DT News: New Ranger patrols stand up in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the Canadian Army helps fulfill Ontario boy’s wish list
Transcript
(P) In this episode, we feature a historic moment for the Canadian Rangers and see a young Canadian Army enthusiast’s wish come true.
5th Canadian Division recently stood up two new ranger patrols in the Deer Lake area in Newfoundland.
5th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group’s Sergeant Major, Chief Warrant Officer Ray Murrin, spoke with us about this historic moment.
(RM) A very historic moment for Canadian Rangers because it was the stand-up of two new patrols. That generally doesn’t happen very often.
When it comes to standing up patrols a couple of things that we have to look for is, first of all, above and beyond the authorization to do so is the geographics. To ensure that there’s enough members within that geographical location to actually fill the patrol position.
You’re looking at, again getting back to the composition, there’s 32 Canadian Rangers but we have a Patrol Sergeant, we have a Patrol 2IC (second-in-command), three section commanders, and three section 2ICs.
We have a Canadian Rangers Basic Military Indoctrination course that we put Canadian Rangers on. And we also, for Patrol Commanders, especially when it comes to leadership, we have a Canadian Ranger Patrol Leadership course which is available once a year for individuals to go on to assist with the leadership role. Not only that, we have Canadian Ranger instructors which are our Regular Force and Reserve members that are also there to assist, to mentor in any way, shape or form.
From all leadership levels, from CRPG (Canadian Ranger Patrol Group) level to div (division) to Canadian Army, there’s a lot of focus on the Canadian Rangers because what they do is fundamental to Canada’s sovereignty as well.
(P) A Canadian Army enthusiast from London, Ontario had his wish come true during a special visit to the nation’s capital.
Aiden Anderson, a 15-year-old boy with a severe heart condition, was made an Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel for a day and received a commendation from the Commander of the Canadian Army.
The Army gave Aiden the VIP treatment and made him the guest of honour during their annual holiday luncheon.
Bravo Zulu, Aiden. We hope you enjoyed your experience and we were happy to help make your dream a reality.
(P) That’s it for us. Thank you so much for watching. See you next time…for Defence Team News!
