Category: COMMUNITY
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Consider Wearing a Poppy
November 11th is Remembrance Day here in Canada. Other countries recognize this day as well and the point is the exact same: We stop and remember the men and woman who sacrificed their lives for the freedom we have today. We wear a red poppy over our hearts as a…
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Character Reference: Greg Clark
I’m not an outwardly political person. Putting a lawn sign up in my yard is an ‘aggressive political move’ for me, as it publicly expresses something I usually keep private. I’m often pretty quiet during an election process, but I feel compelled to write this character reference for Greg Clark,…
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Don’t Under Estimate Your Importance
The Canadian Olympic Men’s hockey team will take to the ice at 5:00 am Mountain Standard Time, Sunday February 23rd in the Gold medal game. As I’ve been asking around, I’m concerned to see that some people don’t plan to wake early and watch this game. I offer 3 reasons…
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Paratrooper For A Day: A Story of Legends
Originally posted on 09.23.13 On Friday, September 20th, ten of my friends and family (and I) went to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) in Edmonton to participate in an experience I’d bought at the Kids Cancer Care Foundation “Quest for the Cure” event. I purchased the package in competitive fashion (definitely…
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Paratrooper for a Day: How it Came to Be
Originally posted on 09.23.13 My wife Catherine has worked in the kids cancer discipline her entire career. She’s a modest girl, and deflects a lot of the ‘it takes a special person’ type comments that arise as people learn her profession…but her dedication and passion run deep. I’m proud of…
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Canadian Proud: The History of a Team
Originally posted on 09.25.13 Sergeant John Prior was our guide for our Paratrooper for a Day event. He’s a seasoned paratrooper (i.e. veteran) and respected leader (as we came to see through his interactions with his team). After donning borrowed fatigues, combat vests and being loaded down with supplies, John…
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It’s a Physical World
Originally posted on 09.25.13 “Fitness is our life — our life”. – Sergeant John Prior As we walked the halls and toured the unit’s history, we weren’t alone. On each side of us, soldiers made their way up and down the aisles flipping tires, doing deep squats with huge barbells…
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The Jump Suit – “There’s no such thing as ‘too tight’ in parachuting”…
Originally posted on 09.26.13 If you’re going to be a Paratrooper, you have to know how to jump out of an airplane – with a parachute and the rest of your gear. That’s fairly obvious, I suppose. But obvious doesn’t mean easy. The Paratroopers of 3PPCLI train endlessly for the…
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The Obstacle Course
Originally posted on 09.28.13 This “Paratrooper for a Day” event was moving from good to great! Following the success and elation of the jump tower, we moved on to our next activity, the obstacle course. Ever since I was a young boy, I’ve loved physical challenges of this nature. Obstacles courses…
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Walking with Weapons
Originally posted on 09.30.13 Following a delightful lunch of field rations…which were actually pretty good…we were given guns. C7 automatic rifles to be more accurate. It was just after noon, and I was now packing heat. And so the education continued. We were taught some pretty specific stuff about safety…
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The Firing Line
Originally posted on 10.02.13 One of the highlights about the Paratrooper for a Day event was the firing of live ammunition at the range. More than one group member said this was what they were looking forward to most while we drove up to Edmonton. It was now time! As…
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The Commute to Battle
Originally posted on 10.03.13 A LAV is a Light Armored Vehicle. It’s a cross between a tank and a turtle. It takes 2 highly skilled drivers to maneuver the beast, and the back compartment holds approximately 6 soldiers. As the back hatch closed on my group (we were split and…
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The Raid
Originally posted on 10.05.13 … the attack was on. As we moved down the embankment, through the long grass and thickets, one of our guys fired his weapon from the top of the gravel hill…to keep the enemy’s heads down. We moved far too slowly for my comfort (if someone…
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Final Reflections: Conclusion of Paratrooper for a Day
Originally posted on 10.07.13 I rode on top of the LAV on the way home, wind in my hair, day-dreaming and smiling. It was still loud as hell, but at least I wasn’t in a confined space. Our event was coming to an end, but I felt an incredible sense…
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A Community Guy
There is happiness and safety in friendship. It comes in so many different forms, sincerely. I’ve always been a community guy. I grew up a member of Calgary’s Glencoe Club, lucky enough to be born into the place. I’ve played badminton since I was 3. I’ve lived all but 8…
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