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
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>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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