MEMORIES FROM LAST YEAR

Click on the images below to see videos from Reunion Weekend 2008!!!

In this Issue 40:

REUNION WEEKEND 2009 – Schedule of Events;
THE BIRCHALL PAVILION PROJECT – Another Perspective;
Wall of Honour – A Special New Addition to the College;
College Top Brass Meet Community and Academic Leaders;
“I’m on Send, You’re on Receive” & Running in Memory of Mic;
Paladin Hockey Cadet at CISM “Golf” Selection Camp & VARSITY SPORTS UPDATE;
Top 4 – Fall Semester / Team RMC Place 3rd in Superwalk for Parkinson’s;
Ex Cadets, Professors, and Staff in the News;
Where Are They Now? & Chinook Pilot Returns;
Kelly Lupton: Physical Education Manager Q & A;
HMCS WALLACEBURG CREW DROPPED BY RMC FOR TEA;
Des élèves-officiers du CMRSJ à bord HMCS Ville de Québec & RMCC Comdt Visits RMCSJ;
CMRSJ et la Course de l’armée; and
Deaths | Décès

Schedule of events for this weekend

Thursday 1 Oct 1830 hrs – Legacy Dinner.  Just a handful of tickets left – Contact Panet House Office to be placed on a waiting list. List will close Tuesday at noon Kingston time.  Final notifications will be sent out end of business on Tuesday.  Silent Auction Info. Make a bid now!

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IV Years – “Obstacle Course ready!“ Photos by 25275 Julia Anderson

Four photos were taken last friday when the IV years checked out the 2009 obstacle course.  “Ready to go”, exclaimed the class of 2010. (click photos for better viewing)

- Obstacle Course and coin presentation 2nd Oct 1430-1630.  please arrive NLT 1415 .

- Badging Parade 3rd Oct 1030 – 1200. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held in the Field House of the Kingston Military Community Sports Centre. Please be seated NLT 10:15.

- Inauguration of the Birchall Pavilion and the Wall of Honour, 1330 – 1500. Please arrive NLT 1320.

- Memorial Service at the Arch 4th Oct 1100,  followed by the presentation of the Captain Nichola Goddard and Captain Matthew Dawe memorial swords on the parade square. Please arrive at the Arch NLT 1050

- Vintage Wings of Canada will conduct fly pasts (weather permitting) at approximately 1100 on Oct 3rd and 4th with Hawk One, an F-86 Saber Jet, and three Second World War aircraft. Hawk One will arrive at the Kingston Airport on 2nd Oct between 1130 – 1230. All are welcome to attend.

For all events parking is available at the Kingston Military Community Sports Centre located across RMC and Highway 2 or in the main parking area in front of the Sawyer building.

Last week we presented a perspective on the Birchall pavilion from the Director of Athletics, Darren Cates. He was kind enough to share his feelings and memories from “his perspective” – which is understandably geared towards that of a sports administrator working hard to improve the sports facilities under his charge.

In this edition, we have  the insight from the Adjutant of the Old Brigade, 3918 A.K. (Al) Roberts another of the initiators.  In this installment he recalls the early days in the process to get the project off the ground up to and including crucial input from the Class of 1966 under the leadership of  7076 John van Haastrecht.

Other interested parties are invited to submit  further inputs from yet other perspectives.

Next week we will cover the official opening ceremonies and hopefully more.

THE BIRCHALL PAVILION PROJECT

by 3918 AK (Al) Roberts (RMC 1957)

BACKGROUND

In early 2004, shortly after taking over as Adjutant of the Old Brigade, I was approached by 13731 Steve France, then Executive Vice-President of the Foundation, who suggested that the Old Brigade twin with the Class of 2004 to jointly present a gift to the College. This idea came about because the Commandant, S133 BGen Jean Leclerc, had limited the amount of money that the Class of 2004 could donate to their leaving gift to $12,000 or so. Both the Class of 2004 and Steve felt that nothing very substantial could be done with such a small sum. So, Steve had the idea of asking the Old Brigade to raise a matching $12,000 while leaving the Class of 2004 to decide what the $24,000 gift would be and to procure it. Since the Commandant had final approval over such gifts there was no danger that the money would be squandered in an inappropriate way. I then wrote a letter to all members of the Old Brigade explaining the proposal and the response was instantaneous and tremendous: well over $30,000 was raised over a short period of time! It is worthy of note that the Old Brigade had not undertaken any fund raising on its own for a number of years prior to this effort.

Meanwhile, the Class of 2005 was watching carefully and it came forward in September 2004 with a proposal to do the same sort of thing. Unfortunately its project subsequently grew too ambitious and unwieldy to handle, and the Commandant refused to approve it. Thus, the Class of 2005 was forced, rather late in the day, to undertake a much less expensive project which didn’t need help outside help. Money from supportive Old Brigaders nevertheless continued to roll in.

GENESIS OF THE NAVY BAY PROJECT

Since the original project proposed by the Class of 2005 had to do with sports, I was brought into contact at that time with Darren Cates, the new Director of Athletics at the College. When the Class of 2005 withdrew from acting jointly with the Old Brigade, I contacted Darren and told him there was old Brigade money in the Foundation the needed to be spent. As he had recently drawn up five one-page requests for requirements for his department, he sent them to me for review.

Only one of these requests was suitable for a Foundation fund raising project, but it was a good one calling for a much needed facility with dedicated changing rooms for College rugby and soccer teams. We immediately got together with Steve France and it didn’t take long for us to agree this was something that needed to be done and that, with a bit of luck, it was doable. We provisionally named it the Navy Bay Pavilion Project in late 2004.

COMMANDANT’S APPROVAL

It was all very well for Steve, Darren and I to be working together as a small initiator group, but it was quite another thing to move forward from there to get the necessary College and Foundation approvals for a formal project. Although we approached both of them more or less simultaneously, it was absolutely necessary to get the Commandant’s green light before the Foundation would approve any significant fund raising.

I took it upon myself to convince BGen Leclerc of the great potential benefits of the project. Darren had already formally submitted the justification to him for such a facility while Steve had spoken to him (and sent him a letter) about the support such a project would undoubtedly get from ex-cadets through the Foundation. Fortunately, I was on good terms with the General and he didn’t seem to mind me waylaying him during breaks in various meetings during the early months of 2005 for the purpose of lobbying. One major obstacle was the he knew he was to be posted at the end of the academic year so didn’t want to make major decisions on future projects that would bind his successor. Nevertheless, BGen Leclerc was quite sympathetic to my pleas and finally (perhaps tiring of my interventions!) said something to the effect: “Alright, Al, I’ll make an exception for you. Let’s get all parties together and work it through”.

So it boiled down to a meeting in the Commandant’s office on 04 July 2005. Present in person were BGen Leclerc, H3948 Dr John Plant from the Foundation (soon to become its President), Steve France, Darren Cates and LCol Rod MacDonald, a member of the General’s staff. I was on the speaker phone from my home in Quebec City. Preliminary drawings and cost estimates that had been prepared using some of the money already raised by the Old Brigade were displayed and discussed. The need for our teams to have dedicated facilities to maintain their Margin of Excellence was a strong argument in favour of the pavilion. John Plant indicated that this would be a good ‘dry run’ for a larger project that the Foundation had in the early planning stages.

The main reservation that BGen Leclerc expressed had to do with fund raising. Would the Foundation be able to raise the necessary funds (we were talking in the order of $300,000 at that time)? He pointed out that there was no College money in the budget for such a project, nor could there be (too many other higher priorities such as dormitories, etc), hence the Foundation would have to go it alone to raise the necessary funds. We won him over by pointing out how successful the Old Brigade fund raising had been over the past couple of years and that we were sure, with that example of leadership, other ex-cadets would join in. The Commandant was convinced by this argument and he gave his official approval in principal. We are indebted to BGen Leclerc for his interest in this project and for the key role he played in getting it off the ground. His successor, E1607 BGen Joceyln Lacroix became an immediate, enthusiastic and active supporter of the cause, which helped keep the ball rolling in those early days. Eventually, during his reign and that of his successor, BGen Tom Lawson, another great supporter, money (quite a lot) for some of the auxiliary costs such as planning, management and landscaping, etc were committed by the College.

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FOUNDATION APPROVAL

Well, we had the Commandant’s approval, a name (The Navy Bay Pavilion – only later to become officially the Birchall Pavilion) and great ideas on how to raise the $300,000 that we envisaged was necessary with our rose-coloured glasses firmly strapped to our collective heads! It turned out, however, that there was a long road ahead of us to get where we wanted to go, to where be believed we could go, to where we eventually did go.

The Foundation’s Board had also to approve the fund raising on its behalf. Steve, of course, had been working hard in this direction, but now a decision was required. There was some reticence on the part of Board members. The cost was too high and there was no assurance that such a sum could be raised over and above the other commitments the Foundation had to the College and its cadets. I was informed by a senior Board member that the project would never be approved, the cost being too high.

Then, of course, as more detailed estimates came in, the price tag began to rise! But the little snowball that had been formed at the top of the mountain was now beginning to roll down its slippery slopes, getting bigger the farther it went. The idea of the Foundation funding a building for the College, something that had never been done before, was catching the imagination of many ex-cadets, as exemplified by the Old Brigade. Approval was forthcoming.

BREAKTHROUGH IN FUND RAISING

Then came the breakthrough: the Class of 1966, under the inspired and generous leadership of 7076 John van Haastrecht (a future Foundation President), came forward with $400,000 which it had raised for another project, since abandoned. That snowball had suddenly increased in size to pass its critical mass and started to turn into an avalanche. The dream was now a reality! Success was assured!! In the end, the cost was $950,000 for the building – and $950,000 was what was raised by the Foundation.

This momentous injection of funds gave the project the impetus and legitimacy to sail forward with confidence that any remaining obstacles would be overcome (as they were). By then, I had essentially disappeared from the scene so am not intimately knowledgeable as to what transpired thereafter.

I do know, however, that my two colleagues in this adventure most certainly did not disappear. Steve France, superbly supported by the Foundation staff at Panet House, led a masterful campaign to bring in the rest of the funds by, amongst other things, convincing various 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 reunion classes to contribute as well as implementing a broader approach that was attractive to ex-cadets everywhere. Darren Cates effectively appealed for donations from former members of various College sports teams while overseeing the design. Many others, too numerous to name, were part of this success story. My remaining role consisted of continuing to encourage Old Brigaders to participate in this exciting venture, and more than $135,000 came in from that quarter.

By the way, I have learned that it was John van Haastrecht and his Class of 1966 that suggested that the pavilion be named after Air Commodore Birchall, a great choice that was subsequently approved by NDHQ.

BIRCHALL PAVILION IN BEING

An idea that germinated in the minds of three people back in early 2005 has now, four and a half years later, come to fruition. Once approved by the Commandant and Foundation Board, it received that all-essential boost from the Class of 1966 to ensure financial viability.

The Birchall Pavilion is already being used by cadet teams and will be officially inaugurated on 03 October during Reunion Weekend 2009. It is a facility donated to the College by its ex-cadets. The many, many donors can be proud of their role in helping the College to continue to provide that important Margin of Excellence to its cadets, so necessary for today’s and tomorrow’s leaders, for many years to come.

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Donors Made it Happen

By: Bill Oliver

For more on Donor support:  Class of 1966 Newsletter – Vol. 41©2007 Nov No.3

THANK YOU!
$950,000 for The Leonard Birchall Pavilion

We hope to have more details on further donor support for this project in future editions of e-Veritas.  As one reader clearly reminded us:

“Donors are the key to the Foundation and are the ones who really made this happen.”

Wall of Honour – A Special New Addition to the College

by 5877 Ted Davie (RRMC RMC 1963)

The Class of ’63 started discussing our gift to the College on our entry to the Old Brigade in 2005. We considered all the standard gifts other classes seem to give like an academic Chair, etc, but somehow we were not satisfied with such a short-lived gift. We were also aware of some gifts that soon turned into a College liability and we promised not to do that either. Eventually, we asked the question: what doesn’t RMC have that most other colleges have? Before too long, we stumbled upon the idea that there didn’t seem to be a special place where RMC publicly recognized those who had gone out in the world from the College and accomplished special things. So, we started looking at the various ways we might do that. Then we thought about the idea of positioning this “special place” where cadets would see/read/admire and perhaps be motivated to go out and do something special so that they too might be honoured someday. We looked at three different ways to do this and after costing them out decided a serpentine wall of stone, initially called a wave wall by the naval ex-cadets involved in the design, would meet our requirements and would be within our financial grasp. We proposed several locations which often resulted in counter proposals for almost two years without either party being satisfied.Finally, there came an opportunity to build the Wall on the newly refurbished Verite Avenue.

This was a great location for cadet exposure, daily, it would be visible from the entrance road into the College and would meet all our expectations. We hoped it also might become a special new addition to the College. Yes, we went through the long discussions of eligibility, nomination/selection criteria, nominating/selection boards, maintaining the same standards over the long haul, design of the Wall, negotiations with DND about partnering in the Verite project, the walkway, the lighting, landscaping, MOAs with the Foundation and College, process for paying the invoices during the Wall construction, plaque design and procurement, sub-contracts for building the Wall and for the masonry work and all those details that must be addressed for such a project. We hope our gift will be a new special addition to the College where we can remind the general public about where these special people got their start, help motivate cadets to aim high in their personal goals and be a place of pride for all those with an RMC number. A new tradition will be born this year when the excadets march to the Arch and go by the Wall of Honour for an “eyes right”. As the Prime Minister’s Office has not yet responded to the College invitation, sent in February, to be the Guest of Honour for the Wall inaugaration ceremony, that part of the ceremony is still undecided. Everything else is a go!

Schedule of Events Saturday 3 October

by M0917 Dean Fleet

Principal of Queens University meets RMC Commandant, Commodore Truelove and RMC principal Joel Sokolsky in the Commandant’s office on 21 September 2009.

Dr. Daniel Woolf, of British origins, earned his undergrad in History at Queen’s in 1980. From then he went on to his doctorate at Oxford University before returning to Queen’s as a postdoctoral fellow in history. He taught at and/or served as a Dean at the following institutions:  Bishop’s University, Dalhousie University, McMaster University, and the University of Alberta. He returned to Queen’s this past July as its principal, and has a reputation for being a strong advocate for each institution which he has had the pleasure of working, often leading various innovative campus projects. He also has  son entering his second year at Queen’s. He made an office call to both  Principle Sokolsky and Cmdre Truelove before joining them at the SSM for lunch.

Cmdre Truelove left Royal Roads in 1985 with a degree in Military and Strategic Studies to begin his career upon the open seas aboard Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships.  After various operational deployments, command and staff appointments, and an Order of Military Merit, he now has the honour of being able to give back to a military which has given him so much by leading RMC in our dynamic age. He is at the pinnacle of his career having reached the flag rank, and he, too, has the added pleasure of being able to head the academic institution at which his son is a student. Cmdr Truelove took this opportunity to apologize “in advance for the ‘whooping’ RMC is gonna give Queen’s in the Carr-Harris hockey game!” He followed this up with an invitation to join him and his wife at the match.

Dr. Joel Sokolsky has taught for many years at RMC, and was the recipient of research excellence award in 2005, and was named to the teaching excellence honours list at RMC. He received his BA from the University of Toronto, MA from John Hopkins University, and his PhD from Harvard University. He became the Principle of RMC in 2008. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Queen’s University Centre for International Relations, and holds an appointment with the Queen’s Department of Political Studies. With his longstanding involvement at both RMC and Queen’s, he is well-suited in his position as principal to continue building the relationship between these two academic institutions.

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RMC was fortunate to have a second VIP visit the college last week:  Chief Stephen Tanner, who since October 2008 has been Kingston’s Chief of Police. It was the Chief’s first visit to RMC, where he paid an office call to both the Principle and the Commandant. Such visits are, according to Cmdre Truelove, “important in building relations with our neighbours and supporters. Something that I place great importance on.”

REMARKS OF CHIEF OF POLICE STEPHEN J. TANNER

SWEARING-IN CEREMONY OCTOBER 29, 2008

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Starting with this edition of e-Veritas we hope to have a regular article from a cadet within the Wing. The topics will vary.  Basic ground rules apply in that the article will not criticize official Canadian Forces or RMC policy. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Cadet Wing leadership or anyone else in the Cadet Wing.  Comments are always welcome.

Alright listen up! I’m on Send, you’re on Receive.

So, with another September upon the city of Kingston again, two things are certain: Queen’s frosh are going to paint themselves purple and the first years are on their love-hate experience known simply as First Year Orientation Period (FYOP). It’s something anybody with a college number won’t soon forget. From their first steps on the hallowed parade square, to being caked in a myriad of sweat, mud, fatigue and jovial camaraderie as they negotiate that final obstacle on that fateful Friday afternoon.

Wait a minute, what’s the training value of all this? First years can’t finish that obstacle course if they’re broken from overexertion. Is this the end state of FYOP: to get first years ready for an obstacle course? Yes…and no. Like units in the CF, there has to be indoctrination into the regimental culture; RMC calls this FYOP. There’s a difference between training recruits in Saint-Jean and training recruits on how to cope with RMC. Honestly, FYOP is the easiest part of the 4 years here: everything is cut and dried for you. Anxiety, stress, and generally being tired are necessary. First years use this as a fuel to cope with RMC. The Sapper, Patricia, or Royal doesn’t earn their cap badge until being baptized by the fires of regimental indoc. The same goes for RMC recruits. The senior classes accept first years based on the fact that we all share the common FYOP war story.

By questioning the merits of inspections, panic drills, push ups, and CDH etiquette with regards to their respective “training value,” we are losing focus of what truly matters for the FYOP experience. RMC has a reputation of producing excellent leaders for over a century. This is due greatly in part because our first experiences here taught us the way things were: respect the chain of command, keep your uniform sharp, and march straight. If you didn’t meet that standard of excellence, you could expect discomfort. Without the discomfort, there is no incentive to change negative behaviour. Beyond this simple veil of spit-and-polish structure sits the fact that when you finish that obstacle course and earn your privileged place in the RMC family, you will always carry with you the solemn pride of where you stand.

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Running in Memory of Mic

Last Sunday’s Army Run in the capital city was especially significant for the friends and family of 22007 Major Michelle Mendes (RMC 2001), who organized a team for both the 5km and Half Marathon race to run in memory of Michelle, or Mic as she was known by many. Major Michelle Mendes, who died in Afghanistan in April of this year, ran the Inaugural Army ½ Marathon last year and many of her friends and family remember her talking about the importance of this event. This year’s race was particularly memorable, with all runners wearing Michelle’s bib number from last year under their own number to help motivate them throughout the race. These same people, some ex-Cadets, other friends and family of Michelle, raised over $2600 for the Michelle Mendes Memorial Fund which was established by Michelle’s mother, Dianne and husband, Victor, the head coach of the RMC Men’s Varsity Soccer Team. The Fund is run through the RMC Foundation and one of its goals is to support the Annual RMC Nijmegen team. One of the members of this year’s Nijmegen team, 24915 Guylaine Archer (RMC 2011) from 13 Sqn volunteered to represent her team and ran the Half Marathon on Sunday in Michelle’s memory. Donations are continuing to pour in and organizers would like to sincerely thank all those who supported this year’s team. It is hoped that this will become an annual tradition, with more runners joining the original group of 11 and even more money being raised for this important cause.

21936 Lt(N) Amber Comisso (RMC 2001), 9 Squadron Commander

Mixing hockey / golf / cadet duties all in a days work!

by 24974 Richard Lim (RMC 2011)

This summer had I had the fortunate opportunity to do something that no other RMC cadet has done in recent history; quite possibly ever. I attended the CF Golf CISM selection camp. As many are aware a few varsity athletes participate in CISM events in their respective sports post season. As a member of the Varsity hockey team, I have not had an opportunity to participate in CISM, as there is no CISM hockey team. After doing some investigating I found out that there is a CISM golf team and this year would be the first time in 19 years that a CF national golf tournament would be held. After contacting a few people here in Kingston, I was contacted by the CISM golf managers and invited to their first selection Camp.

The CISM team consists of 6 male and 2 female golfers. These players are selected based on their play at the two invitational tournaments and their play at the National tournament. I felt very privileged and nervous about playing in Ottawa. I hadn’t played a competitive round of golf for almost 3 years and only played 8 rounds of golf this summer. My goal was to play well and be invited to the second tournament; I knew I wasn’t going to make the team in Ottawa, but I didn’t want to play my self of the team.

The first Camp was held at Hylands golf course in Ottawa. There were 12 male golfers including 24647 Paul Lystiuk (RMC 2010). After two consecutive rounds of 76 on a challenging course in tough conditions I was tied for 3rd place with one round of golf to play. On the third day rain cancelled our round after 9 holes. Unfortunately I would not be able to finish the 3rd round the next morning because I had to return to RMC for a Bar slate briefing.

However, my play in Ottawa did warrant an invite to the next selection camp, a men’s invitational in Peterborough at Kawartha Golf and Country club during August long weekend. The tournament had over 100 participants, including NHLer Marc Savard. Again because of Recruit camp I was not able to attend the practice round in Peterborough and my first look at the course would be the first round of the tournament. The course was tough and the greens were very fast. By the third round I had played 8 rounds of golf in 10 days, and the first two rounds in Peterborough had taken an average of 5hrs 30min to play, causing it to be a super long weekend I had a very tough time on the putting green making numerous 3 putts, contributing to me shooting an 81, 83 and 75 for a tie in 6th; out of the CISM selection camp.

While I had not played my best golf in Peterborough, I played well enough to be invitedto the CF golf Nationals in Shilo MB. It was the first time in 19 years that the CF has had a national golf tournament. Upon arriving in Shilo with the CISM team, we had the opportunity to play a practice round. The course was in immaculate shape, definitely a recommendable place to stop and play if traveling around Brandon Mb. The course is not long nor is it very tight for most the course, but it has some of the toughest greens I have putted on. According to the course Pro and greens keeper, the greens were rolling at a 12 or higher for the tournament, which is as fast as some PGA tour greens. Not only were the greens fast, but you are lucky to find a flat spot on a green in 18 holes. In perfect conditions on the first day I shot a respectable 74. On the second day, playing in the second last group, we saw a small glimpse of the wind, which usually makes the course so difficult. In the tougher conditions I shot a 79 which was in the middle of the pack for the day. Going into the final round I was in 5th place only 2 strokes back of third place. I shot another 74 on the final day which was disappointing as I boogied 2 of the last 3 holes. The final round was good enough for a tie for 4th, one shot out of third. I was very happy with my play at nationals.

My goal going into the whole CISM selection camp was to play well and let the managers know that I was around and I would be around in the years to come. But, after my performance at Nationals, the possibility to be selected for the team, which is going to Namibia Africa in November to participate in the world golf championships, became a very close reality.

Unfortunately due to my commitments to academics and the Varsity hockey team my participation with this year’s CISM golf team would not be a possibility. I was however named as the first alternate to the team, just in case of an emergency.

I was disappointed that I would not be able to participate with the CISM team in Africa after the hard work that I put in, but I accomplished my goals that I originally set out. I had an unbelievable experience this summer and look forward to competing in more selection camps in the future.

Good luck to team Canada in November as they take on the world in Namibia!!

Complete Varsity Sports Update

An Interview With One of The Top 4 Cadets – Fall 2009

Article & photos by 25275 OCdt Julia Anderson

(From Left): Cadet Wing Training Officer 24561 Marc-Andre F.Pelland, Cadet Wing Commander 24410 Nicholas Bouchard, Deputy Cadet Wing Commander 24649 Kayla MacMillan, Cadet Wing Administration Officer 24924 Maxime Bernier-Brideau.

IN CONVERSATION WITH 25275 JULIA ANDERSON – SECOND IN A SERIES

eVeritas – What did you do this summer?

Cadet Wing Commander 24410 Nicholas Bouchard – I was lucky enough to be ahead of my training, so I completed the modified Phase 3 combat engineer course in Gagetown and then travelled out west with the CWTO (F.Pelland) to the Rocky Mountain National Army Cadet Summer Training Centre in Cochrane, AB. The summer camp offers 16-18 year old cadets the opportunity to do 6 outdoor expeditions such as glacier travel, rock climbing and canoeing, just to name a few. Marc and I escorted the groups on the expeditions and worked night security on camp. All in all, it was a pretty active summer.

eVeritas – What are your goals for FYOP?

Bouchard – It’s a very interesting question since the goal is obvious yet the way we get there defines us. In the end, the ultimate goal of FYOP is to give the first years the tools to succeed in the high energy environment of RMC. However, the FYOP staff have been entrusted with a much greater role: that of mentoring and developing the first years to become a disciplined and cohesive body. This will be achieved while treating every individual with respect and dignity and giving them lots of valuable training. The FYOP staff is doing an excellent job thus far, and I trust every single one of them will reach the goal.

eVeritas – What would like to see done the same this year, and what would you like to see done differently?

Bouchard – The College seems to follow a cyclic way of doing things. That is, it goes from a more military focused institution to what seems to be a civilian university and back, the process is never ending. However, the learning experience is all the same. That being said, this year we are implementing more military activities such as a training weekend, foreign weapons familiarization and first aid training. Certain traditions are also being brought back, such as circles. This is being done with the intent of demonstrating the pride we take from being the only military college in Canada alongside CMR. But we can’t say everything just yet; timing is crucial and there is still much planning to be done!

eVeritas – How do you think the arrival of the CMR cadets will affect the wing?

Bouchard – There’s another interesting question. A day before they arrived I wouldn’t have known how to answer. However, I must say, having done the preparatory year myself, I knew they would show up being very confident with their abilities and ready for anything. Now that they are on the ground I can assure you that they are extremely excited to be here and that they bring valuable experiences and energy to their second year class and to the Wing.

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Team RMC Place 3rd in Superwalk for Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disease that affects over 100,000 Canadians. It has touched many lives and will continue to do so without aggressive research and the funds to support it. In order to meet these demanding circumstances, Parkinson’s Society Canada has held an annual nationwide Superwalk for Parkinson’s.

The Kingston chapter of Parkinson’s society held the fundraiser this year at Lake Ontario Park on September 12th. Members of the community from all walks of life participated in the fundraiser including a team from RMC. OCdt Thibedeau, OCdt Boivin, OCdt Pelletier and OCdt Bortolin entered the fundraiser as team RMC representing the school. Together the team fundraised 935.48$ in just over a week. This was accomplished through the impressive effort by the cadet wing through an inter-squadron fundraising competition. Seven squadron would contribute the most through an inspiring effort that contributed 351.56$ to the overall funds. This would lead to Team RMC placing third overall in the Kingston area for funds contributed to the Parkinson’s Superwalk. Also notable is the contribution made by the RMC Club Toronto Branch through Peter Fosbery showing the support of RMC transcending generations. The fundraiser would raise 1,220,209$ nationwide bringing us one step closer to a cure for Parkinson’s.

-Ocdt Thibedeau 25133

Malgré une amputation, Simon Mailloux repart pour le front afghan

Amputee soldier heads back to Afghanistan

– 23350 Simon Mailloux (RMC 2006)

Le capitaine Mail­loux serait le premier soldat de l’histoire militaire canadienne à retourner en zone de combat après avoir subi une amputation.

Shortly after losing one of his legs while on duty in Afghanistan, Capt. Simon Mailloux asked his major how good his chances were of getting back to the battlefront.

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– RMCC assistant professor Dr. Adam Chapnick

Changing the System from Within

“I understand why many members of Generation Y eschew politics. The hyper-partisanship, the compromises, and the lack of effective leadership at the national and provincial levels dishearten me as well. But for a cohort that is so committed to effecting change, not voting – failing to find the hour or two that it might take to appear at a polling station – is inexcusable.”

Boycott missed the mark

“Had Ottawa thought more closely about Iran’s diplomatic objectives, it might have resorted to xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxwhat the late, long-time Canadian representative abroad John Holmes termed the ‘diplomatic xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx insult.’”

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Commander sees hope in war-weary Afghanistan

- 11275 Marc Lessard (CMR 1977)

A funny thing happened to Canadian soldiers on patrol in Panjwaii district the other day. An ordinary Afghan showed them where three roadside bombs were buried.

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Army War College grad inducted into Hall of Fame

- 12320 Walter Natynczyk (RRMC CMR 1979)

Gen. Walt Natynczyk had one message for U.S. Army War College students on Wednesday: “Focus on relationships.”

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Genocide prevention in Canada’s interest, report says

- H7860 Senator Roméo Dallaire (CMR RMC 1969)

Along with beefing up the Canadian Forces, it suggests creating a civilian-led Canadian Prevention Corps to work with special envoys on preventative diplomacy and fact-finding missions.

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Kudos to College Energy: Marc Garneau applauds school’s research into alternative and renewable energy technologies

– 8276 Marc Garneau (CMR RMC 1970)

“We need to recognize and make use of that research. Our community colleges are part of the solution.”
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Prof an expert in politics

Dr. Janine Krieber is one of the newest additions to the RMC faculty. RMC students studying Canadian government and international relations will be getting their courses delivered by someone who is not only an academic expert but who does homework in that area every night.

We have contacted numerous ex-cadets from the fifties through to the new millennium and plan to feature them in the coming months to give readers a chance to catch up with names and faces from each of the respective CMCs. If you would like to contribute to this column, please feel free to email me at dean.fleet@rmc.ca

by M0917 Dean Fleet

– 7988 Gordon Hamilton (CMR RMC 1969)

As a Civil Engineering graduate, Gordon has spent much of his career in foreign countries. Following grad, he was posted to Soest, Germany and from there to Baden, Germany. After three years in Germany, he obtained a Masters degree in engineering from Queens and taught at RMC for three years. After leaving the Military in 1975, Gordon joined the Airports Group in Transport Canada, where he served in a variety of positions, including Transport Attache in London England.

In 1981, Gordon founded a transportation management consulting business, Sypher Consultants, where he remained as CEO for 28 years as the firm grew and expanded into airport design and construction management and strategic real estate advisory services. In 2005, Sypher was sold to Jacobs Engineering Group, a 58,000 person worldwide group and Gordon stayed on as Managing Director of Jacobs Consultancy Canada.

In the 28 years at Sypher and Jacobs, Gordon led the Canadian office to work in 79 countries around the globe. Almost all the world’s major airports – British Airports, Schiphol (Amsterdam), Rome, Turin, Madrid, Lisbon, Kennedy, Los Angeles, Bangkok, Incheon (Korea) and almost every airport in the Caribbean have been the firm’s clients. During his time at Sypher, Gordon was also a Director of several other companies – Caribbean Hovercraft, and FleetTrak Systems. In 2009, Gordon stepped back and is now working in a part time role. He has two sons and lives in Ottawa.

Gordon can be contacted at gordon.hamilton@jacobs-consultancy.com

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– 17514 Darren Stadel (RRMC RMC 1990)

Since graduating RMC in 1990, Darren spent the next 4 years in the CF on both coasts working towards his Combat Systems Engineering classification (44C). Accepting a posting to CFRC Calgary in 1994, Darren completed two years as a Military Career Counselor/Deputy CO before FRP’ing in 1996.

Darren and his family stayed in Calgary for the next 10 years, where Darren worked for Nortel as a Component Engineering Manager, and Hitachi as their Semiconductor Regional Sales Manager. In Dec 2004, Darren accepted a position in Whitehorse, Yukon as the Assistant Vice-President Sales for Northwestel. He and his family had a great four-year adventure up North, before finally settling back to the West Coast in Victoria, BC.

Darren now works for the BC Provincial Government as an Executive Director in charge of large IT outsourcing contracts. Darren has two children (Austin -13, Cassidy – 12) and a wife, Michele of 16 years.

Darren can be contacted at dstadel@shaw.ca

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- 19825 Ken Falkner (RMC 1995)

Following graduation, Ken headed off to Greenwood Nova Scotia and then Borden Ontario to continue his AERE training. Upon completion of the course he was posted to 4 SES Detachment Mirabel to work in the Training With Industry Program (TWIP) at CAE. He worked there with CAE engineers learning the ins and outs of CF-18 Mission Computer software as well as how the contractor worked and did business. He eventually moved into a role as an Integrator of the CF-18 software and did final acceptance testing before the software moved off to Flight Test.

In 1997 while an opportunity came up outside of the military, Ken made the hard decision to leave the CF and pursue a civilian life. He moved to Phoenix Arizona and did contract work at Honeywell doing software testing on the Flight Management System (FMS) for the A340 passenger liner. After that work finished, he spent a short time with a company which produced tools for semi-conductor work but missed working with aircraft and was soon back at Honeywell. Ken worked in the Displays organization within Honeywell doing software testing on a variety of business and regional aircraft, eventually becoming a manager of that team. It was during this time that he met a wonderful woman named Gail and they were soon married.

In 2006 he realized it was time to return home to Canada, so he and Gail started looking for opportunities up north. As fate would have it, a Software Manager position within Honeywell at the Mississauga facility had opened up and Ken was offered the position. For two years he led the software team who was designing the Power Thermal Management System (PTMS) for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Recently he has moved to a Sr. Program Manager position in the Velocity Product Development (VPD)TM team working on productivity and process improvements across the Aerospace business.

Ken can be reached at rfalkner@computer.org

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Chinook pilot returns to Kingston from overseas deployment

A/SLt 24498 Noelani Shore (RMC 2009)
Assistant 1 Wing PAO

21976 Captain Frédéric Guénette (RMC 2001) has returned to Kingston to bring his experience as a CH-147 Chinook helicopter pilot in Kandahar to 1 Wing headquarters as the A3 Standards 3 for Interim Medium Lift Capability (IMLC). The first time he returned to Kingston was in 2005, just four years after graduating. This time, his homecoming to Kingston is with his wife, Lauren Reid, and they are expecting their first child sometime in December.

“It felt like I never left, and I was quite happy to relive some memories as I walked around. The human mind has this tendency to just remember the good times,” Capt Guénette said with a smile. Now that he is posted here again, “it still feels like I never left for more than a couple of months … it’s the smell.”

After graduating with the first Honours Computer Sciences degree given at RMC, Capt Guénette was posted to 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in Québec City. He flew the CH 146 Griffon until 2008, when he got his qualification on the CH 147 Chinook. He has since had incredible experiences flying the Chinook overseas.

“The highlight of my career so far has been my involvement as a pilot in reinstating the CH-47D Chinook helicopter capability for the CF and deploying in Kandahar as the first pilot and instructor. I was sent in March 2008 to Fort Rucker in Alabama to start six months training on the aircraft, and by the end of December 2008, I was flying over Kandahar City,” Capt Guénette said. “While talking with CH-47 pilots from other nations, they all thought that we were crazy to attempt such a project. They didn’t think that we would be successful, while being safe, due to our lack of experience on the aircraft. The fact that this project worked and was a success is a symbol of the quality of CF aviators. It was a very challenging endeavour that required hard work and sacrifices but made it all worth it when we flew our Canadians soldiers off the roads in Afghanistan and supported them for other mobility operations. I truly felt and heard their appreciation and made it all worth it to me.”

Capt Guénette decided to join RMC when, in high school, a Canadian Forces recruiting centre display caught his attention during career day.

“There was one of those life-size pictures of RMC cadets in full Scarlet uniform, and I always thought it looked really sharp,” explained Capt Guénette. “I knew that I always wanted to be a pilot, and if I could do it while going to university for free, traveling all over the country, meeting great people and doing it in style, I was in!”

Joining the military seemed like a good idea after hearing about his grandfather’s experience during World War II.

“My grandfather served as a cook during WWII in Europe. He was working at the Officer’s mess and had access to alcohol. I guess times were hard because one day him and his buddy got quite drunk and went AWOL with a Jeep for a night. They must have been cooking good food because no disciplinary actions were taken against them on their return. What a different time it was!” laughed Capt Guénette.

Capt Guénette enjoyed the leadership opportunities offered by RMC, but the memories that stand out most in his mind are his experiences with his peers, along with extra-curricular activities.

“My most memorable memories about RMC are, in no specific order: Recruit camp, learning and playing the bagpipes in the band, the broomball tournament in St-Jean, IM soccer, the francophone Plein Feux music show that I participated in every year and the mess…oh, and academics classes are in there somewhere as well,” Capt Guénette said.

He understands that, while some aspects of the “real world” are not present on the RMC campus, the leadership opportunities and positions, along with staff personnel, guest lecturers, training weekends, and summer on-job-trainings allow Officer Cadets to anticipate some aspects of the “real world” that awaits them upon graduation.

“It is all about exposure, and cadets have to look outside the “bubble”, be proactive and seek the information,” said Capt Guénette.

Kelly Lupton is a retired Sergeant in the Army Reserves. The Queen’s University graduate has represented the Canadian Forces at two different CISM volleyball championships and two different World Military Games.

The native of Georgetown, Ontario and former school teacher has worked at Personnel Support Programs (PSP) in NDHQ as a National Sports Co-ordinator and as a Research & development Manager.

Bill Oliver recently caught up with Kelly to discuss her past working experiences and what she thinks about being the P.E. Manager at RMC.

IN CONVERSATION WITH BILL OLIVER -  Q&A PHOTOS BY 25275 JULIA ANDERSON

eVeritas: Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from? How did you end up at RMC as the Physical Education Manager?

Kelly Lupton: I was born in Georgetown Ontario. I came to Kingston to attend Queen’s University. While there I earned my Bachelor of Physical Education, Bachelor of Science in Life Sciences, and Bachelor of Education. After teaching for a few years in Georgetown and Kingston I moved to Ottawa where I completed my Masters in Sport Administration.

My first position with PSP was as National Sport Coordinator, where I coordinated the CF National Championships and the CF Sports Awards Ceremony. I then moved into the position of Research and Development Manager where I was project manager for a number of CF fitness related research projects including the SAR Tech selection standard, the Diver fitness standard, the CJIRU selection and maintenance standards, and the CrossFit/Combat Fitness Program review. It was after this that I moved to Kingston to take on the position of PE Manager.

From the military standpoint, while in Kingston I joined the Reserves as a Signals Operator working at the Electronic Warfare Squadron. I spent 8 years there and 5 years at 763 Communication Regiment in Ottawa, where I eventually retired at the rank of Sergeant.

eVeritas: What is your own fitness background? Were you a competitive athlete at one time? If yes, what was (is) your sport at what level did you compete? When did you know you wanted to become a PF Manager?

Kelly Lupton: I am definitely more of a sport person. Although I dabbled in most sports growing up I would say that figure skating and volleyball were the two sports that I spent most of my time training and competing in. While in university I played Varsity Volleyball at Queen’s. During my time in the Reserves I had the opportunity to compete as an athlete with the CISM Women’s Volleyball team at 2 World Volleyball Championships and 2 World Military Games. Those years were definitely the highlight of my volleyball career.

I have always been involved in fitness more from the strength and conditioning side rather than personal training/group fitness side of the house. Most of my experience in fitness is through providing training programs for sports teams and teams that I have coached. Although I have had experience coaching track and field and figure skating/power skating the majority of my experience has been coaching volleyball.

eVeritas: You are beginning your 3rd year as the Physical Education Manager. Tell us about a typical workday.

Kelly Lupton: This is my third year at RMC (although last year I was on maternity leave). A typical workday for the PE Manager is different in the summer than during the academic year. The summer days are filled with program development, policy development, and Physical education program development in preparation for the upcoming school year. During the academic year the days are filled with trying to juggle the day to day issues in support of the PE teachers and the Officer Cadets.

eVeritas: What is the size and make-up of your full & part-time staff? Is your position mostly administrative these days? Do you teach classes on a regular basis, if yes, what classes (Years) do you handle?

Kelly Lupton: The RMC athletic Department currently has 8 PE teachers. One of the teachers is also the Tae Kwon Do coach. Each teacher is responsible for the classes that they teach as well as their area of expertise which includes: collective sports, individual sports, evaluations, aquatics, supplementary physical training (SPT), combatives, military skills, and curriculum development. There is a small list of Part-time “supply teachers” that fill in as required.

At this time, the PE Manager is an administrative position. From time to time I will cover for a PE teacher on the gym floor. This year I will be teaching a skating skills course in second year because of the large number of 2nd year OCdts this year.

eVeritas: Working with Officer Cadets on a regular basis, you (your staff) can directly influence their performance in the physical fitness test. What are a few keys for cadets being successful with the test?

Kelly Lupton: From our Physical Education program which provide the OCdts with some theoretical and practical exposure to fitness, to our SPT program that directly targets those OCdts in need, to personal training for those that want to exceed the minimum standard, the PE staff at RMC are here to provide the tools to Officer Cadets to succeed in fitness AND be able to lead others once they graduate. The keys to success with the PPT are simply making the time to get to the gym and putting in the effort and intensity when you are at the gym. To support this, a healthy lifestyle is also going to better your chances with success.

eVeritas: What do you do to track an individuals’ growth with it comes to physical fitness / education?

Kelly Lupton: Each PE teacher is in charge of monitoring one or two different squadrons, specifically the physical fitness and PE scores for its members. The PE reps work closely with the squadron commanders to ensure that OCdts that are struggling do not fall through the cracks. They make sure they are at SPT or in their PE class. Once they are there, it is then up to the OCdts to succeed or not.

eVeritas: Are the fitness facilities adequate to handle all the programs and the officer cadets? If no, what would you like to see improved and / or added?

Kelly Lupton: The facilities at KMCSC as a whole are impressive to the onlooker. From the Rappel tower, to the climbing wall, to the track and Combat Fitness Corner (a more recent addition which we are still adding to), the PE program benefits from what we do have access to. On the other hand, there are a number of improvements/additions to the PE program that we would like to provide to the OCdts but are unable to because of space and facility requirements (both because we share it with Base activities and just general space requirements). We do look forward to the addition of a turf field as our second year Collective Sports PE program will definitely benefit. In a dream world we would love to have a second pad of ice, an outdoor obstacle course (or fitness trail) on or near RMC campus, and more gym space for sports.
eVeritas: Because you (your staff) work with most of the officer cadets, you get to know them as well as anybody. What three words best describe RMC cadets during physical Education classes?

Kelly Lupton: The three words that I would describe RMC Cadets as are motivated, dependable, and competent.

eVeritas: How do you handle officer cadets that just “check out” and obviously are not motivated to give 100% during Phys ed classes? These same individuals are fit enough to meet the minimum pass level but pretty well go through the motions during fitness / sports classes.

Kelly Lupton: For the most part this isn’t really the case. Most OCdts are engaged in the PE program. We are a nice break from the hectic schedule of academics. Further the OCdts tend to really enjoy the program as they get choice for 2nd and 4th year and 1st and 2nd year, although compulsory topics, are enjoyed by the students as they are unique to a military school. Anyone that isn’t pulling their weight is dealt with by the PE teacher. I, as PE Manager, rarely deal with problem cases due to attitude in PE. In the end their PE grade is reflected by their attitude and participation and overall the grades in PE are quite high.

eVeritas: What is the best part about working as the PE manager at RMCC?

Kelly Lupton: Working at RMC in PE is a teacher’s dream job! The students show up to class fit, and motivated and there is flexibility and variety in the programming that we can give. I am lucky right now, also, that I have a staff that really cares about what they do. They are all very different people (with different training backgrounds) but there is no doubt in my mind that they don’t love their job. They challenge me as a Manager to evolve the PE program to be even better each year – which I think is pretty awesome.

eVeritas: As part of the overall assessment of officer cadets as future leaders do you and your staff have a formal input into their leadership potential?

Kelly Lupton: At the end of each Academic year my staff goes through each of their squadrons to determine those OCdts that were not successful with PO 119 (the Athletic Component). Each PE teacher provides input into how the failure happened (attendance, attitude, leadership in class, or at SPT etc.). I then speak on their behalf at the athletic review boards. It is in this way that we have some input into their fate at RMC. In the end, however, it is their overall performance in all components at the College that determine the potential of the OCdt.

eVeritas: Tell us a about the success / failure rate of the program? How did the past school year compare to the others?

Kelly Lupton: With the QS in place, there is a very clear standard that the OCdts are being held to and it makes it administratively easier to follow through with consequences. PE failures are minimal 2-3 a year. This very low failure rate can be attributed to the clear and timely lines of communication between the Squadron Commanders and PE Teachers.

eVeritas: For those officer cadets for what ever reason does not meet the minimum standards come test time – how do you deal with them? I Year/ II Year/ III Year/ & IV Years.

Kelly Lupton: As per the QS, first years must show sufficient progress with the PPT over the year, second year students must pass the PPT 1 time, and third and fourth years must pass 2 PPT’s in each of those years. The PE department runs 3 PPT’s a year (with one retest if required). Those that do not meet the PPT standard are immediately placed on the Supplementary Training Program until can pass the PPT

eVeritas: When and how are the remedial classes handled?

Kelly Lupton: Supplementary PT is held every Mon, Tue, Thur, and Friday from 0530 – 0700. They are also required to do an in class session on Wednesday evenings where they discuss many health promotion topics that will not just help them in being successful with the PPT but also in the future as officers in the CF. Topics include nutrition, energy balance, goal setting, stress management, etc. This program is proven very successful. In fact last year after PPT 1 there were 149 OCdts on SPT. In April only 18 OCdts were unsuccessful with the PPT standard (of which only 1 of these failed the EXPRES test). I am pretty proud of the SPT program and its proven success. The SPT Coordinator, Erin O’Reilly, has been critical in meeting the program’s goals. If you ask her, though, she will give credit to the 13 Sqn representatives acting as the SPT Assistance helping her with during the workouts and the effort of the individuals on SPT.

eVeritas: What happens during the final (IV Year) and an officer cadet fails to meet the standard?

Kelly Lupton: The PE department provides the details of the OCdt’s PE career at RMC (PE and testing scores) with anecdotes from the PE teachers and it is ultimately the military chain of command that decides whether they receive their RMC degree or not.

eVeritas: Are there any athletes or coaches ( in your past or present) that you admire? Why?

Kelly Lupton: For being a huge Tom-boy/jock growing up, many might be surprised that I don’t watch professional sports a whole lot, and I don’t really follow big names in sport. I’m one of those grassroots kind of people that really appreciates anyone that would give their time and energy (often not paid) to bring sport to communities. These are the kinds of coaches/people that I admire the most. As my own daughters grow up I hope to be one of these grassroots coaches to give back to the community that got me hooked on sport.

eVeritas: How much do you get involved in the other three pillars of the college? Do you often attend varsity games? Any favourites?

Kelly Lupton: I am personally a fan of Varsity volleyball. I try to make most of the home games each year. I don’t live in Kingston (but Napanee) so it isn’t the easiest to get to town in the evenings or weekends. As my kids get older I hope to drag them along with me as I would love to expose them to different types of sports.

eVeritas: Did you attend the Change of Command parade? What did you attend during Graduation time?

Kelly Lupton: I did attend the change of command parade. Because I was on maternity leave last year I was not in town during graduation time.

eVeritas: What are your plans for Reunion Weekend? Will you take in the Obstacle Course? How about the Rebadging parade on Saturday? Or the march to the arch on the Sunday by ex cadets? How important are the RMC traditions to you?

Kelly Lupton: In the past I usually attend the varsity alumni games. I have a number of Ex Cadet friends that I have met through my CISM and base volleyball experiences that often attend and I enjoy catching up with them. I personally think that traditions like the alumni weekend are important to the OCdts and the school as a whole. I know that the Athletic Department continues to benefit from the efforts of Ex Cadets and their generosity and support. As a newer staff member I hope to take advantage of the traditions more and more as the years pass, and as I meet more and more people, to ensure that I make my stay in the RMC Athletic Department a fulfilling one.

eVeritas: Do you read e-Veritas on a regular basis? What do you like or dislike, most about it?

Kelly Lupton: I do read it. I think it does a great job of getting a variety of different kinds of articles covering topics dealing with the past, present, and future. I continuously learn things about the college, and often gain insight into issues/changes at the college that I did not even know were on the radar screen.

eVeritas: If you could change anything about RMC what would it be?

Kelly Lupton: In a dream world I would have a big enough staff that could run PT in the mornings for all Squadrons and add a second PE class for each OCdt (they currently have one double period of PE a week). The reality is that, even with all the money in the world, there is only so much time in the day for an OCdt to do academics, military activities, second language training, PE classes, intramurals or varsity AND on top of that study.

Over the last couple of years RMC has made steps at implementing different IT initiatives. The PE department has been able to make use of these advances by having online registration for PE classes for the first time ever this September – very exciting for us. The IT staff at RMC has been super with us in moving in the direction that we would like to be with our program. There are many other IT related initiatives that we would like to do in the PE department and would like to see at the university as a whole to bring RMC up to speed with other Canadian Universities. Even better then catching up to other Universities, I think that we should be striving to push on to be on the leading edge of technology. All this to say that, if I could change anything at RMC, I would dump a ton of money into IT initiatives (not just equipment but personnel and infrastructure).

This photo of HMCS WALLACEBURG from her cutter (you can see it is not in its davits) at the Royal Military College jetty in Kingston, Ontario was featured in the Admiral’s Log, the official newsletter of the Admiral Desmond Piers Naval Association of Bridgewater N.S. The Algerine-class minesweeper which was acquired 1959 and stricken 1969 is wearing the new light haze-gray colour scheme. HMCS WALLACEBURG had carefully eased alongside the very small RMC jetty. 2184 Commodore ‘Debbie’ Piers (RMC 1930) was then the Commandant of RMC (1957-60). The Commanding Officer of WALLACEBURG, LCdr. Don Bethune, the Supply Officer and Milton Williams were kindly entertained at ‘Tea’ by Commodore and Mrs. Janet Piers.

Researched by E3161 Victoria Edwards

source

** Special note**

Hi Bill,

I have just enjoyed reading the latest online edition. Good work once again. At the risk of sounding like a cranky old fellow, the item about HMCS Wallaceburg contained some errors. She was actually built in 1943, paid off in 1946, recommissioned in 1950 as a training ship spending the summers of 1956 & 57 on the Great Lakes. As an Ordinary Seaman reservist I sailed the upper Great Lakes at that time in a sister ship HMCS Sault Ste Marie. Wallaceburg was transferred to the Belgian Navy in 1959 as Georges Lecointe and subsequently was retired in 1969.
- 5844 David Wall (RMC 1963)

LES FUTURS OFFICIERS DES FORCES CANADIENNES ONT UN APERÇU DE LA VIE MILITAIRE

- par Aspirant de marine Benjamin Deutsch

Montréal – Quelques membres de la division des élèves-officiers du Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean (CMR Saint-Jean) ont eu la chance de voir l’intérieur du bateau de reconnaissance HMCS Ville de Québec, mis à quai au Vieux Port de Montréal, samedi le 19 septembre dernier. Pour ces leaders en devenir, c’était une expérience remarquable.

Ce samedi matin, ces jeunes hommes et femmes se sont portés volontaires pour aller à la visite au lieu de retourner chez eux pour un repos mérité. Des civils ainsi que des militaires du rang de l’École de leadership et de recrues des Forces canadiennes ont également été attirés par l’opportunité de cette visite. Bien que la majorité de l’équipage était en permission, le pont fourmillait d’activité tandis qu’une foule de visiteurs se promenaient partout sur le navire de guerre.

Les élèves-officiers ont eu la chance de voir tous les racoins des ponts et de l’intérieur du navire et d’en observer les technologies de pointes. De la salle froide et sombre des opérations où radars et sonars sonnaient perpétuellement, jusqu’au pont à partir duquel tout le bateau est contrôlé, les élèves-officiers ont vu toutes les parties du bateau. En regardant les cabines de l’équipage qui sont petites et contiguës, elles ont fait apprécier aux élèves-officiers leurs propres quartiers.

« C’est important pour moi de visiter ce navire, car je serai un officier de la marine et j’ai pensé que cette visite serait une expérience enrichissante pour voir l’environnement dans lequel je travaillerai », rapporte ľÉlèves-officier Yoonah Hur en parlant des systèmes radars complexes. « Possiblement le système radar le plus notable du bateau est le SPS 49. Le système radar principal, qui a une portée de plus de deux cent miles, a été la partie favorite de la plupart des gens. »

Les élèves-officiers ont considéré les systèmes de combat comme étant l’une des parties les plus enrichissantes de la visite. Finalement, le système anti sous-marin a été un véritable coup de cœur en matière de technologie, au même titre que les missiles intelligents, les Sea Sparrows.

Le NCSM Ville de Québec a été mis à quai aux Vieux Port de Montréal dans le cadre d’une cérémonie d’enrôlement d’un groupe de futurs militaires. Pour les élèves-officiers, c’était un retour en arrière de leur propre cérémonie, quelques mois auparavant.

Peu importe le métier que ces jeunes officiers exerceront au sein des Forces canadiennes, cette journée leur a fourni de précieuses informations sur ce à quoi pourrait ressembler leur future carrière. Lorsque les élèves-officiers ont quitté le bateau en saluant sur le pont, arborant un sourire au visage, tous savaient qu’ils repartaient avec une expérience déterminante de plus dans leur bagage.

FUTURE MILITARY LEADERS GLIMPSE AT FUTURE MILITARY LIFE

By Navel Cadet Benjamin Deutsch

Montreal – Select members of the Officer Cadets Division of Royal Military College Saint-Jean were granted the opportunity to see the complex workings of the HMCS Ville de Quebec docked in the Old Port of Montreal, last Saturday, 19 September. For the future leaders of the Canadian Forces, it was a truly remarkable experience.

On a chilly Saturday morning, these aspiring leaders volunteered to give up a well-deserved break to travel to Montreal for the tour. They were joined by civilian enthusiasts, as well as candidates from the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School, also in Saint-Jean. Despite the ship’s crew being largely on leave, the decks bustled with activity as people from all walks of life took this opportunity to get an exclusive look at this Canadian warship.

The officer cadets were taken all around the ship’s deck and underbelly, bearing witness to some of the most technically advanced components of the Canadian arsenal. From the dark and cold operations room, where radar and sonar trackers beeped perpetually, to the bridge which hosted the main command of the vessel, the cadets were given a top-down view of the ship. Upon looking at the incredibly tight living quarters of the crew, it certainly gave new perspective to the officer-hopefuls on their seemingly spartan living conditions at the College.

“It’s important to me because I am going to be a future officer in the navy, and I thought it would be a valuable experience to see for myself first hand how my working environment will look like”, said Navel Cadet Yoonah Hur while remarking on the complexities of the ships radar systems. “Perhaps the most notable of these radars was the SPS 49. The ship’s main radar system, which boasted a range of up-to two hundred miles, was many tour-goers favourite component of the display.”

For many other people, especially the officer cadets, the technically advanced weapon systems proved to be the focal point of their interest. The anti-submarine torpedo system was an obvious favourite, as was the highly advanced and intelligent Sea Sparrow missiles.

The ship was in port to host an enrolment ceremony for a brand new crop of military members. For the officer cadets aboard, it was reminiscent of their own ceremony prior to entry to the Royal Military College, a few months ago.

Regardless of the preferred trade of these young officers, valuable knowledge of what their careers in the Canadian Forces may play out to be was still gained. And as these young men and women saluted on the quarter deck upon their departure, none left without inquiring valuable insight, and a smile on their face.

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Le Commandant du Collège militaire royal du Canada, le Cmdre Truelove, s’est rendu au Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean le 23 septembre pour une visite officielle en compagnie du Dr. Sokolsky et de l’Adjuc Chiasson. De gauche à droite, Adjuc Chiasson, Le Lieutenant-général (ret) Maisonneuve, Dr. Sokolsky, Cmdre Truelove, Col Pion et Adjuc Beaudoin.

Commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada, Cmdre Truelove, was hosted at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean for an official visit on 23 Septembre with Dr. Sokolsky and CWO Chiasson. From left to right, CWO Chiasson, Lieutenant-General (ret) Maisonneuve, Dr. Sokolsky, Cmdre Truelove, Col Pion and CWO Beaudoin.

REUNION WEEKEND – RMC St. Jean (September 11 – 12, 2009)

La Fin de Semaine de Réunion à CMR SJ

Le Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean a tenu sa fin de semaine des Anciens du 11 au 13 septembre. L’événement, le second depuis la réouverture du Collège en mai 2008 fut un énorme succès. L’horaire très chargée du weekend consistait en une soirée rencontre le vendredi au Vieux Mess; l’assemblée générale annuelle le samedi matin; des compétitions sportives élof contre Anciens l’après-midi, suivies de la présentation des trophées au nouveau mess des élofs – le Saint-Maurice; du dîner dansant le samedi soir; et finalement d’une visite guidée du beau musée du Fort Saint-Jean et des environs suivis d’un lunch au pavillon Dextraze le dimanche matin.

Nous avons mis tous les détails, et beaucoup de photos sur notre site web. Pour arriver là, visitez www.rmcclub.ca, choisissez anglais ou français, et cliquez sur le bouton pour « Réunion à St-Jean »

Merci encore à tous les anciens (nes) qui sont venus, à l’équipe qui a travaillée assez fort, et au Commandant du CMR SJ qui nous a accueillis au collège!

Reunion Weekend at RMC SJ

What a weekend! The ex-Cadets gathered at the Vieux Mess to start the festivities with a Happy Hour / Meet and Greet on Friday and continued the celebration through the Annual General Meeting Saturday morning; sports competitions against the Officer Cadets, a dinner dance and finally a tour of our beloved Fort St Jean Museum and lunch at the Dextraze Pavillion on Sunday morning.

We have posted all the details along with lots of photos on our website. To check it out, go to www.rmcclub.ca, choose french or english, and click on the blue button marked St-Jean Reunion.

Thanks again to all the ex-Cadets who came home for the weekend, the team that worked so hard to make the reunion a success and to the Commandant who welcomed us all back to RMC SJ!

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Une équipe du Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean participe à la Course de l’armée à Ottawa

- par Élève-officier Neppel

Le dimanche 20 septembre 2009, le Collège Militaire Royal de Saint-Jean (CMR Saint-Jean) a envoyé une équipe de 18 élèves-officiers pour représenter le Collège à la Course de l’Armée à Ottawa. La deuxième édition de cet évènement a rassemblé plus de 10 500 personnes. Membres des Forces canadiennes et civils ont marché côte à côte le long du canal Rideau en soutien à une collecte de fonds pancanadienne pour Soldat en mouvement et pour le Fond d’aide aux familles militaires, deux organismes qui soutiennent les membres des Forces canadiennes et leur famille. L’an dernier, l’évènement a permis d’amasser près de 60 000$.

Des 18 membres qui composaient l’équipe du CMR Saint-Jean, neuf ont participé à la course de 5 km et les 9 autres ont couru les 21 km du demi-marathon. La participation des élèves-officiers est un franc succès : l’équipe a enregistré des temps respectables dans toutes les catégories. Chaque membre de l’équipe du CMR Saint-Jean a relevé le défi de dépasser ses propres limites, tant physiques que mentales, et tous ont donné leur 100%. Ces élèves-officiers sont fiers de ce qu’ils ont accompli.
Trois membres de l’équipe du CMR Saint-Jean ont entrepris de relever un défi supplémentaire en courant le demi-marathon muni d’un masque chimique, biologique, radiologique et nucléaire (CBRN). Les trois élèves-officiers qui ont fait montre d’une grande détermination ont traversé la ligne d’arrivée avec un temps de 2h 22min 17s. En relevant ce défi supplémentaire, ils ont fait preuve de force de caractère, d’endurance et de persévérance.

Les élèves-officiers de l’équipe du CMR Saint-Jean étaient tous très fiers d’avoir été choisis pour représenter le Collège à un évènement d’une telle envergure. Courir aux cotés de membres des Forces canadiennes et de civils provenant de partout au Canada leur a permis de vivre l’esprit de corps des Forces canadiennes, mais aussi de voir la camaraderie qui unissait les militaires et les civils. The Royal Military College Saint-Jean team at the 2009 Army Run in Ottawa

The Royal Military College Saint-Jean team at the 2009 Army Run in Ottawa

- Officer Cadet Neppel

On Sunday, September 20th 2009, Royal Military College Saint-Jean (RMC Saint-Jean) sent a team of 18 officer cadets to participate in the Army Run in Ottawa. The second edition of this event gathered more than 10,500 military members and civilians for runs along the Rideau Canal. The Canada Army Run is a unique running event in which civilians and military members join in support of a fundraising activity for CF Soldier On and Military Families Fund, which assist Canadian Forces personnel and their families. Last year’s event raised close to $60,000.

Of the 18 members of RMC Saint-Jean team, nine participated in the five-kilometre run and nine in the half-marathon, a 21 km event. The officer cadets were very successful with some great times being set in all categories. Every member of the RMC Saint-Jean team challenged themselves to push their limits of physical and mental endurance, giving their 100%. These officer cadets are proud of what they accomplished.

Three officer cadets from RMC Saint-Jean took on the extra challenge of running the half-marathon with the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) mask. They displayed great physical and mental endurance as well as strong determination and crossed the finish line with a time of 2:22:17. This additional challenge was a way for these officer cadets to show their strength of mind, stamina and perseverance.

The officer cadets of the RMC Saint-Jean team were all very proud to have been given the opportunity to represent the College at such an important and meaningful event. Running alongside the military members and civilians from across Canada made them experience the Canadian Forces’ esprit de corps and the comradeship between civilians and military members.

-20805 Brian Timothy Meloche, (RMC 1997) – 37, of Dartmouth, formerly of Wolfville, quietly passed away in Dartmouth General Hospital after a longtime illness on Sunday, September 20, 2009. Born on March 16, 1972, he was a son of Sandy Helmkay and Terry Meloche. Brian was a generous, caring man and a loyal friend who touched the lives of many. His passions were music, swimming and running, the pursuit of and sharing of knowledge, and the Montreal Canadiens. He was a graduate of Horton High School (1990) and the Royal Military College of Canada. He pursued his love of science, earning a BSc in Physics and Space Science with a minor in psychology. He served in the Royal Canadian Navy for 11 years as a Canadian Forces Officer (1990-2002) and is a lifetime member of the Royal Military College Club of Canada Alumni Association. He worked in Human Services for six years as an addiction counsellor. Brian was also a volunteer running coach and tutor at Phoenix House. He is survived by his parents; sister, Kimberley (Steven) Ball; brother, Kevin (Kaori); sister, Michelle (Wade) Deering. He will also be missed by feline companion, Pandora. He was predeceased by his godfather, Al Patrick Brian. The family offers special thanks to the Palliative Care Unit on 3 East at Dartmouth General Hospital. Cremation has taken place. Memorial donations may be made to Parker Street Food Bank.

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Colonel C. Sydney Frost

A celebration of the life of Colonel C. Sydney Frost who died on August 6th, 2009 in Victoria, will be held on October 3rd, 2009 in Toronto.
http://www.mccallbros.com/col-charles-sydney-frost-jr/

Location: Royal Canadian Military Institute
Address: 426 University Avenue, Toronto ON
Time: 1500 hours

PPCLI Regional Representatives – please advise your respective Patricia networks. I am working with the Colonel of the Regiment to coordinate the possible attendance of our Colonel in Chief. Formal RSVPs are not required, but I politely request that you advise me of any intentions to attend. Should Madame Clarkson be able to attend, I will ensure that she is aware of our Regimental representation.

Regards,
VP

J.M. Bird
Major
Regimental Major
Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry
Regimental Headquarters
PO Box 10500, Stn Forces
Edmonton, AB T5J 4J5
jeff.bird@forces.gc.ca
Telephone: 780-973-4011 extension 5459
Mobile: 780-934-8759
Facsimile: 780-973-1613

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Dear friends,

On behalf of the Birch-Jones family, it is with sadness that we inform you of the death of our father, RCNC 102 Peter Birch-Jones, on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009 after a short struggle with cancer. He died peacefully in the Palliative Care Unit at the Nanaimo General Hospital, surrounded by the love of his family. His obituary can be found online at:

http://www.legacy.com/CAN-Victoria/Obituaries.asp?Page=Notice&PersonID=133501186

Although we miss Dad and Sonia terribly, we also know that they left us all many wonderful memories.

As we will be closing out this email account shortly, should you wish to respond to the family you may reach them c/o Jennifer Birch-Jones at jb-jconsulting@magma.ca. Apologies for any duplication.

Jennifer Birch-Jones