Thursday, April 24, 2008

Task Force 3-08 Battle Group Prepares for One Final Training Milestone Before Afghanistan

ONE ARMY*ONE TEAM*ONE VISION
This week, soldiers from the Task Force 3-08 Battle Group left Canadian Forces Base Petawawa and other locations across Canada and travel to Wainwright, Alberta, to take part in Exercise Maple Guardian 0801.
What does the Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre (CMTC) in Wainwright have to offer that makes this place the final major collective training milestone before the Battle Group is ready to deploy to Afghanistan?
“CMTC can provide a level of realism that is not achievable anywhere else in Canada,” said Lieutenant Colonel Roger Barrett, Commanding Officer of Task Force 3-08 Battle Group. “Incorporating actors, role players and an extremely advanced Weapons Effects Simulation system, will allow us to test our ability to operate in a very complex, dynamic and sometimes chaotic environment.”
Perhaps its poetic justice, revenge or just payback for spending the month of February in the desert of New Mexico, many of the soldiers arrived in the training area to be greeted by fresh snow.
“Be it snow or sand it’s just another obstacle that we have to be prepared to overcome,” added Lieutenant Colonel Barrett. “Being able to adapt is just one of the reasons why Canadian Forces members are among the best trained and most experienced soldiers in the world. Exercise Maple Guardian will be a key part of our preparation.”
The exercise will go on until the middle of May, at which time, Task Force 3-08 Battle group will have completed all their collective training and be ready to take on the difficult tasks in Afghanistan.
Prepared and Ready!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Here to Hold Your Hand


Sorry that I haven't posted for a while. I believe I was going through a panic/reality attack (??) during the past month as the "countdown" is on for my son's deployment.

I believe that my last trip to the base, had made me realize "the date"is nearing and I found I was turning inward and tuning everything else out. I then realized that I'm not the only person going through this and this had been the purpose of my blog - helping others who are preparing and waiting. So get ready, as I'm going to try and catch everyone up in the next week.

Note to my son: I miss you very much and hope you're keeping well. I loved the last letter you sent. Keep studying. You're amazing. Love always, Mom ox