The Strathconian2010 THE perseverance STRATHCONIAN Allied with The Queen’s Royal Lancers Lord Strathcona’s Horse Partnered with (Royal Canadians) 10 (Polish) Armour Cavalry Brigade 1900 ~ 2010 MEET EXCELLENCE DEFINED THEBURKEGROUP OFCOMPANIES :I@@ďG9FJ=79ďC::G9HďDF=BH=B; annual reports, manuals, brochures, magazines, books, calendars, maps SMALLFORMAT OFFSETPRINTING &FINISHING foormms,s business cards, leerheh ad & envveloppes WIDEFORMAT DISPLAYGRAPHICS banners, exterior/interir orr signs, didispplaysy 8=;=H5@ďDF=BH=B;ďďA5=@ďG9FJ=79G print on demand & personalized direct mailing Dedication, desire, commitment and leadership - qualities the people of ATCO and Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadian) have in common. Douglas Printing is proud to be FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Chain-of-Custody Certified. When you buy products with the FSC logo, you’re guaranteed your purchase is supporting healthy forests and strong Wcaaib]h]Yg"GK!7C7!$$&')-kkk"ZgWWUbUXU"cf[%--*:cfYghGhYkUfXg\]d7cibW]`5"7" www.atco.com %$,$,%&$GhfYYh 9Xacbhcb567UbUXUH)<'D- ėėėď5ďHF58=H=CBďC:ďEI5@=HMď HY`.+,$!(,&!*$&*#%!,$$!,'+!%'-):Ul.+,$!(,,!$%$* douglasprint.com 5B8ď7F5:HGA5BG<=D Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) Battle Honours South Africa South Africa, 1900 - 1901 First World War Festubert 1915, Somme 1916, ’18; Brazentin, Pozières, Flers-Courcelette, Cambrai 1917, ’18; St. Quentin, Amiens, Hindenberg Line, St. Quentin Canal, Beaurevoir, Pursuit to Mons, France and Flanders 1915 - 1918 Second World War Liri Valley, Melfa Crossing, Torrice Crossroads, Gothic Line, Pozzo Alto Ridge, Coriano, Lamone Crossing, Misano Ridge, Casale, Naviglio Canal, Fosso Munio, Italy 1944-1945, Ijsselmeer North-West Europe 1945 Korea Korea 1951–1953 (Battle Honours approved for emblazonment are in heavy type) Allied With The Queen’s Royal Lancers 10 (Polish) Armour Cavalry Brigade Affi liated Cadet Corps 1292 Cadet Corps - Calgary 2860 Cadet Corps - Fort Simpson 1813 Cadet Corps - Cranbrook 3066 Cadet Corps - Golden 2716 Cadet Corps - Mayerthorpe 3070 Cadet Corps - Evansburg 2 The Strathconian Is the annual journal of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) And is a Strathcona Regimental Society publication published by permission of Lieutenant-Colonel T.J. Cadieu, CD Commanding Offi cer Editor in Chief…….……........................Major Mark Lubiniecki Editor.......................................................Captain Sandy Cooper Advertising..............................................Captain Mike Dullege Layout.....................................................Mrs. Kathy Batty STEELE BARRACKS 2010 PUBLISHED March, 2011 Table of Contents Message From the Colonel of the Regiment 4 Extra Regimentally Employed A Word From the Senior Serving Strathcona 5 Strathcona’s In Kingston 73 Commanding Offi cer’s Message 6 Strathconas at the Armour School 75 Regimental Sergeant-Major’s Observations 7 Strathconas in Wainwright 76 Editor-in-Chief’s Foreward 8 Strathconas in LFWA/JTFW HQ 78 The Regiment 1 CMBG HQ 79 Regional Command (South) - Afghanistan 80 Honours and Awards 11 Headquarters 3 (United Kingdom) Promotions 12 Division Rediscovered 82 Regimental Roll 2010 13 Strathcona’s in Poland 84 The Year in Review 19 Extra Regimentally Employed 85 Prince of Wales Squadron 25 Regimental Headquarters 29 The Family B Squadron Kicks the Crap Out Of 2010 33 C Squadron 37 Births and Marriages 2010 89 Reconnaissance Squadron 41 Strathcona Family Support 90 Headquarters Squadron 45 Strathcona Mounted Troop 91 2010 Winter Olympics – Op PODIUM 48 Historical Vehicle Troop 93 Op PODIUM – Recce Squadron 49 The Museum Moves Forward 94 B Squadron - TF 3-09 50 Strathconas Celebrate the The Persistent Surveillance System 52 Battle of Moreuil Wood 95 Combat Team Commander’s Course 53 Strathcona’s Association, Edmonton Branch 96 The Regimental Change of Command 55 Reunion 2010 97 Pride and (Lack of) Prejudice 56 Change of the Colonel of the Regiment Exercise MOUNTAIN MAN 2010 57 Parade and Reunion 2010 99 Ex RECCE ROOTS & STEELE SABRE 58 Family Day Fun 101 Remembrance Day 60 Freedom of the Town of Gibbons 102 Regimental Christmas Festivities 61 Army Shares Historic Ties to Regimental Sports 2010 62 National Railway 103 The Mariner Room 64 The Kids Christmas Party 104 The Sarcee Room 66 Strathcona Ladies Functions 105 The Green Point Lounge 67 Strathcona Homecoming Dinner & Dance 106 The Track Pad 68 Strathcona Homecoming Sponsors 109 Subbies Corner: No...Big...Deal... 69 The Commanding Offi cers’ Birthday 70 Strathconian Advertisers 112 3 Message From the Colonel of the Regiment Major-General Cam Ross Some things never change. I can’t help but think how many of my predecessors as Colonel of the Regiment received that dreaded late January call from the CO’s Secretary pronouncing Strathconian articles are due ... tomorrow! But other things do change. Look back ten years. Y2K had passed as a whimper instead of the expected cataclysmic event. The Regiment celebrated its 100th anniversary. B Squadron went to Bosnia. The ‘new’ Leopard C2s again won the CANAM trophy under the leadership of Capt Michelle Gallagher; she is now a lawyer fi ring legal sabot rounds. LCol Jim Ellis was CO; he is now Alberta’s Deputy Minister for the Environment. Recce Squadron had an Assault Troop, something that the Corps is looking at re-introducing. The past helps us put the present as well as the future in perspective. If one looks at the adjectives used to describe the tempo in the last ten years of the Strathconian, one would see ‘extremely busy’, ‘hectic’, ‘challenging’, etc. Frankly, these descriptors are the new norm. Having successfully returned our last of eight tank squadrons from Afghanistan, the Regiment is mid-way through a long Central Asian experience. The new training mission in Afghanistan will consume the better part of two squadrons this coming year. Furthermore, the next bounds will present challenges associated with budgets, Canadian Forces transformation, and the introduction of Leopard 2s to Canada. As we face this exciting future, I am impressed and humbled by the world class professionalism of our soldiers. There is a quiet self-confi dence that pervades the hangar fl oor these days. This comes from four long years in combat. The work has been hard and arduous and sadly has come with a human toll. How best to describe this era of the Regiment? On the 7th of November 2010, a small Strathcona contingent attended a ceremony at Craigellachie, B.C. The ceremony marked the 125th Anniversary of the driving of the last spike of the Canadian Pacifi c Railway by Donald Smith, Lord Strathcona. It took Lord Strathcona three attempts to drive the spike home (perhaps this is why our motto is ‘Perseverance’). When Donald Smith fi nished and this link of steel bonded our great nation, the General Manager of CPR, Cornelius Van Horne simply declared, “All I can say is that the work has been well done in every way.” I can think of no better way to describe this chapter in our Regimental history. Perseverance 4 A Word From the Senior Serving Strathcona Brigadier-General Craig Hilton With 2010 now behind us, and the transition of our Mission in Afghanistan from combat operations to training the ANSF set for July of this year, the Army is about to shift gears to prepare itself for both the immediate and the longer term future. This is a critical and deliberate exercise as many of our Old Guard can relate – given the high risk of Mexican Overdrive if clutch and shift don’t sync, and the unenviable consequences that usually follow – particularly where any sloping ground is concerned. In short, in a global security environment where favourable terrain is increasingly rare, it is absolutely vital that the Army gets this manoeuvre right, and equally vital that the Regiment contributes directly and strongly to make it so. Clearly, the Regiment will be required to play a continuing role as part of the emerging ANSF training cadre, once the plans are in place. The other close-in target will be the recovery of our tanks and other equipment concurrent with the Theatre drawdown of combat stocks, and the refi t of that much used kit back to fi ghting trim. Both of these endeavours are no small tasks, and will demand constant effort. In this respect, we will make a key contribution to the overall Army transition and reset/reconstitution phase of the current Mission. But less obvious and arguably more critical to the Army’s success tomorrow will be the distillation of all that we have learned from years (and successive Squadrons worth) of main battle tank operations in an irregular/unconventional warfi ghting environment. The extent to which we deem this experience relevant to future operations, the changes it must drive in both our individual training and TTPs, and the manner in which it must shape combined arms collective training, all will serve to adjust the Army’s land warfare orientation toward winning the next confl ict. This issue is of the utmost urgency and importance, and will demand that the Strathcona’s unique perspective is clearly delivered and widely understood. In this manner we will assist the Army to lock on to the mid-range targets, and confi dently anticipate the next order to engage – however soon and wherever it may come. Perseverance 5 Commanding Offi cer’s Message Lieutenant-Colonel Trevor Cadieu To say that our great Regiment is busy would require me to state the blindingly obvious. The tempo of the Strathcona’s has always been hectic, it continues to be today, and it is unlikely to slow down in the years to come. This year is particularly special as it is the fi rst time in nearly a decade that the entire Regiment is safe on home soil. In early 2002, we deployed a Reconnaissance Squadron to Kandahar, Afghanistan as part of Operation APOLLO. Since that time, we deployed two squadrons to Bosnia and nine more squadrons to Afghanistan. Few other teams in the Canadian Forces have been asked to contribute as much. Indeed, an entire generation of Strathcona soldiers and leaders have been forged by The CO poses with Maj Mark Lubiniecki, who was all smiles until he their combat experiences in Afghanistan.