Life in Gagetown

Hello to all again!!

Things are quite busy here with all the training.  Can’t really go into all the details as I am not permitted to, but suffice it to say that we have been doing a lot of trng both in and out of vehicles.  The training area here is extremely large (google it if you want to know exactly how large it is) and both the driving and the walking can take long time.  We are only here for a little bit longer and then we are back “home” to Petawawa for more training before Christmas leave.  Glad to see the Christmas concert is slated for the 17th of December as I am really hoping to attend.  Still planning on dropping into the school to say hi to you all as well.   Look forward to talking to you all when I get there and answering some of your questions.  I will answer what I can.

Working with some very good people here.  Very switched on young men and women (many of whom are not much older than you are).  I would say that the average age among the soldiers is about 22/23 years old.  Very young, but then they are always very young.  The days are long and the nights are short at times (not too much sleep as that would spoil us).  Not too bad for all though, as we get a pretty good nights sleep when we get to bed.  Work day starts at 6 (that is when you are at work, not getting up)and continues on to about 9 or ten at night(by the time the info for the next day is passed on to us).  When we are done of that, then we are off to prepare our kit, etc for the following mornings festivities.  I will be glad when it is all done here and we are back to Petawawa and then home for the holidays.  We will be, all to shortly, getting on the plane which will take us to our destination overseas.  Time has flown to date and I can’t believe that your school year is almost 1/2 over.  I hope that you are all doing well and working hard to keep on top of and excel in your chosen subjects.  I hope to write you again before I take my leave, but in the likely event that I cannot, then don’t forget to work hard (for yourselves and others), have fun, take a risk (this is when we really grow) and make a difference (for yourself and all those around you).  Never be afraid  to be a positive role model for others and to lead by example.

Have a great “rest of the year” and I will see you in December.

Mr D

Home Again

HI guys.

Home again for another weekend which is very nice when you have been away for a couple of months.  Lots going on in my world these days.  Still battling the broken leg but managing to carry on with the training without and major hiccups and , more importantly, without  further injury to the leg. 

Doing a lot of work over the past two weeks with our force protection element and spending a lot of time on the ranges and firing a lot of ammunition in training.  The days prove to be long and there is typically a meeting of some sort in the evening after work is finally done.  Next week we begin the excercise in which we will practice all the skills we have in our respective  toolboxes  to date. It will be quite long and intense and take place at various locations throughout the province.  It will mean long days and longer nights and will be excellent preparation for our time overseas.  We will have another more intense excercise in the future (which will last about 6 weeks) , but that is not until after the Christmas holidays. 

Thanks again to all of you who have taken the time to write to me over the past 3 months.  It has gone a long way to keeping up personal moral, especially when I was first injured.   I apologize again for the delay in my responses.  It is very difficult to reply when you have no access to the internet ( and that is the situation I am in now).  I have been trying to keep on top of this blog for you and think I think I have done a not half bad job for an old computer illiterate guy (patting myself on the back at this point).  Things will get more complicated as we move along and time becomes short through the exercises, but I will continue to do my best to keep you informed.

I hope that you all continue to enjoy the school year as it unfolds before you.  Christmas is just around the corner and before you know it, you will be into the Twelve Days of Christmas and all the activity that goes along with it.  Have a great time and enjoy yourselves.

Work hard, have fun, take a risk and make a difference.

Mr D

Finally Home for a while

Hi to all of you.

I am finally home after two months away.  I am only home for the weekend, but it is so nice to see my family after such a long time away that  I will not complain.  I had better get used to it though as the time away is only going to get longer as this process moves along. 

It was so nice to to finally get to see the comments from my last entry.  Thank you to you all for your comments of support and encouragement, they really do mean a great deal to me and have the ability to act as a great “pick me up” when one is sorely needed.  New Brunswick is still there as is the base and my leg, though still hurt, is apparently healing well.  It will be another 5-6 weeks (according to the doctor) before it is completely healed and I am still very limited as to what I can and cannot do.  This is very depressing at times as I cannot  participate at the level I want to and feel I am capable of .  Still I must listen to both the doctor and the physiotherapist lest I wind up going through all of this again (and that would be a major drag to say the least). 

It becomes more difficult to write to you all as time moves along.  Locations become more remote and the ability to find wireless access becomes harder also.   I will  make every attempt to continue though, as I look forward to hearing from you all.  There is only so much I can tell you from this last little while.  We will be working together over the next several days to continue to improve certain skills we have in our collective inventories and to see how we begin to gel as a new group.  I look forward to this “gelling period” as the experience is always challenging at a personal level an I enjoy the challenge.

I hope you all continue to enjoy your school year.    If you get a chance Matt, take a picture of the whole crew in red for me and send it along.  I have told some of my military friends about it and they are very keen to see the school in red.  They are all very pleased and proud of the fact that you, as a group of young high school students, are taking this so seriously. 

I am sorry that I will not be able to get to the November concert. I also apologize in advance that I will not be home in time for the December Band Concert either, but such is life I guess.   

Continue to work hard and  have fun.  Challenge yourself to take a risk and make a difference.  I want  you  to know that I am very proud of all of you and of my association with such a fine group of people.  I will write again when the opportunity allows and look forward to seeing you again at some time in the near future.

Thank you Vannah, the feeling is mutual.  Don’t forget eat your vegetables.

Mr |D

Hospital Day

Hello to all.  As you can see from the title of this page, today was hospital day.  I took a lovely 6am drive into Ottawa for what I hope is my last visit to the Orthopod (Bone specialist).  I was happy to be on the receiving end of some good news in that I can now remove the air cast which has been the bane of my existence for 6 weeks, and put on two boots.  No more having to take off my cast to change pants.  No more crutches.  That is, if  I behave and do exactly what the Doctor and the Physio therapist tell me to do.  I fully intend to do just that.  I have never before, nor will I ever again (I hope) have to use the archaic tool of the inquisition called the crutch (too much?).   I am happy, to say the least, and look forward to improving my newly rediscovered ability to walk un-aided  over the next week.

We, as a group, are off to New Brunswick this week to better ourselves and train with some soldiers there.  Some of us will have to be back in Petawawa early as we must take some more advanced medical training.  I look forward to the advanced training but do not look  forward to the fact that I may have to put it into practice on someone, possibly a friend.  Still, I am comforted by the fact that if something nasty does happen,  I will be able to help to a greater degree.

A short while after our return and I should be home again with my family for Christmas leave.  I am really looking forward to this bit as I have not seen them since my departure in early September.  I do plan on visiting the school while home and will  probably drop in unexpectedly on a class or two.  There are some people I would ike to touch base with and some events I need to catch up on.  I hope to see most of you while at the school and, though I may not be able to spend the day, I will spend what time I can without being too much of a pain in the butt.  I will talk to you as i normally do but certain things will remain “off topic”.  I trust you understand.

I am taking my computer with me to Gagetown but am not sure if they have wireless access or not.  I may, or may not, be able to read, update or moderate this site until I return in late November.  Bear with me please as it is frustrating for me not to be able  to stay on top of things.  We do have wireless access here  in the mess now (as of last night), so as long as I am here, I can communicate effectively.  I Look forward to reading some of your comments.

Mr Coffin has asked me to moderate the web page, and I would be more than happy to, if I only knew what that meant.  I haven’t got a clue what he wants me to do, sorry about that.  If one of you can tell me how to do that (moderate the page), I will be ever in your debt… (ok, not forever, but at least for a short while).  This includes you too Mr Coffin.

Hope you all continue to have a fantastic school year.  Listen to your parents and teachers, do your homework  and eat your vegetables.

Work hard, have fun, take a risk and make a difference.

Mr D

Mid October Post from Pet.

Hello to all.

Had a specialist appointment in Ottawa last Friday and was told that I could drop the crutches and begin walking on the cast (it’s about time)..  I should be off the cast in about one more week and into a compression ankle brace for a while until the muscles, ligaments and tendons strengthen enough to bear suitable weight. This also means that I will be able to put on two boots as opposed to just one.  Can’t wait!!  Off to Gagetown in the next little while for a couple of weeks of training.  Should be able to get home for the weekends which will be nice.  Haven’t seen my family since early September. I better get used to it I guess as it is going to be the rule as opposed to the exception.  Had a lot of good lectures this week on several topics which will be of importance when we get overseas.  All we have to do is remember what we have been taught and put it into practice and all will go well.  I hope the year is going well and all of you have adjusted to your respective schedules.  School seems difficult at times and boring at others  but I will tell you this, if you do things right school never stops.  You are never too old to learn or teach.  I have been sitting in classes about many differeent topics since I have arrived and I have learned that I still have a lot to learn.  Must go now as it is getting late and I still have to talk to my family at home.  It’s nice to hear their voices and catch up on all that is going on in their day. 

Hope you all enjoy the remainder of the semester.  Christmas will be heere before you know it and the year will be done faster than you expect.  Especially for those of you in grade 12.

Work hard, have fun, take a risk and make a differrence.

Have a geat week and “De Khodie pe Amaan” (that’s how you say good bye in Afghan)

Mr D

Life in Petawawa continued

Hello to all and sorry for the delay in writing.  No wireless and limited access to the internet.  Truck is now repaired and I am on the healing list.  Last appointment was last Monday and I was about %80 healed.  Next appointmnet is this Friday in Ottawa to see what the doctors there think and then another on the following Monday on the base for the final results.  Cross your fingers for me.  I hope they have nothing but good to say as I have been a good boy and have done all they have asked me. 

Finished Combat First Aid last week.  Three day intensive on the do’s and dont’s of first aid in a combat situation.  Learned how to plug holes in people and apply tourniquets to those with things missing etc.  I hope I never have to use it on anybody.  But there you go, enough said.  We have begun another round of Cultural Awareness which will last five days ending on Friday at 1600.  We are learning a lot of Pashtu, which is the most common language in our area of operations.  Too much to absorb really in just the two days we get it.  The idea is to give us as much as we can handle (along with the basic Pashtu grammar) so we can then form our own limited sentences.  And you thought you would never use your high school grammar again.  Sorry to disappoint you!!

Sorry to say that I will not be able to get home for the Thanksgiving Holiday weekend as the drive is about 18 hrs and we must be back for Monday evening.  Not too sure yet what awaits us next week but I am sure they have something in mind for us.  I think IED Awareness or Mine Awareness (things that go boom really big).  I am currently loaded on the TCCC  course (Trauma, Combat Casualty  Care) mid November to early December.  Like combat first aid only far more intense and in depth.  I believe we will be signing out our sidearms (9mm pistols) that we will take overseas.  This should be done this week or early next week. Lots going on in a limited time and space. 

Hope all is well at the school for all of you and you are still enjoying the classes you are taking.  Thanks to all of you who have written and sent in your best wishes, I appreciate it greatly.  I wish I could answer them all, but with only one avaliable computer and a time limit, it is impossible.  I will continue to keep you informed to the best of my ability in the months to come.  It will be intermittent at best, but I will manage to find the time here and there.  I will be taking about three weeks leave in December and plan on going into the school to say hi to as many as I can while there.  May even interrupt the odd class (Coffins and Wynnes for sure).  I can do that you see as I am not on the payroll this year.  Look forward to seeing you then.

Remember to wear a red shirt on Fridays.  It will begin small, but become a movement of support for those who serve. 

Work hard, have fun, take a chance and make a difference.

MrD

Life in Petawawa

Again, sorry for the delay. Limited internet access in Pet. and no wireless to speak of.  We are in two person rooms that have been doubled to hold 4.  Space is very limited and storage is non-existent but if you treat it like an adventure it becomes one (especially if you keep your sense of humour, which I have).  Spoke to the boss re: the fracture and they are going to keep me here to train.  They have told me to do all that the medical staff tell me and to take it easy and let it heal.  They are keen to have me deploy in April with the main body and I need to be healed by Dec.11th or I get sent home for good.  I have lots of time if I do what I am told and just let it get better.  I will need to do soome physio afterwards to get mobility back, but that is relatively simple (I hope).  Meals are far better than in Meaford (where the food was absolute garbage) and the staff are concerned that we are prepared for our time on the other side.  We have completed our inclearance (lots of signatures to be gotten) and have drawn our weapons that will accompany us overseas (C7A2 Rifle).  Some of us will need to draw our pistols in the near future (probably in another week or two).  We begin TMST tng (Theater Mission Specific Training) next week (cultural awareness, first aid etc) and will eventually be sent to CFB Gagetown for PRT trng (working with our force protection element/the people who will keep us alive).  It will be a nice change from the boredom of the inclearance routine of last week.  Off to California after Christmas and then on to the tour overseas.  Right now I am just doing laundry as my car is in the shop for a new transmission.  It broke shortly after I did in Meaford.  Should be done by Monday which will allow me that much more freedom in the evenings (not that there is much to do in Petawawa or Pembroke).  Hope you are all enjoying the school year now that is fully geared up.  Thanks to those of you who have sent along your wishes for fast healing and safety (Matt and Coffin).  Don’t be afraid to write a note and let me know how things are going back on “the rock”.  I will try to be faster (more timely ) with the entries so you can keep up with me. 

Work hard, have fun, take a risk and make a difference.

Mr D

Recent events

Back again and sorry about the delay.

Meaford  has absolutely no cell or wireless capability.  A lot of a drag but what can you do except deal with it best you can?   Rather long couple of weeks with a lot of typical army “hurry up and wait”.  Typically we have had one training event per day with the remainder of the day off.  Some of the events are close to our sleeping area (500-600 metres) and relatively short in time length(3 hours) and some are farther (5 kms in full battle order with weapons) which begin early (7:30 a.m. sharp), must be walked to, and last all day (10 p.m.).  All in  all there has been nothing unexpected, except for the fractured leg which I am now suffering through.  Stupid really as I was atop a 10 foot wall after a night shooting excercise when I went , rather nicely I think, over the edge landing rather painfully.  Closed fracture of the fibula 2 inches above the left ankle.  Presently in an air cast and will stay that way for about another 2 or 3 weeks.  Really really sucks as it could have a negative impact on my tour.  I have been reassured by others far more knowlegeable than me that this should not be the case. I was broken early enough on in the training and I have  ample time to repair and train before deployment overseas.  I am still a bit worried though.  Trained on the rifle (C7), SRAAW (M72) Carl G anti tank rocket launcher, C9 light machine gun, C6 medium machine gun, 9 mm pistol, grenades and the M203 grenade launcher.  Lots of stuff over a period of time that could have been shorter, but there you go.  I am currently finished in Meaford and just completed a 6 hour drive to Petawawa ( to get my room key) and  another 2 hour drive to Ottawa (to drop off a friend and get my truck repaired).  I am currently writing from the home of my friend where I will spend the night on his sofa in my air cast with my fracture.  My training begins again on the 22nd of Sept and I have a follow up appointment in about 10 days at the base hospital for x rays and hopefully a new prognosis.  My boss in Petawawa has neither seen nor heard of the injury yet and I do not look forward to the initial meeting.  He is a decent and fair man and should consider all aspects before he decides my fate.  I have already signed my class c contract and am pretty much assured 6 months of regular force employment, I just hope I  am not replaced for the tour overseas and placed on the list as an alternate.  That would be very dissapointing for me.  I will try to be more consistent with the entries but I never know exactly when I will get the opportunity to write.  Rest assured, I will make every effort to be timely and look forward to answering any questions you have for me.  I hope you continue  to enjoy the school year and continue to work hard and have  fun.

Remember to wear  a red shirt on the occasional Friday as it would give the warm fuzzy feeling I mentioned in my last  entry.

Mr D

End of a busy summer.

Hello all. 

As you may or may not know, I will not be at the school next year.  I am presently preparing to leave for Meaford, Ontario this coming Saturday (Sept 5th).  Training begins in earnest for the year ahead and I will do my best to keep you appraised of the situation along the way.  As many of you know  I am not the best with a computer, but I am trying, and I think I may actually getting the hang of this.  I will do my best to keep you updated but this will depend on several factors  not the least of which will be wireless access, time and security.  There will be some things I cannot discuss and there will definitely be times when there is just no time to write.  I apologize for this from the onset and trust you understand.   If my time is limited, I will be mailing my family first.  This page is going to be linked to Mr Coffins Global Issues class (that is my impression in any event) and you are welcome to e-mail me as you see fit with any questions you may have.  I will answer your questions on this site so as not to clutter Mr Coffins (he will have enough notes for you there, trust me).  Mr Coffin and I are still in the throes of setting this up so it has the maximum bang for the buck so it is still open to a great deal of change.  I will be as consistant as possible with this, but again there are many other factors which will interfere with this process.  I hope you all enjoy your school year and strive to learn.  Remember what Beethoven said;  ”To play a wrong note is inconsequencial, to play without passion is inexcusable”.  As in music, so in life I always say.  Be passionate about what you do, learn from your mistakes, strive to do your best and inspire others by your example.

Work hard, have fun, take a risk and make a difference.

By the way, Fridays is a great day to wear a red shirt.  It is called “Red Fridays”  and is a tacit way of showing support for the soldiers overseas (wherever they may be).  We don’t all have to support the mission, but the people do deserve our support and respect.  They are, after all,  my brothers and sisters in arms and our fellow Canadians.  It would give me a warm fuzzy if you could do this every once and a while.

Cheers and have a great school year. 

MR D

End of Year

Well:
Graduation is now over.  It does go by in a blur doesn’t it.  The bandroom is now only another silent room.   Before you know it, you will all be on your seperate ways persuing your chosen courses of study at the universities you have chosen to attend.  I hope you enjoyed last nights graduation.  Congratulations to all.  Never forget where you have come from and the people who supported you along the way.  Take pride in your accomplishments and be proud of yourself in the journey on which you now embark. 
To all of you who leave the family we call the band,  I want you to know how very proud I am of  you and of how much I am going to miss our little talks and the humour.  I was once asked why I decided to become a teacher .  I think  I finally know the answer.  You are.  Thank you for allowing me to re-discover within myself the passion with which I now live.  
You all have it within you to do great things not just for yourselves, but for others.  Never forget that.  Allow the song that is uniquely yours to be heard .  Continue to spread the music.
Good luck next year to all of you and remember, there is always a place for you here in “our” bandroom.
Mr D