Canada's Van Doos on Patrol

23 July 2007
Kandahar Province, Afghanistan
Photo by: Cpl Dan Pop

Major Jason Langelier, the Rotation 4 (Roto 4) Force Protection Company (FP Coy) Commander, conducts his first combat patrol in the outskirts of Kandahar City. This combat patrol is the first one conducted by Roto 4 personnel from the Royal 22e Regiment based at CFB Valcartier, Quebec.
The Infantry Company is also known as the Force Protection Company (FP Coy). The Force Protection (FP) Company, made up of personnel from the Royal 22nd Regiment in Valcartier, Quebec, is responsible for the security aspects of the KPRT. Their duties include camp protection, convoy escort, reconnaissance, mapping of regions, and support to Whole of Government operations and activities.

The Royal 22e Régiment is an infantry regiment, and the most famous francophone organization of the Canadian Forces. The regiment comprises three Regular Force battalions, two Primary Reserve battalions, and a band, making it the largest regiment in the army. The ceremonial home of the regiment is La Citadelle in Quebec City, where the regimental museum is housed. The regiment is nicknamed the Van Doos, a corruption of vingt-deux, French for "twenty-two." The regiment's RHQ is located in Quebec City, with all three of its regular battalions stationed at various bases in the province of Quebec. The regiment serves as the "local" infantry regiment for Quebec. For more on the Van Doos click here.