Hi Norm
Wanted to let you know our first Leopard arrived yesterday, watched it
offload here in Afghanistan. All I can say is "awesome"
Lorraine Mead- Robichaud
CFPSA
From: "Norman Ashton" <norm_ashton(a)rogers.com>
Reply-To: rcd-association(a)rootsweb.com
To: "RCD-ASSOCIATION-L(a)rootsweb." <RCD-ASSOCIATION-L(a)rootsweb.com>
Subject: [DragNet] Message from Strathconas E-News re tanks to Afghanistan
Date: Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:43:43 -0400
Hello Fellow Dragoons,
I thought that the following message from the Colonel of the Regiment of
the
Strathconas would be of interest to our membership since it updates us on
their task of readying a tank squadron for Afghanistan.
Norm Ashton
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A NOTE FROM THE COLONEL OF THE REGIMENT
Fellow Strathconas
By now you will have seen or heard the news reports of 15 tanks being
deployed with our forces in Afghanistan and I thought I should let you all
know what is going on in the Regiment.
I recently visited the Regiment in Wainwright where, with my usual
impeccable sense of timing, I arrived at 2130 hrs Sunday, 3 Sep, about 12
hours before the CO, LCol Pascal Demers, received a phone call which should
put us on a path that will put "Armoured" back into the Armoured Corps.
To that point the Regiment had been tasked with training a tank squadron to
fill a role in a second level (standby in our terms) battle group led by 1
R22eR. The call advised that LGen Andrew Leslie, Chief of Land Staff,
wanted
a tank sqn ready to move to Afghanistan in as little as two weeks time.
Fortunately B Sqn, commanded by Maj Trevor Gosselin, was already launched
into an intensive training program and had, in a compressed period of time,
reached the troop live day battle run stage. Needless to say, training
intensified.
When I left on Sunday, 10 Sep, the sqn was moving into its tactical
training
phase with support coming from a troop of guns, armoured engineers, and a
half coy of PPCLI. You have to be impressed with the way in which every
staff agency and unit jumped in to help. Ammunition, add-on armour, and
spare parts started to move like I've never experienced before. Egos
disappeared immediately and the goal at all levels was to get B Sqn ready
to
move - likely by C-17s and C-5s.
Concurrent with this was the preparation to move the troops with all the
administration that entails - medical & dental checks, passport processing
and myriad other activities, all in the field. The attitude of the troops
toward this was absolutely terrific, even when told there was a possibility
that some may not even get one day's leave before departure and that the
length of the tour was anywhere from 6 to 11 months. I spent a lot of time
talking with these young men and women and the only depression I
encountered
was with those who would not make the cut for this rotation, myself
included
of course.
Concurrent with this activity, staff action was going on to meet LGen
Leslie's other direction - all of the Leopards are to be moved to Edmonton
and the Strathconas are to become a three tank sqn regt. Once again
everyone
involved jumped in to help.
This is the best thing to happen to the Strathconas since we got the Leos.
I
believe we now have an Army Commander who is going to bring back the tank
and we should do everything possible to support him. I hope the Armoured
Corps will not look on the Strathconas as "the chosen flock" to be envied.
Time and location worked to our favour but this is recognition at last that
peace making requires tanks and future commitments to this cannot be met by
one regiment of tanks. It will take time to get a replacement for the
1977/78 vintage Leos - yes the hull is that old - so that we can equip more
than one regiment. In the interim it will take infusions of personnel from
the whole Corps for the Strathconas to maintain the rotation requirements
if
this goes on as long as I think it will. Working together we will end up
with a stronger, better equipped Corps.
I want to say something to the members of the "extended Strathcona family"
about the soldiers that I lived with in the field in Wainwright.
Yes, Regimental life is very different from what we in the "older
generations" experienced and social attitudes are even more different, but
that is where the differences end. The Strathcona soldiers in Wainwright
reacted to these events with the highest levels of professionalism and
enthusiasm and I felt very much at home with them, just as I did with
soldiers of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The WOs and NCOs (OK, NCMs) were doing
exactly what I would have expected and the officers, including a junior
officer with less than 10 days with the Regiment, were as professional as
we
who preceded them ever thought we were. We have a great Regiment - let's
support these troops to the best of our abilities.
The first draft of B Sqn is scheduled to leave around 26 Sep and I plan to
be in Edmonton to see them off. On behalf of all Strathconas I will express
the pride we feel in all of them and our hopes for a safe return from this
very dangerous mission.
Perseverance
John
Colonel John E. Roderick CD (Retd)
Colonel of the Regiment
Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians)
_______________________________________________
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