Finally scored a Gunner, vice that tanker that keeps hanging about here...
Dear John the Armorer,
Great site! First time visit, will keep as a recorded target. I wanted to comment about your OPFOR article. I've been at CMTC OPFOR in Canada for a little over a year now. At first it was fun like previous OPFORs where you lay the boots to BLUFOR. Recently though a few of guys I know or met at AARs (After Action Reviews) have been wounded or killed. With only 4 real areas to draw from in Canada for a Task Force, we are a pretty busy combat force which means you are bound to know more soldiers. I place MIL Sim FX IEDs, set up ambushes, run villages, run boot camps for our actors and the full range of OPFOR roles. I definitely take OPFOR more seriously now and scour the internet and AARs from theatre to provide the best training to BLUFOR when they come to CMTC. Gone for me are the days when I relish with glee at a successful OPFOR ambush. Now I wish that our soldiers came better prepared and motivated resulting in us getting our asses kicked. Ramp ceremonies to me are akin to hearing shot neglect, short OT, splash over. Keep up the great site.
Ya wanna get posted? Suck up like that last sentence... !
I responded:
That's an excellent POV.
I did what you are doing at the NTC for Desert Shield, and I understand your point, and I will post it. It's a valid point that bears repeating.
On the flip side, when you are on the other side of your military career, you'll see things like this and they'll invoke the good memories of the fun, which is what that story did for me.
I have *no* trouble remembering the bad... but there's a reason I stuck with it for 24 years and they had to medically retire me then!
Feel free to write again, or provide OPSEC-free posting material. There's plenty of people ready to write about all that's wrong, I like to post the other side of the story... and here at Castle Argghhh! we've always been friendly to Canadian soldiery, noting your strong martial heritage, your presence in this war, and noting your casualties.
Having another source in the Forces, would be a welcome viewpoint!
Of course, we're happy just to have you as a lurker - but my other Canadian source, CAPT H, is a Strathcona, so they're probably over-represented in Castle posting... you could help with that!
Cheers,
John
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