On the Road | Media in the Military

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Day 9 – Going Home

March 28, 2012

I wake up in a freezer. It’s the first time since on exercise I’ve ever been cold waking up. The warehouse isn’t heated and with such a large building, the more than 150 bodies inside didn’t make a difference. We pack up and grab breakfast. Everyone is asking me what I thought about the exercise […]

Snow route: ARCG soldiers use snowmobiles to move in Arctic

March 28, 2012

Three hundred kilometres, four feet of snow, two soldiers, one sled – that was the reality for soldiers from the Arctic Response Company Group (ARCG) during a ten day move for Exercise ARCTIC RAM 12. The ARCG (reservists from 38 Canadian Brigade Group) used Light Over Snow Vehicles (LOSV) to travel tactically from Yellowknife to Gameti in […]

Day 8 – With eyes watching

March 27, 2012

Last night is the first time I have trouble sleeping. At 0300 Master Corporal Mistelbacher wakes everyone up and as it is with an early reveille, things move quickly. The morale is high; it’s the last big day of the ex, but we still have one huge task to push through. We gear up to […]

Day 5 – Hearts and minds

March 13, 2012

“Reveille, reveille, reveille!” sings Master Corporal Alex Swaan from the fart sack beside me. Even though I’ve never used it for farting, that’s what the troops call a sleeping bag out in the field. It’s 0400, time to get up and go for the final push to Gameti. We’re given exactly five minutes to eat […]

Day 4 – Relief, in place

March 12, 2012

It’s weird waking up and not striking down a tent. Master Corporal Lee Mistelbacher, our section leader, left early this morning for the 15 minute ride north to Gameti; to see where and how the relief in place (RIP) would work. “We replace [the PPCLI soldiers] one section at a time,” explained MCpl Alex Swaan. […]

Day 3 – Baby Monkey

March 11, 2012

There’s so much snow everywhere. I honestly didn’t think I’d ever find snowfall beautiful. But during the night, the sky placed a thin layer of snow over our tents and kit. We leave our rucksacks outside, with our parkas overtop – keeping our coats inside the warm tent creates moisture on the jacket which freezes […]

Day 2 – Two platoon, two section

March 10, 2012

Sometimes four hours of sleep feels like winning the lottery. I wake up and eat my first rations meal of this trip. Individual Meal Packs (IMPs) are the staple in the field, and while I’ve had them before – this time my beans and sausage breakfast is hot and far tastier. The tent has two […]