Advertisement
Published: January 31st 2010
Edit Blog Post
I arrived in Ottawa on January 11th at about 10PM following a 3 hour delay with the connecting flight in Edmonton. Originally, my itinerary had called for a 3 hour layover there. I had made arrangements to meet my brother, Chris for breakfast as I had not seen him over the holidays.
When I returned to the airport to catch my flight, I had learned that there was some sort of mechanical issue with it and that we would not be leaving on time. I was also aware that another person from my group was departing for Ottawa from Edmonton on the same flight. Chris, a civilian crime analyst with the RCMP had also signed up for the Afghanistan mission. I would later learn that he along with another analyst would be the first civilian members of the RCMP to work in Afghanistan on a full 9 month tour.
I had contacted Chris by email and we had described ourselves in order to meet in the departure lounge just prior to the flight, as it turns out, we had quite a bit of time to chat given the substantial delay. When Chris arrived he seemed pretty shell-shocked. What I
didn’t realize was that Chris was actually heading over to Kandahar the following week and that he had just said his farewells to his family.
The flight finally departed just over 3 hours late. Chris and I were not seated together. We landed in Ottawa around 9 PM, collected our bulky luggage and found a cab to get us to the Canadian Police College which seemed to be at the opposite end of the city.
I checked in and was given my ID and room key by the commissionaire at the desk. It has occurred to me in recent years that commissionaires run most of the free world, or at the very least they have keys to it… Once I lugged my bags up to the 4th floor, I set out for the lounge. As an experienced policeman, I was quite certain that I would find most of my group there. I met the majority of the people I would spend the next 11 weeks with and who I would learn more about than I ever wanted to.
The first week was rather innocuous. A lot of administrative types explaining things like benefits, travel allowances and reimbursement
claim forms. That first Wednesday was kit issue day, which to a policeman is like Christmas. I was cautiously giddy as I was issued my helmet, frag vest and desert tan tactical uniform. There was a lot more than that, in fact my kit filled a large rollaway barrack box and a hockey sized duffle bag. Camel Pak, ·GPS, 1st aid kit, goggles, sleeping bag and so on.
On Thursday I donned my uniform in class for the first time and felt like someone pretending to be something they are not. I looked down at my left shoulder and saw the now familiar patch with our country’s flag and the word POLICE underneath that is worn by all Canadian Police Officers serving overseas and felt somewhat nervous about what I had gotten myself into. The SPS patch on my right shoulder did give me some reassurance though. Like the military, rank is worn on the front in the form of a single epaulette. The 3 RCMP gold chevrons and crown on a navy background are a harsh contrast to the sand coloured uniform, it seems that these will be replaced by a more subdued rank insignia before heading into
theatre.
Oh yeah, after 3 weeks here I find myself saying thing like “in theatre” and “outside the wire” without even flinching, so my apologies for the military speak.
There were 18 of us that were selected to take the training for the Afghanistan deployment after the list had been pared down from about 25. A combination of medical issues and the tragic death of a Canadian journalist in an IED attack contributed to bringing the numbers down. And that 1st week we dropped to 17. A young mountie from BC went home after just 2 days. All we were told is that some medical issues had come to light...
Week 2 started with a 6 AM bus trip to Canadian Forces Base Kingston for a week of activities. We pulled into the base that quite frankly reminded me more of a Soviet era concentration camp than the base of the military of one of the richest countries on earth. It was a dreary and depressing place. Perhaps a good precursor of what is to come.
Accommodations consisted of 4 person rooms. I was slotted in with the only 2 Quebecers in the group and got
along quite well with both of them. Turns out I snore.
The week at Kingston consisted of learning the ins and outs of the C7 carbine, IED awareness and first aid. The C7 is a remarkable firearm, and relatively easy to use. All our training was done in full regalia: helmet, frag vest, ballistic eyewear and desert boots. An odd choice for the Canadian winter.
The other 2 topics were very sobering, the reality of Afghanistan is one we all must come to term with.
After a week of being all that I could be, I was quite happy to return to the relative comfort of the Police College. The week that followed was anything but difficult. It consisted of lectures and 2 days that ended by 1 PM.
I’ve found some remarkable people within this group and others that are anything but. An interesting assortment to say the least. Everyone brings their own experience into it and I think in the end we’ll all be enriched by it.
This coming week will consist mainly of firearms training. Those of us who are non-RCMP will have to be qualified to use the pistol that they
will issue us. The pistol almost seems superfluous in the Afghan context. On Friday we depart for California (via Las Vegas) in order to participate in a massive Canadian Forces exercise that simulates the Afghan environment, complete with villages and actors portraying locals. Another step outside the old comfort zone for me. Once that is done, I will have some leave and will spend whatever time I can with Erin in BC while she finishes up her work at the Olympics. I will make it back to Saskatoon but only for 2 or 3 days.
I will likely be off the grid while in California, so you’ll hear from me again in late February.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.102s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 7; qc: 51; dbt: 0.0466s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Kim C
non-member comment
wow
Hey Pat...great update. Sounds like a different world already ...very exciting. Take care