Ranger

The

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Instruction * Training * Information

Winter 2010
The Newsletter of the 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group

NEW PATROL TRAINING The community has also born the mark and seen the
La Ronge Patrol DP1 passage of the explorers and traders of legends such as
AB/SK Detachment McKenzie and Pond. La Ronge is situated on the
By WO Gilliard southwest shore of the lake that gives the town its
name. The lake is a major tributary to the Churchill
4 CRPG’s newest patrol opened in La Ronge, SK, in River system. Historically, La Ronge has been a travel-
October. lers’ crossroads, a trading outpost, a missionary settle-
ment, a fishery center, a home to bush pilots and the
Selecting the location can be challenging. It is impor- province’s water bomber fleet, as well as a tourist mag-
tanto ensure that the location will prove to be viable, net.
and allow for suc-
cess for all in- The Aboriginal
volved. After sev- forefathers have left
eral recce’s while their legacy in and
on exercise with on the people of La
Wollaston Lake and Ronge and many
Fond Du Lac pa- other northern cen-
trols, La Ronge was ters, while the early
chosen as the most trappers, traders and
likely location to fit explorers have had
all of the required their names attached
criteria. to the geography of
many of the locales
La Ronge is the and also to many of
largest community the surnames of the
in northern Sas- DP1 Staff and Students of 4 CRPG’s newest patrol, La Ronge. present day popula-
katchewan, located tion. Pride in the
approximately 250km north of Prince Albert. It has area’s history, heritage, and culture runs deep within
over 3500 people residing in the town itself and about the community. When the first European trader/
2000 people on the adjacent First Nations lands of the explorers reached the area, they learned an in-depth
Lac La Ronge Indian Band, plus around 1000 people awareness of the natural resources and the geography
residing in the bordering settlement of Air Ronge. of the region from the locals. They would also have
seen that this was a country that had long been a center
This dynamic, evolving community has a history and of civilization, culture, and tradition, as indicated by
prehistory that encompasses the trials, triumphs and the pictographs that dot the shorelines of the
tribulations of the Cree-speaking First Nations people adjoining Churchill River and lakeshore
who have lived here for innumerable generations. outcroppings.

FOURTH CANADIAN RANGER PATROL GROUP

After week of meetings with the Town Council, Band
Council, RCMP and the general public, advertising and
recruiting began in La Ronge. The word was spread
through TV, radio ads and interviews, as well 1200 mail-
out flyers sent to every address in the community.
Day one of the training saw our new Canadian Rangers
learning the basics of the Rangers and JCR’s in the
morning, with the rest of the day spent learning the Lee
Enfield rifle in preparation for the next day on the range.

October 18-22 saw our Detachment Commander, Detach- The range day went well. It was meant to be a Lee En-
ment Sergeant Major, two clerks and myself conducting field familiarization, so after the weapons handling test
briefings and recruiting. Warrant Officer McNicol, MCpl
Revet and I then returned to do more briefings and re-
cruiting the following week. With the DP1 (the basic Ca-
nadian Ranger course) set to start Oct 30th, we had our
work cut out for us to ensure that all background checks
(CPICs) and enrolment forms where completed. Our hard
work paid off with a final result of 22 new Canadian
Rangers (CRs) being recruited.

AB/SK Det Comd presents course certificates.

all Rangers had the opportunity to fire up to 50 rounds.

On parade: La Ronge DP1 get ready for their grad.
The DP1 commenced on the 30th as planned and contin-
ued until Nov 9th. On weekends the training ran from
0900hrs to 2000hrs. During the week, to accommodate
the work schedule, training went from 1800 to 2200hrs.
This is longer than the 6 days allotted for a Ranger DP1,
however it allowed for us to conduct a field exercise,
which would encompass GPS, navigation, and search and
rescue (SAR), besides the usual classroom training on
these topics. Many thanks to WO John McNicol for re-
maining in La Ronge, to assist with the instruction and to
do a lot of the computer work for us.
The remainder of the week saw the Rangers completing
the theory classes and preparing for the field exercise.
Most of the participants had no problem with the navi-
gation and GPS classes, as most of them work for the
Province and this skill set is a necessity in their jobs.
Once all of the training was completed, all that remained
was the final prep for the graduation parade. The Patrol
Commander having to learn the drill commands made
for hours of enjoyment for the instructors. Of course, as
always the Rangers seem to pull all the movements to-
gether and were able to display a fine example of preci-
sion, Ranger Drill.

The oldest building in Saskatchewan. This Church

was built in 1854 and is Located in Stanley Mission,
approx 60 Km from La Ronge.

On the range: Introduction to the .303.

2
 Well, it is that time
again, and I am – as
usual – past the due
date for my submis-
sion to our Newslet-
ter Editor, Canadian
Ranger, Stacy Par-
sons. I keep telling
myself that I need to
get these dates into
my "Outlook" cal-
endar, so I can get
CO’s CORNER regular reminders to
LCol T.C Byers, MSM, CD keep me on track.
As I write this it is late January the colours of fall have
been replaced by the drab grey colours of a Vancouver
Island winter. I should not complain, as the balmy +8
degrees outside seems a whole lot better than the -20’s
that most of the country is suffering through, even though
the warmer temperatures usually come with a big helping
of West Coast rain, but spring is right around the corner
and there is always lots to do.
When I think back over what has happened since the last
time I had a chance to sit down to write, the largest thing
that jumps out at me is the receiving of the Western Spirit
DVD’s. Many of you should have already received a
copy of this excellent product, and while it was a long
time in coming, I am certainly very satisfied with the fin-
ished product, which was very professionally done. We
received 250 copies for the whole Group and I have di-
rected that everyone who participated in Exercise West-
ern Spirit should receive copies, including all those who
conducted the Reces's and provided the support. As well,
we are trying to keep some copies for public affairs items
to be given out to VIP’s and community leaders.
That being said, we have already identified that we do not
have enough copies, but I will be getting a second batch
produced in the new fiscal year to make up for that short
fall. Please remember that we now have over 900 Cana-
dian Rangers and 600 JCR’s within 4 CRPG so not eve-
ryone who was not associated with the exercise will get
one, but if you are interested in watching the production –
and I hope you are, it can be viewed on our website at
any time at http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/4crpg/archives/
ews/documentary_en.asp [or Google “4 CRPG” and the
link is at the top of the front page].
4 CRPG continues to conduct outstanding training in
each of the four western provinces, from individual patrol
exercise to multi-patrol exercises and collective training
events. We have had several Regular Force and Primary
3
Reserve units and personnel come out to train with us
over the past several months and we will continue to see
an increase in this over the years to come. Our Basic Wil-
derness Survival Training (BWST) sessions continue to
be a hit with other units and we will be meeting in April
to ensure that we are delivering the best product we can,
while also beginning to look at more advanced wilderness
survival training events.
By the time you receive this newsletter, I will also have
attended two additional important events: patrol training
in Pouce Coupe, BC, which will be visited by Brigadier
General O'Brien from the Canadian Ranger National Au-
thority (CRNA), plus Exercise Northern Bison, which is a
very large multi-unit winter exercise conducted by 38
Canadian Brigade Group (CBG) near Churchill, MB. This
event will see our Canadian Rangers act as guides and
winter specialist for both the Regular Force and Primary
Reserve.
I have recently approved each of the Provincial Detach-
ment's training plans and budgets for next Fiscal Year,
including the JCR’s and I can tell you that I am excited
for what next year will bring. We have over 130 separate
training events planned for next year and numerous op-
portunities for each of you to get out and learn new skills
while having an excellent time. I look forward to seeing
everyone on the land, or here in Victoria.
Until Next Time: "Tell the truth about what you see and
what you do. There is an army depending on us for cor-
rect information. You can lies all you please when you tell
other folks about the Rangers, but don't never lie to a
Ranger or Officer. – Standing Orders, Rogers Rangers –
Major Robert Rogers - 1759
The is a quarterly publication produced by 4 CRPG
Ranger Headquarters with Spring, Summer, Fall, and
Winter issues. The Ranger is issued by author-
ity of the Commanding Officer of the 4th Canadian Patrol
Group.
Editor: Ranger Stacy Parsons, AB/SK Det
Managing Editor: Capt Russ Meades, DCO 4 CRPG
All submissions are gratefully received via the Chain of
Command. The Managing Editor reserves the right, on be-
half of the Commanding Officer, to include, omit, or other-
wise alter submitted articles and other materials or parts
thereof as deemed necessary and to edit for grammatical
correctness, readability, technical accuracy, and good taste.
4 CRPG HEADQUARTERS -
Adjutant to Receive MMM
Captain Shannon Wills, 4 CRPG’s Adjutant, will make a
special trip to Ottawa in March 2011 to be inducted into the
Order of Military Merit (ORMM) at the rank of Member.
Capt Wills receives this award for her many years of singu-
larly dedicated service to the Canadian Forces. 4 CRPG’s
CO, LCol Tim Byers, announced the award at the head-
quarters staff Christmas dinner in Victoria in December.
Captain Wills started life in uniform in the Cadets in the
early 1980’s and joined the Canadian Forces as a part-time
soldier in 1986, serving initially as an MSE Operator
(Driver). Her association with 4 CRPG began 1993 when
she changed trades to Administrative Clerk and started
helping the (then) “Canadian Rangers (Pacific)” as the
Chief Clerk. By 1995, Capt Wills (then a Master Corporal)
was employed out of trade as the unit’s sole stores person,
supporting all of BC’s remote patrols as well as the instruc-
tors and staff.
Captain Wills was the top scoring candidate on every
course she took from basic Training to her Senior Leaders
Course. She was promoted to Sergeant in 1999 and returned
to the position of Chief Clerk. She was promoted to War-
rant Officer in 2001. Twice recommended for the Commis-
sioning from the Ranks program (in 2002 and 2004), only a
lack of officer positions in the unit denied her. In March
2003, Capt Wills formally transferred to 4 CRPG and be-
came the Group Superintendant Chief Clerk (GSC). She
was promoted to Master Warrant Officer that same year.
In August 1999, the Chief of Land Staff (Army Com-
mander) approved 4 CRPG’s new personnel structure and
Capt Wills received her Commission and promotion to
Captain in December of that year.
A little-known fact about Capt Wills is that in addition to
her impressive administrative talents, she is also an expert
rifle shot. She attended the Canadian Forces Small Arms
Competition (CFSAC) in Ottawa in 1989 and won the
Queen’s Medal for Reserves and RCMP. She then went on
to represent Canada as part of the Canadian Forces Shoot-
ing Team at the international shooting competition in Bis-
ley, England and personally won the Green Jackets Cham-
pionship. She attended CFSAC again in 1994 with impres-
sive results.
Upon receiving her award from the Governor General, Capt
Wills will be authorized to place the letters, MMM, after
her name. Congratulations to Captain Wills on a job very
well done!
4
Note from the Editor
Happy New Year to all Staff and Rangers of 4 CRPG
Ranger Parsons
Although by the time you read this article the New Year
will already be in full swing, I am writing for the first
News Letter of 2011. As the fiscal year draws to a close
at the end of March and the new one looms on the hori-
zon, I think back over my short tenure so far as your edi-
tor. This will be the third newsletter that I have worked
on. I will admit that I was a little nervous about the idea
of taking on this task; however, the CO and staff have
assured me that they are pleased with my work so far.
With that in mind, I look forward to having the opportu-
nity to attend more Detachment exercises, enhancing my
storytelling ability and meeting more Canadian Rangers.
BC Det’s field Headquarters during survival training
near Windy Point, BC - October 2010
In October, I had the opportunity to attend my first offi-
cial training event as the editor. Ironically, that visit was
to BC Detachment’s Basic Wilderness Survival Training
(BWST). My very first exercise as a Canadian Ranger
was also during wilderness survival training, held in
Peace River, Alberta. So, as I write this I also look back
and remember my own experience.
October 2010 saw BC Det very busy with many multi-
patrol exercises.
Among these
events was their
BWST held at
Windy Point, south
of McKenzie, com-
bined with an ATV
mobility exercise
starting at Vander-
hoof.
Hungry ATVer’s enjoy a break
The mobility exercise was a carefully coordinated event
led by Warrant Officer Patterson, which saw a large ATV
convoy snake its way from Vanderhoof, pass near Fort St.
James, and pause just long enough at the survival training
location near McKenzie to eat and rest, before heading
back. An excellent example of our Canadian Rangers
dominating their Area of Operations (AO).
The Commanding
Officer (LCol
Byers) and Group
Sergeant Major
(Chief Warrant
Officer Ames) took
part in the first two
days of the ATV
exercise, then they
flew by helicopter
to visit the survival
training at Windy Ranger Teresa Short teaches
Point. snaring to the troops
BC’s five-day Basic Wilderness Survival Training ca-
tered to 24 Regular Force and Primary Reserve soldiers
from across the spectrum of Army trades. Ten carefully-
selected Canadian Rangers provided the instruction and
two Rangers assisted in a support role with logistics. The
A blurry view from the helicopter of the CO,
DCO and their guide on horse back.
training was commanded by Captain Meades, 4 CRPG’s
Deputy Commanding Officer, who was assisted by BC
Det’s Sergeant Major (Master Warrant Officer Fozzard),
with Warrant Officer O’Connor providing instruction and
co-ordination. Master Corporal Routledge ran the stores
and all of the logistics. There were two CP (Command
Post) locations; a main rear CP and a forward smaller
CP ,which was important as this allowed for quick access
to the students’ survival sites. A helicopter was also on
call for emergencies and to provide air observation train-
ing as background activity. The aircraft was a big hit with
the Rangers who had the opportunity to fly and experi-
5
ence how difficult it can be to find someone lost in the
woods from 500 feet or more above the tree canopy.
After a charter flight from Vancouver and a bus ride from
McKenzie, the trainees duly arrived at Windy Point,
shepherded by WO O’Connor. Administration and safety
briefings were followed by a late supper and a lecture on
survival psychology, after which the troops were paired
up for an early night under their issued ponchos in the
bush nearby.
Up before first
light, the training
day consisted of
instruction on
shelter building,
snares & trapping,
foraging, signal
fires, bear aware-
ness (including a
live shotgun fa-
miliarization
range), and dis-
patching and pre-
paring animals for Rgr Cowan discusses tips with
food. Early the Cpls Wong & Goulitehenko
next morning the
candidates were searched for any contraband (i.e. extra
food, cigarettes, and anything else deemed unnecessary
by MWO Fozzard) and put into pairs with someone they
didn’t know. They were then taken to twelve different
sites to begin the task of setting up their survival areas.
Rangers and staff visited the sites infrequently throughout
the exercise to assess progress and offer helpful hints and
advice on ways of improving the candidates’ camps.
After a two-hour drive from Prince George, I arrived at
the survival training headquarters on day two. It was a
great experience to watch that group of Rangers together
and see them share ideas among themselves while teach-
ing others. The candidates clearly realized that Rangers
are very unique and strong individuals with their own
way of doing things. The “oh yeah’s” and “I never
thought of doing that,” came from both soldiers and
Rangers alike.
The soldiers evidently understood that the Rangers have
vast experience with many ways to survive and live in the
wilderness and that it would be difficult to put into a
day’s training what the Rangers had been doing all of
their lives. Nevertheless, the emphasis was on the basics
and each of the soldiers absorbed the necessary elements
of the training. The interaction and vast pool of knowl-
edge among the Rangers also brought them quickly to-
gether to work as a team, sharing ideas, learning from one One of the most important tips always provided by Rang-
another and enjoying what they do. ers was the importance of keeping busy. The mind has a
tendency to wander and focus on things that a person may
The element of surprise was a great starter on the morn- not have worried about before. One of the male soldiers,
ing of the final exercise. Kit lists were previously issued who had significant experience being away from home,
with the joining instructions, so any items not on the list nevertheless admitted that even though he kept himself
were taken away, after busy by collecting wood and foraging for edible plants,
which the students were he found that with nothing to distract him and all the
paired up with a quiet time in the bush, he often thought of his little girl at
stranger, which made home and could not wait to get back to see her. He real-
any pre-planning useless. ized just how much he missed her. A valuable personal
For one or two students, lesson regarding the psychology of survival.
the training was some-
thing of a refresher of In the after action report (AAR), many participants said
previous experience and they wished that the training could be extended with more
knowledge, but for most stands and more depth over a longer period (two days of
it was all entirely new. instruction instead of one). Some of the soldiers said they
would have liked to see more information on how to bet-
Tips from Rangers in- ter identify the best-burning wood, food identification
cluded using magnesium Rangers Krueger & Kris- (what they could and should not eat) and the best places
blocks to light fires, tiansen demonstrate how to to find the it, and how to identify such things as active
making trench fires, im- building a signal fire squirrel areas. Perhaps they’ll have to return for the en-
prove shelters, utilizing hanced training!
the reflective survival blankets in different ways - like
putting them under the pine bough beds or overhead. By the end of the training, after three nights in a simu-
There were tips on the different ways to use the wire saw lated survival situation, all participants had used the skills
and the best way to use it. Most were surprised to realize they’d learned to good effect and had a great time doing
just how much firewood is actually needed for a night and it. Many are very interested in returning for an advanced
the amount of pine boughs it takes to make a shelter. course, while a few others, though they were happy to
Many had never built a signal fire before, so tips on the have had the experience, just hoped they would never
best ways to en- have to sleep on another pine bed.
sure that it lit fast,
were very helpful. Thanks to the permanent staff of 4 CRPG’s BC Det and
all of the Rangers from Mackenzie, Vanderhoof and other
Other tips in- patrols who worked so well together to make this a great
cluded, laying survival training event.
your kit out for
easy access so you
can find it in the
dark, to learning
about the lichen,
roots and which
mushrooms could
(and perhaps more
importantly can- MCpl Scarisbrick and Ranger
not) be eaten. One Kean in their newly-made home!
particular soldier
was very grateful
in learning the most important use of moss when he real-
ized he’d run out of toilet paper. All of the participants
were found enjoying different tea’s made with rosehips,
fungus, and spruce for flavor. No pink elephants were A sense of humour can be a great help!
reported!

6
BASIC WILDERNESS SURVIVALTRAINING
BC Detachment
(E-mail from Sgt Rob Backus, Seaforth Highlanders
of Canada (Vancouver), to WO O’Connor of BC Det).
I just want to drop you a
note to thank you and the
Rangers for putting on a
great a training session.
I serve in a reserve infan-
try regiment, Seaforth
Highlanders, and have
always been interested in this training. Like many people
I have read the books/manuals and watched the TV shows
and training DVDs, but I anticipated that it would not be
the same in real time.
Prior to this course I had never had any exposure to the
Canadian Rangers. To be honest, most thought that it was
just a bunch of northerner’s that cruised around on snow-
mobiles with Lee-Enfield's, but had no idea how they fit
in with the “Army”. Thanks to this course, I now under-
stand and deeply appreciate the role that they fulfill. My
comments for next time we do our Arctic training will
include, “Where is our Ranger support?”
The course/exercise that the group provided met all my
expectations. The Rangers that taught us were knowl-
edgeable in their crafts, and conveyed the material to us
in a meaningful and respectful manner. After the training
with them I was completely confident for the “survival/
field” portion of the training. This is where my survival
partner and myself really began to appreciate what effort
is required for the multitude of tasks you need to con-
sider, and the priority in which to begin your work.
The support that the Rangers and CRPG staff provided
throughout the training was excellent and the materials
that we where given to work with were appropriate.
Again, I would like to thank you and would like to attend
other courses/training hosted by the CRPG as it is top
rate.
Best regards.
7
EXERCISE “FEARLESS WOLVERINE”
Manitoba Detachment
By Rgr Wanda Huff
On October 15 2010, 24 Junior Rangers from Snow Lake
and Lynn Lake experienced a weekend of Basic Wilder-
ness Survival on Exercise Fearless Wolverine, which was
hosted by the Lynn Lake Canadian Rangers and held in
the Lynn Lake area. The Lynn Lake Canadian Rangers
had five skills stations set up for the JCRs to participate
in as a quick refresher: improvised shelters, signal fire
construction, tool handling and safety, food & water, and
fire starting (from a flint).
Upon completion of the stands, the JCR’s were divided
into their survival teams, dropped off at their designated
survival site and given their limited supplies. Each team
were given an axe, a sealed bag of “scavenged” items and
two tarps. Each JCR was issued half a military sleeping
bag (either the inner or outer), a ration, a bottle of water
and a sleeping mat. They also had their personal pack
which was restricted to minimal kit. All JCRs started with
the same equipment. Tarps and mats were provided as it
was discovered that spruce boughs were quite limited in
the area. Each JCR camp had a designated Canadian
Ranger who built their own shelters within visual range;
the Ranger was allowed to step in only when safety was
compromised but instructed to remain invisible.
Home, sweet home! It takes skill, experience, and
common sense to make bush-living look this easy!
All exercise participants were given the scenario: they
had been in a plane that had crash landed in the nearby
lake, the items provided were all that they managed to
scavenge from the crash site and surrounding area. Each
team selected a leader who would assist them in prioritiz-
ing their tasks and needs. Their “survival” commenced
late Friday afternoon with a light rain and they would be
“rescued” Sunday.
By evening it was clear that the girls had taken the lead
with well established shelters, roaring fires and wood
stocked for the night. The evening set in with a gorgeous
sunset and a calm demeanour but some time during the
night, that demeanour changed from a meditating guru to
a grouchy old man with an icy cold rage. The wind was
cold, damp, strong and unyielding, which accompanied a
thin white blanket of snow on the moss by morning.
JCRs show off the results of their hard work.
Needless to say the change in weather assisted the JCR’s
in motivation towards their survival scenarios: sharpening
their focus on starting a fire, collecting a LOT more wood
and reinforcing their shelters. Before the weekend ar-
rived, many JCR’s thought the days would be long and
boring with no TV, computers, iPods or video games to
pass the time; it was shortly discovered that time passed
quickly when planning the rationing of food, water col-
lection and purification, wood gathering for fire, rain/
wind proofing the shelters, attempts at fishing, berry col-
lecting, spear and weapon construction in hopes of small
game hunting.
The camps thrived and to be honest, I don’t know if they
would’ve accomplished as much or learned what they
did, if the weather would had remained as peaceful as it
began. The JCR’s surprised themselves and impressed
“Great job guys/girls, you continue to make us proud!”
8
Adult Committee members and Canadian Rangers alike.
We witnessed great leadership skills, effective team
work and successful and innovative problem solving.
Overall, morale was quite positive and determined.
The exercise was considered a great success and Snow
Lake would like to accept the challenge of returning the
favour and hosting another in our neck of the woods in
2011. Thank you Lynn Lake Canadian Rangers, you did a
great job and provided the JCR’s with great role models
and a future goal of what they can accomplish, if they try.
A special thank you to Sgt Dennis Holmes, Lynn Lake’s
Patrol Commander, for he and his fellow Rangers from
Lynn Lake shouldered the heavy responsibility of ensur-
ing the exercise’s success.
EXERCISE KAKWA FALLS
Grande Cache Ranger Patrol
AB/SK Detachment
By Ranger Jim Savory
“Rangers - This is not an Exercise!”
The Grande Cache Patrol of the Canadian Rangers had
been eyeing the Kakwa Falls area for a possible Search
and Rescue Exercise for some time and the Canadian
Military decided that this fall was the best time to achieve
their goals of an extended ATV excursion and a practice
of Search and Rescue skills. First, a recce (scouting pa-
trol) was needed to determine possible quad routes from
Grande Cache to the Kakwa falls. Patrol Commander
Rick Drummond had quaded to the Kakwa River from
town, and sledded around the Falls area, but a route be-
tween the two needed to be explored and mapped. In mid-
October Rangers Jim Savory and Denis Grenier accompa-
nied him on a Recce of the trails.
We drove a truck up to the Kakwa area towing a trailer
for the quads; it is a four to five hour trip by highway and
dirt roads. We took off on the quads after setting up our

Rugged terrain: Negotiating the Kakwa river by ATV
tent and headed down the trails. We soon discovered that
crossing the swamps presented unique challenges that
tested patience, equipment, and vocabularies!
There were times when all three quads were stuck in the
mud and we had to winch one before it could help the
others out. The Rangers kept trying different trails and
consulting maps until that decisive point where you are
near the halfway mark of your gas and a choice to pro-
ceed or return was needed. “Let’s push for town boys!”
was the cry and push we did to make Grande Cache after
a ten hour ride. We then returned the next day with an-
other truck to the site of our unused tent!
The Friday following Remembrance Day the Patrol con-
vened at 5:30am at the Ranger hall and were joined by
Warrant Officers Peters and McNicol, staff from the De-
tachment HQ. Four “tub” trailers would be pulled by
quads and driven or accompanied by Rangers Eric Dan-
Falls on the Kakwa River.
denault, Lonnie Rae Preston, Dominic LaCroix, Mark
MacFadden, Glen Phillips, Selena Hewitt, Gilles Grioux,
and the three from the Recce.
The first challenge arose quickly when a wheel rim was
bent only an hour into the journey. Two Rangers made a
speedy return to town and then joined with the rest of the
9
patrol at the Kakwa River.
Much to the surprise of the all, ice dams had altered the
nature and depth of various river and creek crossings. It
was more challenging then weeks before and quads slid
or got stuck a number of times. In fact, ice became a con-
tinuous challenge the second half of the trip. Quads with
trailers were winched slowly up icy slopes and quads slid
and jack-knifed numerous times.
It was dark when tired Rangers tackled the last icy stretch
of the day’s journey. Quads slid down hills that were
smooth with glare ice. Ranger Grioux slid sideways and
caught an edge, instantly tumbling the quad on its side
and throwing Gilles on to the unyielding ice. Our Patrol
medic Ranger MacFadden was quickly on scene assess-
ing and administering the injured comrade. Slowly and
painfully Gilles was put on a quad and driven tenderly the
remaining kilometers to Sherman Meadows for a STARS
Air Ambulance pick-up. These actions were conducted
exactly as briefed during orders. It just goes to show the
need and value of planning!
The quads lit up a landing site and all Rangers shared the
tasks until our member was safely aboard the helicopter
and whisked off to Grande Prairie and further medical
care. Nearing midnight, the rest of the Patrol set up camp
and determined that the Search and Rescue drill would
not need to be performed the next day, as all rose to the
occasion of the real thing.
STARS Air Ambulance
Ranger Giroux had successful surgery on his broken col-
larbone/ribs and returned to Grande Cache within days,
while the rest of the Patrol had returned to town on the
Sunday by trucks and trailers. It was a trying experience
for all, but as Commander Drummond stated - all Rangers
chipped in and performed professionally and competently
as a team.
BIOGRAPHY – Capt R. A. (Russ) Meades
Deputy Commanding Officer
4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group
Captain Russ Meades was born in Abingdon (or
“Abendun” as the Romans called it in AD 70) in the
Royal County of Berkshire, England in June 1962. He
was schooled at Tarelton and Penwortham in Lancashire.
He joined the Territorial Army in London in July 1981
and in 1982 was posted to the 2nd Battalion the Wessex
Regiment (Volunteers), which was then a resident air-
mobile infantry unit of 5 Airborne Brigade (now 16 Air
Assault Brigade). Captain Meades served primarily in 2
Wessex’s D and B Companies as a rifleman, machine-
gunner, section 2i/c, section commander, platoon ser-
geant, and acting Company Quartermaster Sergeant
(CQMS). He served for a year as an instructor in the Bat-
talion Training Wing and he was the acting Platoon Com-
mander of 10 Platoon in 1989. He also qualified as an
instructor in Small Arms, Physical Training, Unarmed
Combat, and Mountaineering and served in Germany,
France, Cyprus, and the U.S.
His first trip to Canada was in 1988 to teach climbing to
the British Army in Jasper, Alberta. He met his wife
while on leave in Edmonton and immigration (and attach-
ment to the Calgary Highlanders as a British soldier) fol-
lowed in 1990. Captain Meades enrolled into the Cana-
dian Forces and the Calgary Highlanders as a Warrant
Officer in January 1991.
As a Calgary Highlander, Capt Meades served as Train-
ing Warrant Officer, Platoon Warrant Officer, Company
Sergeant-Major and Quarter Master Sergeant Instructor
(QMSI), before being appointed as Acting Regimental
Sergeant Major in August 1996. He was confirmed as
RSM and promoted to Chief Warrant Officer in February
1997. Highlights from his tenure as RSM included a pri-
vate audience with Her Majesty the Queen at Bucking-
ham Palace in May 1998 and being tasked as RSM of the
Reserve Battle Group during the Land Forces Western
Area (LFWA) exercise in Wainwright that same year.
10
In May 2000, Capt Meades received his commission and
was promoted to Captain. He served for a year as a rifle
platoon commander in the Calgary Highlanders, and then
between 2001 and 2007 he commanded B Company, A
Company, and HQ Company. He attended the Light In-
fantry Company Commander Course in Valcartier in
2003 and the Militia Command and Staff Course in King-
ston in 2004. Captain Meades also served full-time as the
officer in charge of the LFWA Training Standards De-
tachment for Alberta from 2004 to 2007.
In July 2007 Capt Meades was selected as the full-time
Operations Officer for the 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol
Group (4 CRPG), headquartered in Victoria, British Co-
lumbia. He was appointed Deputy Commanding Officer
of 4 CRPG in May 2009 and shortly afterwards trans-
ferred his Regimental affiliation from the Calgary High-
landers to the Royal Westminster Regiment. He com-
manded the 460-member British Columbia Detachment
of 4 CRPG from April to November of 2010 while the
incumbent was on UN duties in the Sudan.
In his civilian capacity, Captain Meades graduated from
the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology in 1994 with
an Honours Diploma in Journalism, after which he was a
legal editor with Carswell Publishing from 1994 to 1997.
From 1997 he was a technical editor with Valmet, a
global oil and gas automation company, and then ran the
company’s Technical Publications Department from 2003
to 2004 when he accepted a full-time military position.
Captain Meades is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He
shoots well with practice, but plays guitar equally poorly
whether he practices or not. His other pastimes include
physical training, avoiding renovations, and attempting to
keep his motorcycle upright.
He is married to Melanie and they live north of Victoria
with their two teenage sons, Jake and Brock.
The CO presents Capt Meades with his CD1 dur-
ing survival training near McKenzie, Oct 2010
WHO WANTS TO GO TO RESOLUTE?
AB/SK Detachment
By Ranger Ray Toews
Who wants to go to Resolute? Where the heck is Resolute
- way up in the high arctic! Up went my hand, I'll go!
Never one to pass on an adventure I didn't give it much
thought. One of the big advantages to being in the Cana-
dian Rangers is the opportunity to see and do things not
available to most people. Orders received, kit list drawn,
and it was off to the arctic for three weeks in Aug.
August on the beach...the Arctic beach, that is!
A little bit of research on the Internet gave info on what I
was in for. Op Nanook is an annual sovereignty exercise
conducted by the Canadian Forces. In 2009 it had been in
Iqaluit and this year it was a combined exercise with the
Canadian Coast Guard. Various units would go into the
arctic to do their patrols and training, while the Coast
Guard would conduct an exercise to clean up an oil spill.
They are tasked with cleaning up "small" spills left by
ships, while the Department of Environment is responsi-
ble for the big spills if one should ever occur. Op Teller-
utite was a simulated spill of 5000 liters of diesel fuel
from a tanker which had run aground and the slick was
heading for Resolute Bay.   ronto there, too, as camp security. They had weapons but
Our job would be to prevent it or clean it up. Arriving in
Yellowknife the night before, the next morning I was on
board a First Air ATR twin turboprop. Already things
looked different, 18 seats at the back of the plane and the
front half partitioned off for cargo gives one the idea that
passenger-carrying is only part of the job up here.
The City of Yellowknife is not much different than my
home in Fort Vermilion. The trees are smaller and there
are lots of rocks and water, but otherwise it felt pretty
familiar. A couple of hours north of Yellowknife we
11
landed in Cambridge Bay. From 30,000 ft you can't see a
whole lot of features other than there is a LOT of water in
the north. Cambridge Bay is not like anything I have seen
before. No trees, no grass... just gravel. This is why they
call it the Barrens and we were only half way there!
After taking on some fuel and swapping a few passengers
we are off again, a couple of hours further north. As we
flew in over the Northwest Passage I could visualize the
explorers who had plied these waters. Resolute is on the
southern tip of Cornwallis Island. I thought, “Just a cou-
ple of islands and a bit of water and you are at the North
Pole. You can almost see it from here.” Well, actually we
were only half way to the pole, the north is BIG. Up to
now I had been just another guy, albeit in a red hoody,
but life had been normal, civilians all around us, flight
attendants, etc. Getting off the plane I was met by four
guys in CADPAT and there are green and yellow air-
planes all over with lots of people in green uniforms. I
thought, “I've landed in a war zone.”
A whirlwind tour followed:. “Here's the bathrooms.
Here's the mess tent. This is the tent you will be sleeping
in and that is your cot. Get settled in and we eat in shifts,
so don't miss it.”
The four other guys are curiously looking at this “snow
goose” that has been thrown in with them. They are from
all over the north. The nearest from Pond Inlet, 400 Km
away. There will be no walking home from here.
The tents for us to live in were just that... tents, with
wooden floors. And despite having a wonderfully effi-
cient heater to keep us warm, it was difficult to sleep with
100 KPH winds beating and flapping the tent all night. A
pair of ear plugs fixed that problem and the rest of the
time I slept like a hibernating bear. I spent a couple of
days hanging around getting the routine. I even get to do
some duty time... Predator Patrol.
There were a bunch of young reserve soldiers from To-
no ammo. Only the Rangers were tasked with live ammo
for bears, etc.
The predator issue was taken very seriously, Polar Bears
will enthusiastically hunt and eat us if given the opportu-
nity. At first I have trouble taking it in until I asked some
of the local Rangers and they told me they to NEVER go
out on the land without a weapon, especially this time of
year. In summer, the ice pack where the bears hunt is way
offshore, but now the bears are on the land. There was
nothing for them to eat here. Not a lot of seals on the is-
land, so if you’re a really hungry bear, a guy in a green
uniform will do, even one in a red hoody will fit the bill.
After a few days the rest of the people straggled in. It
didn’t take long to realize that even the military with all
of their power and resources don't control timings here.
We spent a good bit of our time waiting for equipment
and personnel to arrive because it was fogged in some-
where. Even the Prime Minister had to wait it out.
The first day we were given a lecture on cold water sur-
vival. If you fall in without a life jacket the first problem
you have is getting your breath back and then you have 4
or 5 minutes before you muscles quit working and then
you drown. With a PFD you can live for about an hour
before serious hypothermia sets in. Hopefully someone
has pulled your shivering body out before then. The water
temp here is -3C.
After the usual delicious lunch it was down to the beach
to check out the spill kit. The Coast Guard was being very
proactive and was sighting a couple of sea cans of spill
equipment in each community. Interesting equip-
ment...not something I see a lot on the Alberta prairies,
but definitely will do the job. It has come a long way and
many lessons have been learned since the Exon Valdez
spill disaster.
The principle is simple: use a small boat to drag a floating
boom around the oil slick, then use absorbing mats or
skimmers to pick up the oil and dispose of it. There was a
bit of equipment to learn about, but it was not compli-
cated and the kit was very complete. We practiced setting
up pumps to wash oil off the beach back into the boom
enclosure and then deployed the skimmers to pick up the
oil. An interesting fact: when the Exon Valdez clean-up
was done in Alaska, some of the beaches were cleaned
with steamers. Now, twenty years later, those beaches are
sterile, but the ones not steam-cleaned have recovered.
After a week of lectures and beach exercise a new excite-
12
ment was spreading through camp: : “The brass is com-
ing.” The really bright brass, as it turned out. First the
Chief of Defence Staff shows up, and then the Minister of
National Defence (we all have our picture taken with
him). It seems everybody wants their picture taken with
the guys in the red hoodies.
Then the “big guy” himself shows up. We set up a dem-
onstration for the Prime Minister and are treated to a
flyby of a couple of our CF 18's accompanied by a tanker,
not something you see every day. As a pilot I am con-
scious of how far from home those guys are in a single
seat fighter. My closing sentiment: The rest of the world
pay attention. This up here is ours and we are very capa-
Ranger Ray Toews from Fort Vermilion, AB with4
CRPG with Prime Minister
CHURCHHILL REMEMBRANCE DAY
Manitoba Detachment
10-12 November 2010
By Cpl Adrian Halpert
When I was first informed that I would be going to Chur-
chill to attend a Remembrance Day parade, I was very
excited to experience the event in a new community,
apart from my regular attendance at Minto Armory. How-
ever, apart from the different locale, I really wasn’t ex-
pecting very much other then a small-town atmosphere
and a lot of snow on the ground. I was pleasantly sur-
prised beyond my expectations to say the least.
I met my trip mates at the airport in Winnipeg: Sgt Danny
Gosselin (our Chief Clerk), Capt Sandra Heidel (who
commands the Junior Canadian Ranger Det) and Capt
Nicole Starks. Our trip got off to a very exciting start
when we shared the plane ride up with George Stroum-
boulopoulos, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Raine Maida. Al-
though we didn’t really tended with readings of stories, poems and prayers. To-
talk to them on the wards the end of the ceremony, the wreaths were carried
flight, or were even sure up to the front one-by-one with a Canadian Ranger ac-
that it was them at that companying a Junior Canadian Ranger with each one.
point, the thought of Despite the weather, the staff and Rangers accompanied
local celebrities heading the RCMP in marching to the cenotaph to show our re-
to the same local as us spect. All-in-all, the parade itself was a great experience
peaked our interest. and it was great to see everyone come out to pay their
respects.
The first day we did a Cpl Halpert and
lot of site-seeing with George Stroumboulopoulos Although it was my first and only trip to Churchill so far,
the overall theme being it was one that definitely secured its position in my mind.
Capt Heidels’ quest to finally find a polar bear. It was her This is a community I will definitely be looking forward
third trip up to Churchill and she had yet to spot one. to visiting in the future.
Things were looking bleak again this trip, as we were told
by most that they might not be seen yet due to the mild
weather. Hopes for a sighting began to run low. That is
until we drove up to Brian’s land and spotted a white sil-
houette in the distance. We were greeted hospitably and
allowed to drive our little SUV, which most definitely did
not boast all the safety features of the Tundra Buggies, up
for a closer look. The passangers were filled with excite-
ment as we all snapped countless pictures. The comments
started with, “Wow. That’s a big bear,” coming from Sgt
Gosselin, and “Come here, boy” and whistles from Capt
Heidel to coax the bear closer, to “It’s coming too close, Churchill gathers for the 2010 Remembrance Day
roll the windows up quickly!” coming from myself. Ceremony at the Legion

We must have sat

there for over an hour
taking pictures before
we finally decided to
move on and do more
sight-seeing during
which we ran into
George and Chantal
and got to talk to
them a little bit and
of course confirmed
A hungry bear: Don’t let that that it was in fact
them and not our
casual, cuddly look fool you!
imagination running
wild.
The next day it was time to get down to business and ac-
complish the task we had come for. Fully attired in our
dress uniform, we all made our way down to the Legion
for the parade. With what looked like a blizzard of snow-
fall and winds, I couldn’t help but think that this is the
weather I was expecting, rather then the warmth of the
previous day. The parade itself was very well organized
and had high attendance of Canadian Rangers and Junior
Canadian Rangers, as well as community members. It
followed a similar fashion to previous parades I had at-
Did you know...
One general rule for axe usage is: “the smaller the axe,
the easier it is to injure yourself”?
The reason for this is that most people use axes in a
standing position. With a shorter axe it is easier to
strike the leg if the target is missed during the swing,
especially if you’re tired or during poor light condi-
tions. One way to avoid such an injury when using a
shorter axe is to simply kneel down. The axe is then
more likely to strike the ground rather than your shin
or foot. If using a chopping block to split kindling,
place the piece of wood to be split on the far side of
the block. If the axe misses the target, it will hit the
block instead swinging towards your leg. A smaller
axe is more easily packed in a rucksack and can be
See page
used with one or both hands, so it is often 19... in
preferred
the bush, but using this tool also requires more care.

13
BASIC WILDERNESS SURVIVAL TRAINING under the guidance of the Ptl Comd and the Ptl 2i/c, phase
High Level Patrol two was completed in about an hour and a half.
AB/SK Det
WO Mike Gilliard Now it was time to see what the groups had learned. They
were left on their own to select their survival area and
Rangers from the High Level Patrol conducted another begin the task of setting up and collecting firewood.
successful Basic Wilderness Survival Training (BWST
event 23 to 29 Nov, 2010. The Patrol planned and exe-
cuted the training, which saw 30 Soldiers from the Lord
Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) LdSH and 4 sol-
diers from Canadian Special Operations Regiment
(CSOR) travel eight hours by bus from Edmonton to
High Level.

The survival experience started at 2000 hrs on the Thurs-

day night with the AB/SK Detachment DSM meeting the
soldiers to ensure all was well at the Edmonton end. The
group travelled all night and arrived in High Level at
0530 hrs on Friday morning, where they were met by
Rangers Bonnie Williams and Walden Crisosomos.
About 30 minutes later they were at the bus rendezvous
location where they were met by the Patrol Commander
Kenton Kameinickie. After a quick welcome and brief-
ing, all participants were loaded into trucks and moved In this weather, fire lighting skills are a priority!
the last 6 km to the Survival teaching area.
Four hours later, six Rangers would head out and see how
The group much appreciated the fire and coffee that was the students were progressing, fully prepared to move any
waiting for them. Since it was still dark, and would be for sites that had may have been poorly located by the stu-
about another hour, the Rangers had the opportunity to dents to a more suitable location. Upon return to the main
mingle and learn a bit about the Soldiers and what they camp, I was informed, that all but one of the 17 sites vis-
do. ited were fine. With a quick trip out to the site in question
I decided that they would be fine for the evening, and that
At dawn, after a safety briefing from me, the participants the next day they could be dealt with. For the remainder
were ready to be turned over to the Patrol for the instruc- of that evening and into the night the Rangers would Pa-
tional phase of their BWST. Each of the stands had an trol the route along the sites to ensure personnel and fire
experienced Ranger doing most of the instruction, with safety.
the assistance of one or two other Rangers.

Taking the lessons learned from previous survival train-

ing, the Rangers did a fine job passing on the required
material, without fire hosing their years of experience
down the Soldier’s throats.

Demonstrations on how to create the frame work for the

lean-to, examples of emergency shelters, showing what
different trees look like in their natural environment, how
to select good firewood without chopping, three methods
of fire starting and of course, rescue signals were all part
of the two hours of basic knowledge passed on to the
Troops.

Finally, it was time to get the participants out to their Sur-

vival camps. Loading and safely transporting 34 people All that effort pays off...Dry and warm (ish).
out to their areas, is not as easy as it may sound. Again,

14
Saturday morning came early for a few tired Rangers, but
it was time to go out, check on the camps and get them
going on building their tepee signal stand, putting out
snares and of course moving the one camp. Four hours
later we were all back at main camp, and the soldiers
would be left to their own comfort or distress, depending
on the effort they put into their camp. The remainder of
the day would see the Rangers patrol the route along the
camps again.
One more trip by me to check on snares and progress of
the signal stands and comments from “enjoyment, to
“when are we done?” would be the norm. It was apparent
that the info passed on by the Rangers was heeded. A few
shelters were very comfortable looking, with lots of pine
boughs for a bed. Others were a little lean……maybe
they were trying to put the “lean” in the word “lean-to”.
Early Sunday morning everyone headed out to the sur-
vival areas to await the aircraft that would conduct the
search. Once the Soldiers heard the airplane, they had to
run to their fire signal stand, light the signal fire and see if
the smoke would soar above the tree tops to alert the res-
cue plane. Only a couple signal stands did not have the
tinder and pine boughs required to create a fire hot
enough to force the smoke above the trees. Now it was
time to gather in all the troops, get them back to the bus
and into High Level.
Once back in High Level everyone enjoyed a hot break-
fast put on by the Boys Basketball team of the High Level
Public School.
Many thanks and much praise goes out to the coach of the
team and to the Principal Mr. Scott Leys for all their help
and support. Having community support, which we enjoy
in High Level, is vital to the success of the Ranger Patrol.
Glad to have survived! Alberta Rangers, LdSH and
CSOR troops at “end ex”.
15
REFLECTIONS ON AFGHANISTAN
MANITOBA DETACHMENT
By Sgt Dave Gibson, Det CQMS
Afghanistan has
been much in the
news lately with
the changing of our
role and relocation
from KAF
(Kandahar Air
Field) to Kabul,
and it caused me to
reflect about my
experiences there. I
was stationed in
KAF from Febru-
ary to September SGT Dave Gibson in KAF
2008 with the Na-
tional Support Element. I looked after the warehousing
and replacement of weapons and STANO (Surveillance,
Targeting and Night Observation) devices that were dam-
aged in operations.
When I first arrived, we were under rocket attack almost
every night with between two to five rockets in or near
the base. Luckily no Canadians were injured during this
time, even though one landed in the area where our com-
bat units had their supply stores located. The closest hit to
my sleeping quarters was in the French military com-
pound a 100 meters down the road while I was on leave.
Unfortunately, I heard that there were fatal injuries from
that missile. The force responsible for KAF protection
finally tracked the group launching the rockets and the
attacks ceased for a few weeks until another group was
sent into the area by Al-Queda and it started all over
again. All military personnel carried weapons inside KAF
so I was quite surprised to hear on the news that they ac-
tually attacked the base with individuals one day last year
- very much a suicide mission.
There were three mess halls to choose from every day.
Every one had the same standard fare in one serving line,
a short order line (hamburgers and such), a self-serve
sandwich area and a specialty line. The closest to our
quarters and supply compound where I worked was the
Cambridge. Its specialty was British curry, the Niagara
was American fast food and the Luxemburg was Mediter-
ranean pastas, etc. All were run by the same company and
the food then was palatable. At least ,I always found
something to eat. A friend who was there during my de-
ployment, returned for a second contract with the Cana-
dian Forces Personnel Support Agency, said that the food
got much worse.
The National Support Element was made up of Supply, Canada’s contribution. The Toronto Maple Leafs also
Transport, Maintenance, and Force Protection. Everyone, escorted the Stanley Cup and the Saskatchewan Rough-
except Force Protection, lived in the BATs (Big A** riders escorted the Grey Cup to KAF during my tour.
Tents). The BATs were huge. Supply & Transport were Canada, the UK, and the US had gyms available to keep
in one, with Maintenance in another. We lived with up to fit. To keep in touch with home we had special Canadian-
four of us in an open roofed cement brick wall cubicle only trailers with computer internet/video access and tele-
about ten feet long and eight feet wide. They were built phones. Each person was given a number of minutes
into the tent, four rows across and a dozen or so cubicles every week to use these facilities. Everyone received
long, with two rows facing each across a hallway. The leave during their tour and had the choice to go home to
open doorways were hung with a blanket for privacy. Canada, or vacation somewhere else in the world as long
Each cubicle held as they were willing to pay the extra cost over their al-
two steel frame lowed amount.
bunk beds and two
school type narrow
six foot lockers. The
rest of our barrack
boxes and kit had to
be shoe-horned in.
The toilets and
showers were lo-
cated in special tent
units in front of the
BATs. These were
My living space
later replaced by sea
container type units which were always breaking down BAT
and not been kept clean by the janitors.
We worked out of office tents about twenty-five feet long
The Boardwalk was a large four-sided covered walkway and fifteen feet wide that looked like Quonset huts. At
that had a number of small take-out food businesses like least they had wooden floors. All our supplies were stored
Tim Horton’s and Burger King (until it burned down in sea containers. Poisonous snakes lived under the sea
shortly after we arrived). There was also carpet, jewellery containers and hunted the mice who had the run of the
and souvenir stores. place. If someone fed the cats they weren’t hungry
Inside the board- enough to eat the mice. Luckily we didn’t have any scor-
walk was a floor pions or camel spiders in our area that I saw! The tem-
hockey rink and peratures ranged from overnight lows just above freezing
beach volleyball in February to highs of 55 degrees Celsius in August.
courts. Behind the And don’t forget the sandstorms – just like in the movies.
Boardwalk was a By the time my tour was finished, KAF was being dou-
sit-down restaurant bled in size with new areas being cordoned off to the
(expensive and basi- north and south of the old base fence line.
cally the same food
we got for free at the The worst duty to perform was the ramp ceremony, as it
military kitchens) meant that Canada or one of our NATO allies had lost
and a European another soldier. I attended an American ramp ceremony
Local area
duty-free shop. For where five members of one unit, including their Com-
shopping the Americans ran a large AAFES store near the manding Officer, were returned home. The flag draped
hospital, we had a small store inside Canada House and coffins never seemed to end.
the British had their NAAFI store a short walk from our
BATs. We were allowed to shop at all three and the Overall I enjoyed the challenges of the deployment and I
AAFES had everything from chocolate bars to TV’s. am glad I volunteered to go to Afghanistan. But it was
nice to finally come home.
For entertainment, there were movies at Canada House
and each country brought shows to the Boardwalk. While
I was there, the band Blue Rodeo put on a show as part of

16
MANITOBA RANGERS, A SHORT HISTORY when used today may lend to confusion as it really no
LESSON longer exists as a Canadian Forces Unit and really does
Manitoba Detachment not represent who we are. The correct reference to the
By WO Wade Jones collective Manitoba Detachment is “The Canadian Rang-
ers in Manitoba” or the “Manitoba Canadian Rangers”.
Now, I am sure that we have all used the term Manitoba If you are interested in our military history this is where I
Rangers to refer to our patrols in Manitoba and it may Canadian Forces Publication - A-AD-267-000/AF-003 3-
surprise you but it is really not the correct terminology. 2-59/3-2-60
The term Rangers have been associated with the militar-
ies around the British Commonwealth since the 17th cen-
tury and, like today, refer to an elite group of soldiers
with unique skills. Manitoba Rangers go back to 1911
and Canadian Rangers in Manitoba have only been
around since 2001. Here is who the Manitoba Rangers
really were/are:

The Manitoba Rangers were originally raised as the “99 th

Regiment” on April 1st 1908. The designation became
the “99th Regiment of Rifles” in 1910 and the “99 th
Manitoba Rangers” on May 1st, 1911. Elements of the
99th Manitoba Rangers were placed on active service on 6
August 1914 for local protection duties in and around
Brandon, Manitoba.

During the First World War, the regiment provided 186

volunteers to the 8th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary
Force (CEF) when it was formed at Camp Valcartier,
Quebec. It later provided volunteers to the 45th Battalion
CEF, the 79th "Overseas" Battalion” CEF, and the 181st
“
Overseas" Battalion CEF. All embarked for Britain be- Did you know…
tween April 1916 and April 1917. In the post-war reor-
ganization of the Canadian Militia, the regiment was re- The original standard weapon of the Canadian Rangers (or
duced and designated as the 1st Battalion, “Manitoba the Pacific Coast Militia Rangers” (PCMR) as they were
Rangers” (45th Battalion CEF). On 12 March 1920 it was first known back in 1942) was the Winchester Model 94
once again re-designated “The Manitoba Rangers”. The lever action carbine? Other weapons were issued, includ-
Manitoba Rangers were disbanded for the purpose of re- ing some Marlins, but none in the numbers of the Win-
organization on 1 December 1922 and reorganized the chester.
same day (GO 33/23). Badges were procured circa 1925
without authorization and this pattern being worn until The issued rifle was chambered in .30 WCF (Winchester
officially sanctioned badges were authorized under Gen- Center Fire), or .30-30 Winchester as the cartridge is com-
eral Order 15 of 1931. On 15 December 1936, The Mani- monly known today. It came with a military sling and
toba Rangers were converted to an artillery unit and swivels, sported a 20-inch round barrel, a straight walnut
amalgamated with the “59th Field Battery”, RCA and re- stock and was marked on the receiver, fore end and stock
designated the “26th Field Brigade, RCA”. It was re- with the famous Canadian military “C-Broad Arrow”.
designated: 26th (Reserve) Field Brigade on 7 November
1940; 26th (Reserve) Field Regiment on 1 April 1943; Good quality examples of this classic rifle today fetch
26th Field Regiment (Self-Propelled), RCA on 1 April around $1,000 or more on the open market.
1946; 26th Field Artillery Regiment (Self-Propelled),
RCA on 12 April 1960; and 26th Field Artillery Regi-
ment, RCA on 1 November 1964. It remains the latter and
is headquartered in Brandon, Manitoba.

So, as you can see by the lineage history of the 26th Field Winchester Model 1894 PCMR Carbine.
Artillery Regiment, RCA the name “Manitoba Rangers”

17
BIO WO EDWIN JOSEPH PEETERS, CD
Ranger Instructor
BC Detachment
Born in Antwerp, Belgium in
1951, WO Peeters immigrated
to Canada with his parents in
1952. His childhood and high
school years were spent in vari-
ous communities in the Mont-
real area.
At the age of 15 (Apr 29, 1967),
he enrolled in the Canadian
Forces Reserve with 15th Inde-
pendent Signal Squadron, (now
known as 712 (Montreal) Communication Squadron). His
basic and trades training courses were completed at CFBs
Montreal, Kingston and Valcartier. His primary trade was
Radio Operator; however, in those days it was permissi-
ble to qualify in more than one trade, and so he also com-
pleted Lineman and Administrative Clerk training. He
completed years of Class B employment at 71 Communi-
cation Group Headquarters in St Hubert, Quebec, and in
1969 had the opportunity to serve with the Canadian
Forces Communication Command Squadron in Lahr,
Germany.
In 1973 he moved to Windsor, Ontario to advance his
secondary education at St. Clair College. As there was no
Signals unit in Windsor, he transferred to the Windsor
Regiment (RCAC) where he completed Armoured Crew-
man training under the guidance of 8th Canadian Hussars
at CFB Petawawa. In 1975 he moved to St John, New
Brunswick where he transferred to 3rd Field Regiment
(RCA) and completed an Artilleryman (Gunner) course at
CFB Gagetown. In 1977 he transferred to the Regular
Force in the Radio Operator trade.
His first posting was to 1st Canadian Signal Regiment in
Kingston Ontario where he served with each of Alpha,
Bravo and Kilo Troops of 1 Squadron. He was quickly
promoted and in 1979 was posted to the Canadian Forces
School of Communications and Electrical Engineering
(CFSCEE), later to be renamed Canadian Forces School
of Communications and Electronics (CFSCE). He was
initially assigned as a QL3 instructor and later advanced
to instructing QL5 Radio Operators.
In 1981 he completed a six-month tour with the United
Nations on the Israeli-Syrian border (UNDOF) as the de-
tachment commander at Quebec House, Quinatra, Syria.
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In 1984 he was posted to 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade
Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron in Calgary, Al-
berta. His duties included Squadron Training NCO and he
conducted several QL4 Radio Operator courses.
During 1988 and 1989, he attended French language train-
ing at CFB Esquimalt, after which he was posted to NATO
Integrated Communications System (Canadian Component)
in Carp, Ontario. During this posting he completed several
advanced communications courses at the NATO Communi-
cations School in Latina, Italy.
The summer of 1991 saw a posting back to CFSCE, CFB
Kingston, this time as the first Army Troop Warranty Offi-
cer of Alpha Squadron. His instructional responsibilities
included tactical radio communications, frequency manage-
ment and radio propagation for Communication and Elec-
tronics Officer’s courses, YOTC courses and QL6A/B Ra-
dio Operator courses.
In 1993 he was posted to 748 (Nanaimo) Communication
Squadron as the Regular Forces Support Warrant Officer.
In 1995 he was tasked as the Federal Communication Cen-
tre Coordinator for the 15th Commonwealth Games held in
Victoria, BC. In 1997 he was assigned as the DND Infor-
mation Technology Coordinator for the Asian-Pacific Con-
ference (APEC 97), in Vancouver.
In September of 1997, upon his retirement from the Regu-
lar Force, he transferred back to the Primary Reserve and
continued to serve as the Squadron Operations Warrant
Officer. During the fall of 1999 and the spring of 2000 he
was assigned as the Site Commander for Northern West
Coast Islands under OPERATION ABACUS.
In 2003 he completed a NATO tour with SFOR Multina-
tional Brigade (NW) in Banja Luka, Bosnia. In 2004 he
was appointed Squadron Sergeant Major of 748 Communi-
cation Squadron. After 5 months of workup training in
2005 in Wainwright and Edmonton Alberta with 1 Cana-
dian Brigade Group Headquarters and Signal Squadron, he
completed a 9-month tour of duty in Afghanistan (TFA 1-
06) during 2006.
Upon his return from Afghanistan, he was employed by 74
Communication Group Headquarters, Victoria as the
Group Recruiter. In April 2010 he joined the 4th Canadian
Ranger Patrol Group’s BC Detachment as a Canadian
Ranger Instructor.
He is married to Deborah Lee. They have two daughters,
Tanya and Sky, and two sons, Paul and Nikolas. Together
they lovingly tend to their home and gardens and spend as
much time as possible with their six grand-daughters.
WO Peeters has currently completed more than 43 years of
service to Canada and the Canadian Forces.
“ACTIVITY REPORT” JCR's in Sandspit, QCI
4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group
By Sgt Mark J. Nussbaumer
The Sandspit Junior Canadian Rangers (JCRs) have been
quite busy in the last couple of months.
Sandspit and Masset JCR spent the Thanksgiving week-
end having a campout that led to clearing many fallen
trees off the road to the campsite. This task was met with
good spirits considering the big job.
Sandspit JCRs get down to business...eating!
The JCRs have run the movies in Sandspit for the last
year. They’ve run bout 12 movie nights, which has given
them experience in responsibility and as cashiers.
On November 10th we picked three JCR’S and sent them
to Prince Rupert to help out in the parade there for Re-
membrance Day and 6 kids stayed behind so there would
be JCR’S in the parade for Sandspit.
On December 3rd, we met at the community hall and
decorated the Christmas tree. This is always fun to do
with the kids. The cedar boughs and the mistletoe over
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Waiting for Santa to make a special appearance.
the door looked quite festive.
On December 19th we served brunch with Santa, which
was well tended by almost 70 parents and kids waiting
patiently for Santa to make his presence (which he did for
two sittings). This was another one of those things we did
that taught the JCRs planning and doing things for others.
The day was very long, but quite successful. Thanks to
the Gwaii Trust for the funding to put this on.
December 30th was the last movie of the year which was
Alpha and Omega. After cleaning up from this movie, we
had our Christmas party (a little late, but we were too
busy before Christmas), followed by a sleep-over in the
hall. A fun and late night was had by all.
On January 9th the JCR’S met at the community hall early
in the afternoon and took down all of the Christmas deco-
rations, took some of our JCR gear to our storage area
and prepared for the Christmas tree burn which happened
that evening.
The JCR’S donated and cooked the hotdogs and hot
chocolate for the Christmas tree burn. Thank you to the
fire department for hosting the burn.
Santa does a “little” recruiting.
NEW RANGER SURVIVAL KNIFE FOR SALE

Grohmann DH Russell No. 4S Ranger Survival Knife

Grohmann DH Russell No. 4S Ranger Survival Knife
• Custom made in Canada for the 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group.

• 5 1/2” heavy-duty stainless blade, laser etched with Canadian Ranger crest. Total length: 10 5/16”.

• Rosewood handle with lanyard. Fully enclosed, heavy-duty leather military sheath with extra pouch for
sharpening steel. Heavy-duty stitching. Brass clasp. 2” belt loop.
• Chrome-Vanadium sharpening steel from Solingen, Germany.

• Retail price for this custom set-up would be: $142.00.

• Ranger price: $85.00, plus $10:00 shipping per knife.

• Multiple orders accepted.

• All proceeds to 4 CRPG’s Non Public Fund to directly support 4 CRPG Canadian Rangers and staff.

Payment required up front. Do not send cash. Send cheque or money order payable to “4 CRPG NPF” to:

Fin NCO,
4 CRPG HQ,
Box 17000 Stn Forces,
Victoria, BC V9A 7N2
NOTE: HQ will place the order at the end of April, so hurry with your payment. Once the knives are re-
ceived from Grohmann, HQ will ship yours to you. Cheques MUST be cleared before orders are placed.

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