Militia Gunners Fired Up

The militia’s 5th (BC) Field Regiment with a battery in Nanaimo and battery and HQ in Victoria has had a busy and successful year. With artillery training the focus and soldiers back from operational rotations and others preparing to go, the regiment is taking on a different character.

Rotation 08-01 of Task Force Afghanistan will see an even larger participation by 5 Field Regiment, as is the case with most other units in 39 Brigade. The first members of this contingent will join the PPCLI Task Force for training in April 2007. The number of soldiers within unit ranks that have operational experience continues to grow and is only possible with the continued support of civilian employers.

Significant changes in the Army are also afoot. Within the Army, priorities have been refocused. The Reserve will augment the Regular Force for foreign operational rotations and the Regular Force will augment the Reserve in its domestic operations priority.

The 5th (BC) Field and 15 Field from Vancouver continue to combine resources in joint practice camps at Fort Lewis, Washington, just south of Seattle. This location and Yakima further east, are the two nearest locations where live artillery fire can occur, given the lack of impact areas in British Columbia.

The commanding officer of the 5th (BC), LCol Craig Cotter, was pleased that his unit was invited to participate in the CFB Esquimalt Navy Days in downtown Victoria last fall. The public was able to watch a troop of guns conduct “quick actions” firing blank rounds over several days.

Having the Mayor of Victoria, Mr. Alan Lowe, fire the first round added significant prestige to the local display of “firepower” before an enthusiastic throng of spectators at Ogden Point. At the St Barbara's Dinner at Bay Street Armoury on Dec 2nd, Mayor Lowe was presented with the suitably engraved cartridge case that he had fired.

The Regiment’s Band is also an integral part of the regiment's activities and also performed at Navy Days and continues to fulfill a steady schedule of appearances throughout the Island.

It is a good time to be a gunner.

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