Regiment Training Continues In Canada

Regiment soldiers stormed a village in a pre-dawn attack as the climax of their two weeks of training in Canada.

Two companies of around 70 soldiers each cleared the urban warfare village at Meaford training centre in Ontario, which was defended by professional Canadian soldiers.

And – after a battle lasting an hour-and-a-half using blank ammunition, simulated artillery fire and flares – the Regiment took control of the collection of buildings, specially designed to pose a major challenge to troops trying to clear them and dubbed Objective Platinum.

Private Tre Iris, who fought house-to-house alongside his platoon from B Company, said, “It was actually pretty fun – I got the adrenalin pumping and the training paid off.”

He was speaking after he and the rest of the infantry marched around 5km in the dark and rain to locate their objective and take out the occupying force.

The 21-year-old from Smith’s, a chef at Rosewood Tucker’s Point in civilian life, added that the gruelling experience of days in the field would help him even out of uniform.

Pte Iris said, “I’ve learned survival and pitching a tent out of basically nothing. It’s discipline and leadership – if my job gets tough, I’ll think on this night and push through.

“When I wanted to stop and say I’m finished, I just dug in.”

The attack – one of the most ambitious exercises ever mounted by the Regiment – started around 5am, with troops moving into the village supported by simulated artillery fire, snipers and machine gun fire.

Pte Josh Pereira, 24, said, “It was great – the best yet. The shooting and the pyrotechnics were really exciting – but not the cold.

“This is my first overseas camp – I enjoyed it, but it was very challenging being out in the weather the entire time.”

The elevator installer from Pembroke added, “I have learned leadership and how to work as a team, even when things are tough – and now I know what tough actually means.”

Sergeant Tatem Ford, who celebrated his 30th birthday in the wilds of the Meaford base, said, “It all went pretty well. The preparation was hectic, but the execution was good, especially given the weather conditions,

“I’ve enjoyed it – it was a good experience. The troops were all right – they had some downs because of the rain, but morale was generally high.”

Pte Jahi Foggo, 19, said, “I’ve had a lot of fun. I wasn’t expecting it to be so much fun. I enjoyed the pyrotechnics and the simulated artillery before the attack.

“This is my first time ever and the first time I’ve done something like this. I’m not a big fan of the rain and the cold weather, though. But I got through it,”

Master Corporal Christian Bagley, a 12-year veteran of the Royal Canadian Regiment, who led troops defending the village from the Bermuda attack, said, “They did OK. They were a little rough around the edges, but for the amount of training they have had, they did very well.”

Regiment Colour Sergeant Harry Hunt added, “The troops worked hard after an early start and put the effort in after a few days of training. Four kilometres, rain and wet – it was a good effort.

“This is the first time we have operated in temperatures this low, being wet and learning new skills and drills.

“And it’s the first time we’ve operated as a battalion with two separate companies working together. It was a bunch of firsts in there, so it was a good effort.

“There are different things to learn and improve on – but the attitude is there to learn and get better.”

Major Martin Wyer, exercise director for the attack, said, “It’s been a worthwhile two weeks – the troops put everything into the final attack and they’re learning new things. And our soldiers won in the end.”

The attack on the enemy village marked the end of the annual overseas training camp, which saw every unit of the Regiment out on manoeuvres in the massive 100 square kilometre base in northern Ontario.

Regiment medics, signalers and engineers all benefited from expert classroom instruction by combat veteran Canadian instructors before putting the theory into practice out in the field.

Regiment CO Lt Col Michael Foster-Brown said, “This is our premier training event of the year and we tried a few things a little bit differently.

“I wanted to test our soldiers so they would get more personal satisfaction overcoming overcoming the challenges and be better prepared to respond to a real situation.

“And they have been tested, particularly with the weather during the final exercise when we had thunderstorms and not ones in the balmy weather of Bermuda, but the chillier climate of Canada.

“In the future, soldiers will be talkiing about those that were on the march to Objective Platinum.”

Lt Col Foster-Brown added, “It’s unlikely we will face something like this in Bermuda, but to create an exercise of this scale and complexity in Bermuda would be impossible.

“And – because of that – we are better prepared for any eventuality we might have to deal with in Bermuda.”

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