A couple inches of snow helped make winter indoctrination training a little more realistic on the weekend for a group of local soldiers.
About 45 Army Reserve soldiers from 56th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, were in Simcoe and Brantford learning and practicing skills to prepare them for cold weather events.
Among the lessons were dressing for the cold, treating a cold weather injury, sparking lanterns and stoves and raising Arctic tents.
“It’s very important training,” said Cpt. Salvatore Abbruscato, an operations officer with the 56th Regiment. “The Canadian Forces are becoming more involved in domestic operations.”
Abbruscato cited Operation Laser, the Canadian Armed Forces’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The operation was activated on March 2, 2020, when at least half of COVID-19 deaths were linked to long-term care homes. Military medical personnel and resources were deployed to some of those facilities in Ontario and Quebec at the request of premiers Francois Legault and Doug Ford.
“We could be called out to fill sandbags at floods, to forest fires, helping out in a natural disaster,” said Abbruscato.
An emergency operations center was set up at the Simcoe Armories for the training, and “sections were pushed out” to various locations there and in Brantford, including the parking area at the Canadian Military Heritage Museum on Greenwich Street.
Gunner Ethan Low, 21, of Paris, joined the reserves almost two years ago. He and other young soldiers carried out a mock exercise outside the museum on Saturday, lighting stoves and lanterns and tending to injured civilians warming inside a large canvas tent.
“It has always been a dream of mine to serve my country,” said Low. “For me, this is another family.”
Low, who works as a cook at Cobblestone Public House in Paris, said he intends to make the military a full-time career.
Abbruscato said members of the reserve have full-time jobs outside of military but many end up transferring to the regular army because they enjoy it so much. Reservists commit to training one night a week, various weekends throughout the month, and several weeks in the summer.
“You do things in this job that no other job will provide you the opportunity to do,” said Abbruscato.
He said the reserves are also a great opportunity for those considering joining the army but have some hesitation.
The 56th Field Artillery Regiment (RCA) is an artillery unit of the Canadian Army Reserve with batteries in Brantford, St. Catharines and Simcoe.
They are always looking for new recruits.