything I have seen before. No trees, no grass... just gravel. This is why they call it the Barrens and we were only half way there! After taking on some fuel and swapping a few passengers we are off again, a couple of hours further north. As we flew in over the Northwest Passage I could visualize the explorers who had plied these waters. Resolute is on the southern tip of Cornwallis Island. I thought, “Just a cou-ple of islands and a bit of water and you are at the North Pole. You can almost see it from here.” Well, actually we were only half way to the pole, the north is BIG. Up to now I had been just another guy, albeit in a red hoody, but life had been normal, civilians all around us, flight attendants, etc. Getting off the plane I was met by four guys in CADPAT and there are green and yellow air-planes all over with lots of people in green uniforms. I thought, “I've landed in a war zone.” A whirlwind tour followed:. “Here's the bathrooms. Here's the mess tent. This is the tent you will be sleeping in and that is your cot. Get settled in and we eat in shifts, so don't miss it.” The four other guys are curiously looking at this “snow goose” that has been thrown in with them. They are from all over the north. The nearest from Pond Inlet, 400 Km away. There will be no walking home from here. The tents for us to live in were just that... tents, with wooden floors. And despite having a wonderfully effi-cient heater to keep us warm, it was difficult to sleep with 100 KPH winds beating and flapping the tent all night. A pair of ear plugs fixed that problem and the rest of the time I slept like a hibernating bear. I spent a couple of days hanging around getting the routine. I even get to do some duty time... Predator Patrol. There were a bunch of young reserve soldiers from To-ronto there, too, as camp security. They had weapons but no ammo. Only the Rangers were tasked with live ammo for bears, etc. The predator issue was taken very seriously, Polar Bears will enthusiastically hunt and eat us if given the opportu-nity. At first I have trouble taking it in until I asked some of the local Rangers and they told me they to NEVER go out on the land without a weapon, especially this time of year. In summer, the ice pack where the bears hunt is way offshore, but now the bears are on the land. There was nothing for them to eat here. Not a lot of seals on the is-land, so if you’re a really hungry bear, a guy in a green

August on the beach...the Arctic beach, that is!

CHURCHHILL REMEMBRANCE DAY Manitoba Detachment 10-12 November 2010 By Cpl Adrian Halpert When I was first informed that I would be going to Chur-chill to attend a Remembrance Day parade, I was very excited to experience the event in a new community, apart from my regular attendance at Minto Armory. How-ever, apart from the different locale, I really wasn’t ex-pecting very much other then a small-town atmosphere and a lot of snow on the ground. I was pleasantly sur-prised beyond my expectations to say the least. I met my trip mates at the airport in Winnipeg: Sgt Danny Gosselin (our Chief Clerk), Capt Sandra Heidel (who commands the Junior Canadian Ranger Det) and Capt Nicole Starks. Our trip got off to a very exciting start when we shared the plane ride up with George Stroum-boulopoulos, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Raine Maida. Al-

uniform will do, even one in a red hoody will fit the bill. After a few days the rest of the people straggled in. It didn’t take long to realize that even the military with all of their power and resources don't control timings here. We spent a good bit of our time waiting for equipment and personnel to arrive because it was fogged in some-where. Even the Prime Minister had to wait it out. The first day we were given a lecture on cold water sur-vival. If you fall in without a life jacket the first problem you have is getting your breath back and then you have 4 or 5 minutes before you muscles quit working and then you drown. With a PFD you can live for about an hour before serious hypothermia sets in. Hopefully someone has pulled your shivering body out before then. The water temp here is -3C. After the usual delicious lunch it was down to the beach to check out the spill kit. The Coast Guard was being very

proactive and was sighting a couple of sea cans of spill equipment in each community. Interesting equip-ment...not something I see a lot on the Alberta prairies, but definitely will do the job. It has come a long way and many lessons have been learned since the Exon Valdez spill disaster. The principle is simple: use a small boat to drag a floating boom around the oil slick, then use absorbing mats or skimmers to pick up the oil and dispose of it. There was a bit of equipment to learn about, but it was not compli-cated and the kit was very complete. We practiced setting up pumps to wash oil off the beach back into the boom enclosure and then deployed the skimmers to pick up the oil. An interesting fact: when the Exon Valdez clean-up was done in Alaska, some of the beaches were cleaned with steamers. Now, twenty years later, those beaches are sterile, but the ones not steam-cleaned have recovered. After a week of lectures and beach exercise a new excite-

ment was spreading through camp: : “The brass is com-ing.” The really bright brass, as it turned out. First the Chief of Defence Staff shows up, and then the Minister of National Defence (we all have our picture taken with him). It seems everybody wants their picture taken with the guys in the red hoodies. Then the “big guy” himself shows up. We set up a dem-onstration for the Prime Minister and are treated to a flyby of a couple of our CF 18's accompanied by a tanker, not something you see every day. As a pilot I am con-scious of how far from home those guys are in a single seat fighter. My closing sentiment: The rest of the world pay attention. This up here is ours and we are very capa-

Ranger Ray Toews from Fort Vermilion, AB with4 CRPG with Prime Minister

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tended with readings of stories, poems and prayers. To-wards the end of the ceremony, the wreaths were carried up to the front one-by-one with a Canadian Ranger ac-companying a Junior Canadian Ranger with each one. Despite the weather, the staff and Rangers accompanied the RCMP in marching to the cenotaph to show our re-spect. All-in-all, the parade itself was a great experience and it was great to see everyone come out to pay their respects. Although it was my first and only trip to Churchill so far, it was one that definitely secured its position in my mind. This is a community I will definitely be looking forward to visiting in the future.

though we didn’t really talk to them on the flight, or were even sure that it was them at that point, the thought of local celebrities heading to the same local as us peaked our interest.

The first day we did a lot of site-seeing with

the overall theme being Capt Heidels’ quest to finally find a polar bear. It was her

third trip up to Churchill and she had yet to spot one. Things were looking bleak again this trip, as we were told

by most that they might not be seen yet due to the mild weather. Hopes for a sighting began to run low. That is

until we drove up to Brian’s land and spotted a white sil-houette in the distance. We were greeted hospitably and

allowed to drive our little SUV, which most definitely did not boast all the safety features of the Tundra Buggies, up for a closer look. The passangers were filled with excite-ment as we all snapped countless pictures. The comments started with, “Wow. That’s a big bear,” coming from Sgt Gosselin, and “Come here, boy” and whistles from Capt Heidel to coax the bear closer, to “It’s coming too close,

roll the windows up quickly!” coming from myself.

We must have sat there for over an hour taking pictures before we finally decided to move on and do more sight-seeing during which we ran into George and Chantal and got to talk to them a little bit and of course confirmed that it was in fact them and not our imagination running wild.

The next day it was time to get down to business and ac-complish the task we had come for. Fully attired in our dress uniform, we all made our way down to the Legion for the parade. With what looked like a blizzard of snow-fall and winds, I couldn’t help but think that this is the weather I was expecting, rather then the warmth of the previous day. The parade itself was very well organized and had high attendance of Canadian Rangers and Junior Canadian Rangers, as well as community members. It followed a similar fashion to previous parades I had at-

A hungry bear: Don’t let that casual, cuddly look fool you!

Cpl Halpert and George Stroumboulopoulos

Churchill gathers for the 2010 Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Legion

See page 19...See page 19...

Did you know...

One general rule for axe usage is: “the smaller the axe, the easier it is to injure yourself”? The reason for this is that most people use axes in a standing position. With a shorter axe it is easier to strike the leg if the target is missed during the swing, especially if you’re tired or during poor light condi-tions. One way to avoid such an injury when using a shorter axe is to simply kneel down. The axe is then more likely to strike the ground rather than your shin or foot. If using a chopping block to split kindling, place the piece of wood to be split on the far side of the block. If the axe misses the target, it will hit the block instead swinging towards your leg. A smaller axe is more easily packed in a rucksack and can be used with one or both hands, so it is often preferred in the bush, but using this tool also requires more care.

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BASIC WILDERNESS SURVIVAL TRAINING High Level Patrol AB/SK Det WO Mike Gilliard Rangers from the High Level Patrol conducted another successful Basic Wilderness Survival Training (BWST event 23 to 29 Nov, 2010. The Patrol planned and exe-cuted the training, which saw 30 Soldiers from the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) LdSH and 4 sol-diers from Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR) travel eight hours by bus from Edmonton to High Level. The survival experience started at 2000 hrs on the Thurs-day night with the AB/SK Detachment DSM meeting the soldiers to ensure all was well at the Edmonton end. The group travelled all night and arrived in High Level at 0530 hrs on Friday morning, where they were met by Rangers Bonnie Williams and Walden Crisosomos. About 30 minutes later they were at the bus rendezvous location where they were met by the Patrol Commander Kenton Kameinickie. After a quick welcome and brief-ing, all participants were loaded into trucks and moved the last 6 km to the Survival teaching area. The group much appreciated the fire and coffee that was waiting for them. Since it was still dark, and would be for about another hour, the Rangers had the opportunity to mingle and learn a bit about the Soldiers and what they do. At dawn, after a safety briefing from me, the participants were ready to be turned over to the Patrol for the instruc-tional phase of their BWST. Each of the stands had an experienced Ranger doing most of the instruction, with the assistance of one or two other Rangers. Taking the lessons learned from previous survival train-ing, the Rangers did a fine job passing on the required material, without fire hosing their years of experience down the Soldier’s throats. Demonstrations on how to create the frame work for the lean-to, examples of emergency shelters, showing what different trees look like in their natural environment, how to select good firewood without chopping, three methods of fire starting and of course, rescue signals were all part of the two hours of basic knowledge passed on to the Troops. Finally, it was time to get the participants out to their Sur-vival camps. Loading and safely transporting 34 people out to their areas, is not as easy as it may sound. Again,

under the guidance of the Ptl Comd and the Ptl 2i/c, phase two was completed in about an hour and a half. Now it was time to see what the groups had learned. They were left on their own to select their survival area and begin the task of setting up and collecting firewood.

Four hours later, six Rangers would head out and see how the students were progressing, fully prepared to move any sites that had may have been poorly located by the stu-dents to a more suitable location. Upon return to the main camp, I was informed, that all but one of the 17 sites vis-ited were fine. With a quick trip out to the site in question I decided that they would be fine for the evening, and that the next day they could be dealt with. For the remainder of that evening and into the night the Rangers would Pa-trol the route along the sites to ensure personnel and fire safety.

In this weather, fire lighting skills are a priority!

All that effort pays off...Dry and warm (ish).

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Saturday morning came early for a few tired Rangers, but it was time to go out, check on the camps and get them going on building their tepee signal stand, putting out snares and of course moving the one camp. Four hours later we were all back at main camp, and the soldiers would be left to their own comfort or distress, depending on the effort they put into their camp. The remainder of the day would see the Rangers patrol the route along the camps again. One more trip by me to check on snares and progress of the signal stands and comments from “enjoyment, to “when are we done?” would be the norm. It was apparent that the info passed on by the Rangers was heeded. A few shelters were very comfortable looking, with lots of pine boughs for a bed. Others were a little lean……maybe they were trying to put the “lean” in the word “lean-to”. Early Sunday morning everyone headed out to the sur-vival areas to await the aircraft that would conduct the search. Once the Soldiers heard the airplane, they had to run to their fire signal stand, light the signal fire and see if the smoke would soar above the tree tops to alert the res-cue plane. Only a couple signal stands did not have the tinder and pine boughs required to create a fire hot enough to force the smoke above the trees. Now it was time to gather in all the troops, get them back to the bus and into High Level. Once back in High Level everyone enjoyed a hot break-fast put on by the Boys Basketball team of the High Level Public School. Many thanks and much praise goes out to the coach of the team and to the Principal Mr. Scott Leys for all their help and support. Having community support, which we enjoy in High Level, is vital to the success of the Ranger Patrol.

REFLECTIONS ON AFGHANISTAN MANITOBA DETACHMENT By Sgt Dave Gibson, Det CQMS Afghanistan has been much in the news lately with the changing of our role and relocation from KAF (Kandahar Air Field) to Kabul, and it caused me to reflect about my experiences there. I was stationed in KAF from Febru-ary to September 2008 with the Na-tional Support Element. I looked after the warehousing and replacement of weapons and STANO (Surveillance, Targeting and Night Observation) devices that were dam-aged in operations. When I first arrived, we were under rocket attack almost every night with between two to five rockets in or near the base. Luckily no Canadians were injured during this time, even though one landed in the area where our com-bat units had their supply stores located. The closest hit to my sleeping quarters was in the French military com-pound a 100 meters down the road while I was on leave. Unfortunately, I heard that there were fatal injuries from that missile. The force responsible for KAF protection finally tracked the group launching the rockets and the attacks ceased for a few weeks until another group was sent into the area by Al-Queda and it started all over again. All military personnel carried weapons inside KAF so I was quite surprised to hear on the news that they ac-tually attacked the base with individuals one day last year - very much a suicide mission. There were three mess halls to choose from every day. Every one had the same standard fare in one serving line, a short order line (hamburgers and such), a self-serve sandwich area and a specialty line. The closest to our quarters and supply compound where I worked was the Cambridge. Its specialty was British curry, the Niagara was American fast food and the Luxemburg was Mediter-ranean pastas, etc. All were run by the same company and the food then was palatable. At least ,I always found something to eat. A friend who was there during my de-ployment, returned for a second contract with the Cana-dian Forces Personnel Support Agency, said that the food got much worse.

SGT Dave Gibson in KAF

Glad to have survived! Alberta Rangers, LdSH and CSOR troops at “end ex”.

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The National Support Element was made up of Supply, Transport, Maintenance, and Force Protection. Everyone, except Force Protection, lived in the BATs (Big A** Tents). The BATs were huge. Supply & Transport were in one, with Maintenance in another. We lived with up to four of us in an open roofed cement brick wall cubicle about ten feet long and eight feet wide. They were built into the tent, four rows across and a dozen or so cubicles long, with two rows facing each across a hallway. The open doorways were hung with a blanket for privacy. Each cubicle held two steel frame bunk beds and two school type narrow six foot lockers. The rest of our barrack boxes and kit had to be shoe-horned in. The toilets and showers were lo-cated in special tent units in front of the BATs. These were later replaced by sea container type units which were always breaking down and not been kept clean by the janitors. The Boardwalk was a large four-sided covered walkway that had a number of small take-out food businesses like Tim Horton’s and Burger King (until it burned down shortly after we arrived). There was also carpet, jewellery and souvenir stores. Inside the board-walk was a floor hockey rink and beach volleyball courts. Behind the Boardwalk was a sit-down restaurant (expensive and basi-cally the same food we got for free at the military kitchens) and a European duty-free shop. For shopping the Americans ran a large AAFES store near the hospital, we had a small store inside Canada House and the British had their NAAFI store a short walk from our BATs. We were allowed to shop at all three and the AAFES had everything from chocolate bars to TV’s. For entertainment, there were movies at Canada House and each country brought shows to the Boardwalk. While I was there, the band Blue Rodeo put on a show as part of

My living space

Local area

Canada’s contribution. The Toronto Maple Leafs also escorted the Stanley Cup and the Saskatchewan Rough-riders escorted the Grey Cup to KAF during my tour. Canada, the UK, and the US had gyms available to keep fit. To keep in touch with home we had special Canadian-only trailers with computer internet/video access and tele-phones. Each person was given a number of minutes every week to use these facilities. Everyone received leave during their tour and had the choice to go home to Canada, or vacation somewhere else in the world as long as they were willing to pay the extra cost over their al-lowed amount.

We worked out of office tents about twenty-five feet long and fifteen feet wide that looked like Quonset huts. At least they had wooden floors. All our supplies were stored in sea containers. Poisonous snakes lived under the sea containers and hunted the mice who had the run of the place. If someone fed the cats they weren’t hungry enough to eat the mice. Luckily we didn’t have any scor-pions or camel spiders in our area that I saw! The tem-peratures ranged from overnight lows just above freezing in February to highs of 55 degrees Celsius in August. And don’t forget the sandstorms – just like in the movies. By the time my tour was finished, KAF was being dou-bled in size with new areas being cordoned off to the north and south of the old base fence line. The worst duty to perform was the ramp ceremony, as it meant that Canada or one of our NATO allies had lost another soldier. I attended an American ramp ceremony where five members of one unit, including their Com-manding Officer, were returned home. The flag draped coffins never seemed to end. Overall I enjoyed the challenges of the deployment and I am glad I volunteered to go to Afghanistan. But it was nice to finally come home.

BAT

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when used today may lend to confusion as it really no longer exists as a Canadian Forces Unit and really does not represent who we are. The correct reference to the collective Manitoba Detachment is “The Canadian Rang-ers in Manitoba” or the “Manitoba Canadian Rangers”. If you are interested in our military history this is where I Canadian Forces Publication - A-AD-267-000/AF-003 3-2-59/3-2-60

MANITOBA RANGERS, A SHORT HISTORY LESSON Manitoba Detachment By WO Wade Jones Now, I am sure that we have all used the term Manitoba Rangers to refer to our patrols in Manitoba and it may surprise you but it is really not the correct terminology. The term Rangers have been associated with the militar-ies around the British Commonwealth since the 17th cen-tury and, like today, refer to an elite group of soldiers with unique skills. Manitoba Rangers go back to 1911 and Canadian Rangers in Manitoba have only been around since 2001. Here is who the Manitoba Rangers really were/are: The Manitoba Rangers were originally raised as the “99 th Regiment” on April 1st 1908. The designation became the “99th Regiment of Rifles” in 1910 and the “99 th Manitoba Rangers” on May 1st, 1911. Elements of the 99th Manitoba Rangers were placed on active service on 6 August 1914 for local protection duties in and around Brandon, Manitoba. During the First World War, the regiment provided 186 volunteers to the 8th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) when it was formed at Camp Valcartier, Quebec. It later provided volunteers to the 45th Battalion CEF, the 79th "Overseas" Battalion” CEF, and the 181st

“Overseas" Battalion CEF. All embarked for Britain be-tween April 1916 and April 1917. In the post-war reor-ganization of the Canadian Militia, the regiment was re-duced and designated as the 1st Battalion, “Manitoba Rangers” (45th Battalion CEF). On 12 March 1920 it was once again re-designated “The Manitoba Rangers”. The Manitoba Rangers were disbanded for the purpose of re-organization on 1 December 1922 and reorganized the same day (GO 33/23). Badges were procured circa 1925 without authorization and this pattern being worn until officially sanctioned badges were authorized under Gen-eral Order 15 of 1931. On 15 December 1936, The Mani-toba Rangers were converted to an artillery unit and amalgamated with the “59th Field Battery”, RCA and re-designated the “26th Field Brigade, RCA”. It was re-designated: 26th (Reserve) Field Brigade on 7 November 1940; 26th (Reserve) Field Regiment on 1 April 1943; 26th Field Regiment (Self-Propelled), RCA on 1 April 1946; 26th Field Artillery Regiment (Self-Propelled), RCA on 12 April 1960; and 26th Field Artillery Regi-ment, RCA on 1 November 1964. It remains the latter and is headquartered in Brandon, Manitoba. So, as you can see by the lineage history of the 26th Field Artillery Regiment, RCA the name “Manitoba Rangers”

Did you know… The original standard weapon of the Canadian Rangers (or the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers” (PCMR) as they were first known back in 1942) was the Winchester Model 94 lever action carbine? Other weapons were issued, includ-ing some Marlins, but none in the numbers of the Win-chester. The issued rifle was chambered in .30 WCF (Winchester Center Fire), or .30-30 Winchester as the cartridge is com-monly known today. It came with a military sling and swivels, sported a 20-inch round barrel, a straight walnut stock and was marked on the receiver, fore end and stock with the famous Canadian military “C-Broad Arrow”. Good quality examples of this classic rifle today fetch around $1,000 or more on the open market.

Winchester Model 1894 PCMR Carbine.

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In 1984 he was posted to 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron in Calgary, Al-berta. His duties included Squadron Training NCO and he conducted several QL4 Radio Operator courses. During 1988 and 1989, he attended French language train-ing at CFB Esquimalt, after which he was posted to NATO Integrated Communications System (Canadian Component) in Carp, Ontario. During this posting he completed several advanced communications courses at the NATO Communi-cations School in Latina, Italy. The summer of 1991 saw a posting back to CFSCE, CFB Kingston, this time as the first Army Troop Warranty Offi-cer of Alpha Squadron. His instructional responsibilities included tactical radio communications, frequency manage-ment and radio propagation for Communication and Elec-tronics Officer’s courses, YOTC courses and QL6A/B Ra-dio Operator courses. In 1993 he was posted to 748 (Nanaimo) Communication Squadron as the Regular Forces Support Warrant Officer. In 1995 he was tasked as the Federal Communication Cen-tre Coordinator for the 15th Commonwealth Games held in Victoria, BC. In 1997 he was assigned as the DND Infor-mation Technology Coordinator for the Asian-Pacific Con-ference (APEC 97), in Vancouver. In September of 1997, upon his retirement from the Regu-lar Force, he transferred back to the Primary Reserve and continued to serve as the Squadron Operations Warrant Officer. During the fall of 1999 and the spring of 2000 he was assigned as the Site Commander for Northern West Coast Islands under OPERATION ABACUS.

In 2003 he completed a NATO tour with SFOR Multina-tional Brigade (NW) in Banja Luka, Bosnia. In 2004 he was appointed Squadron Sergeant Major of 748 Communi-cation Squadron. After 5 months of workup training in 2005 in Wainwright and Edmonton Alberta with 1 Cana-dian Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron, he completed a 9-month tour of duty in Afghanistan (TFA 1-06) during 2006. Upon his return from Afghanistan, he was employed by 74 Communication Group Headquarters, Victoria as the Group Recruiter. In April 2010 he joined the 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group’s BC Detachment as a Canadian Ranger Instructor. He is married to Deborah Lee. They have two daughters, Tanya and Sky, and two sons, Paul and Nikolas. Together they lovingly tend to their home and gardens and spend as much time as possible with their six grand-daughters.

BIO WO EDWIN JOSEPH PEETERS, CD Ranger Instructor BC Detachment Born in Antwerp, Belgium in 1951, WO Peeters immigrated to Canada with his parents in 1952. His childhood and high school years were spent in vari-ous communities in the Mont-real area. At the age of 15 (Apr 29, 1967), he enrolled in the Canadian Forces Reserve with 15th Inde-pendent Signal Squadron, (now known as 712 (Montreal) Communication Squadron). His basic and trades training courses were completed at CFBs Montreal, Kingston and Valcartier. His primary trade was Radio Operator; however, in those days it was permissi-ble to qualify in more than one trade, and so he also com-pleted Lineman and Administrative Clerk training. He completed years of Class B employment at 71 Communi-cation Group Headquarters in St Hubert, Quebec, and in 1969 had the opportunity to serve with the Canadian Forces Communication Command Squadron in Lahr, Germany. In 1973 he moved to Windsor, Ontario to advance his secondary education at St. Clair College. As there was no Signals unit in Windsor, he transferred to the Windsor Regiment (RCAC) where he completed Armoured Crew-man training under the guidance of 8th Canadian Hussars at CFB Petawawa. In 1975 he moved to St John, New Brunswick where he transferred to 3rd Field Regiment (RCA) and completed an Artilleryman (Gunner) course at CFB Gagetown. In 1977 he transferred to the Regular Force in the Radio Operator trade. His first posting was to 1st Canadian Signal Regiment in Kingston Ontario where he served with each of Alpha, Bravo and Kilo Troops of 1 Squadron. He was quickly promoted and in 1979 was posted to the Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electrical Engineering (CFSCEE), later to be renamed Canadian Forces School of Communications and Electronics (CFSCE). He was initially assigned as a QL3 instructor and later advanced to instructing QL5 Radio Operators. In 1981 he completed a six-month tour with the United Nations on the Israeli-Syrian border (UNDOF) as the de-tachment commander at Quebec House, Quinatra, Syria.

“ACTIVITY REPORT” JCR's in Sandspit, QCI 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group By Sgt Mark J. Nussbaumer The Sandspit Junior Canadian Rangers (JCRs) have been quite busy in the last couple of months. Sandspit and Masset JCR spent the Thanksgiving week-end having a campout that led to clearing many fallen trees off the road to the campsite. This task was met with good spirits considering the big job.

The JCRs have run the movies in Sandspit for the last year. They’ve run bout 12 movie nights, which has given them experience in responsibility and as cashiers. On November 10th we picked three JCR’S and sent them to Prince Rupert to help out in the parade there for Re-membrance Day and 6 kids stayed behind so there would be JCR’S in the parade for Sandspit. On December 3rd, we met at the community hall and decorated the Christmas tree. This is always fun to do with the kids. The cedar boughs and the mistletoe over

the door looked quite festive. On December 19th we served brunch with Santa, which was well tended by almost 70 parents and kids waiting patiently for Santa to make his presence (which he did for two sittings). This was another one of those things we did that taught the JCRs planning and doing things for others. The day was very long, but quite successful. Thanks to the Gwaii Trust for the funding to put this on. December 30th was the last movie of the year which was Alpha and Omega. After cleaning up from this movie, we had our Christmas party (a little late, but we were too busy before Christmas), followed by a sleep-over in the hall. A fun and late night was had by all. On January 9th the JCR’S met at the community hall early in the afternoon and took down all of the Christmas deco-rations, took some of our JCR gear to our storage area and prepared for the Christmas tree burn which happened that evening. The JCR’S donated and cooked the hotdogs and hot chocolate for the Christmas tree burn. Thank you to the fire department for hosting the burn.

Santa does a “little” recruiting.

Sandspit JCRs get down to business...eating!

Waiting for Santa to make a special appearance.

WO Peeters has currently completed more than 43 years of service to Canada and the Canadian Forces.

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Grohmann DH Russell No. 4S Ranger Survival Knife

• Custom made in Canada for the 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group.

• 5 1/2” heavy-duty stainless blade, laser etched with Canadian Ranger crest. Total length: 10 5/16”.

• Rosewood handle with lanyard. Fully enclosed, heavy-duty leather military sheath with extra pouch for sharpening steel. Heavy-duty stitching. Brass clasp. 2” belt loop.

• Chrome-Vanadium sharpening steel from Solingen, Germany.

• Retail price for this custom set-up would be: $142.00.

• Ranger price: $85.00, plus $10:00 shipping per knife.

• Multiple orders accepted.

• All proceeds to 4 CRPG’s Non Public Fund to directly support 4 CRPG Canadian Rangers and staff.

Payment required up front. Do not send cash. Send cheque or money order payable to “4 CRPG NPF” to: Fin NCO, 4 CRPG HQ, Box 17000 Stn Forces, Victoria, BC V9A 7N2

NOTE: HQ will place the order at the end of April, so hurry with your payment. Once the knives are re-ceived from Grohmann, HQ will ship yours to you. Cheques MUST be cleared before orders are placed.

NEW RANGER SURVIVAL KNIFE FOR SALE

Grohmann DH Russell No. 4S Ranger Survival KnifeGrohmann DH Russell No. 4S Ranger Survival KnifeGrohmann DH Russell No. 4S Ranger Survival Knife