Since 2013, members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been required to conduct an annual fitness assessment commonly known as FORCE. The FORCE assessment is used to test the ability of members to perform common military tasks. After assessment, members receive their result in which they are ranked in comparison to members of the same age and gender group.

In January 2019, changes to the FORCE evaluation made it more difficult to achieve the reward system. The Platinum category, which is the best return a member can achieve, is now adjusted to reward only 0.1 percent of the military population.

On August 6, 2 Wing was pleased to witness the presentation of the first Canadian Forces Base Bagotville Platinum Certification Award to Sergeant Richard Turbide. Colonel Luc Girouard, Commander of 2 Wing, said he was proud to present this award to a member of the 2 Wing.

“Fitness and self-improvement are an integral part of the Canadian Armed Forces culture,” said Col Girouard “All Canadian Armed Forces members have a responsibility to maintain a high level of personal fitness, however Sgt Turbide has taken his dedication to the next level. This example of leadership is inspiring and motivates our members to strive to surpass themselves.”

Sgt Turbide, Aerospace Operator-Control, began moving towards this objective in 2017. He was then transferred to the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School (CFLRS). From the very beginning of his stay at CFLRS, Sgt Turbide, then forty-seven years old, was motivated by pride when training with recruits who were often much younger.

This was the beginning of major lifestyle changes. He started by consulting with Personnel Support Program (PSP) members to ensure that his objective was achievable. Then, the fitness and sports team created a program for him while assisting him with all the help he needed, while the health promotion staff helped him with nutrition.

“I always take a minimum of 10 000 steps a day. In general, I even push this target to half a million steps per month. I train three times a week for about an hour. In addition to my personalized program created by PSP members, I add cardio and Tabata with a high-intensity fractionated workout. People often call me “possessed” when they see me on the elliptical,” said Sgt Turbide.

He says he is very relieved to have reached his goal in June. “It was with pride that I realized that I had beaten 99.9 percent of members of the same gender and in the same age group,” said Sgt Turbide. However, he remains humble and acknowledges that this outcome is the result of working together with PSP members.