Practice makes perfect

When members of the PPCLI celebrate the 100th anniversary of the battalion this Saturday, they will do so with guns a-blazing and tanks a-rolling.

The day-long event commemorating the PPCLI anniversary kicks off at 9 a.m. at Edmonton Garrison and will conclude at 3 p.m. Though the main focus of the event will be on the Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry and its history, it will also be an occasion to celebrate the military history of several combat units that are part of the 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (1CMBG) stationed at Edmonton Garrison.

Capt. Robert Clarke believes the day-long event will be especially informative and entertaining for families living in and around the military base, especially St. Albert, where he grew up and still lives with his family.

“The citizens of St. Albert and the surrounding communities have shown support for 1 CMBG and opening our gates to them and showcasing our capabilities gives us the chance to thank them for that support,” he said.

A mock assault will be staged by the soldiers beginning at 9:30 a.m. The demonstration will show what a mechanized infantry assault would look like. It will involve “enemy soldiers,” who will be holed up in a well-armed bunker protected by rolls of razor wire.

A sniper (one of the good guys), stationed on a nearby building, will start the attack by firing on the bunker. The exercise will include simulated explosions, Rambo-like personal attacks and an armoured vehicle.

“This is a mechanized infantry section attack and it’s representative of the skills and capabilities of PPCLI soldiers today,” said Captain James Cressall.

All visitors to the anniversary celebrations will be issued a special passport for the day and they will be invited to have it stamped at any of the 11 special displays. The displays will be hosted by the three PPCLI battalions, the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, Lord Strathcona’s Horse, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment, 1 CMBG, 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, 1 Service Battalion, 1 Military Police Platoon and 1 Field Ambulance.

“If you get your passport stamped at all 11 locations, you could win a soldier-for-a-day prize,” Clarke said, as he explained that in addition to the staged demonstrations, there will be things for spectators to try too.

“You can watch the Jiffy Jeep, where the soldiers are given a whole bunch of parts and then have to reassemble it into a vehicle, like a mini pit stop. Or you can try night vision goggles in a dark tent. The engineers will have a mine-detector treasure hunt and we’ll have rapelling demonstrations but we’ll also have a place to try rapelling yourself,” Clarke said.