# What manner of men are these who wear the Maroon Beret (was



## army (22 Sep 2002)

Posted by *"William J <andy> Anderson" <aanderson@sk.sympatico.ca>* on *Tue, 28 Nov 2000 15:00:36 -0700*
on 28/11/00 20:38,Albert King at aking@mb.sympatico.ca wrote:
> Yah but other then the para stuff how were they different? They could jump,
> but what
> could they do when they reached the ground? Operate in small teams deep behind
> enemy
> lines like a SOF unit? Did they train for this specifically or did they just
> do more
> running? Did the unit have experts in demolitions, hand-to-hand combat, or
> languages like
> other special operations soldier are expected to have today?
I wore the coveted Maroon Beret for 13 of my 32 years in the Army, therfore
some of my comments are tainted to some degree but ‘I was there ...I got the
Tee shirt‘12 in the Regiment and 1 with 2RCHA E Bty para
The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein tried to sum it up by saying ‘they have
jumped from the air and by doing so have conquered fear‘ I would prefer to
think that I learned to live with ‘fear‘ rather than conquer it. Some would
argue that it is the same.
He goes on to say that everyone is a volunteer ... this is where the
camaraderie starts. In the CAR everyone volunteers, consequently one never
hears the ‘belly-aching‘ that is oft heard in other units ...‘WTF am I doing
here‘
PT is often a bone of contention in conversations about paratroopers and the
the worthiness of road runs, obstacle courses and pitting sub units against
each other in feats of physical fitness. The Field Marshall goes on to say
that their physical wellbeing results in optimisn, infectious optimism
actually, as well as offensive eagerness. I tend to agree ... as would any
reader on this list that has been involed in rigourous training for any
length of time. A sound body makes for an eager soldier. Addtionally we must
remember that the parachute is just a means of transport. Once landed the
paratrooper is at a great disadvantage compared to soldiers in line outfits.
The risk of injury of course, comes first. Even a little twisted ankle could
make a 15 klik hump difficult. Once on the ground the paratrooper has much
less hardware at his disposal. Consequently, one might argue that he has to
be a little more imaginative. In the artic toboggans are loaded with some
supplies but during other operations ...your house is on your back. If you
can‘t get it in the rucksack then you can‘t bring it.
The question was asked about the  purpose of the Airborne Regiment. This
changed many times from formation in Edmonton in ‘68 up to its demise in
Petawawa. One example was that prior to ‘74 the Regiment did not go on
peacekeeping missions. Some would say that the Regiment was put into the
Cyprus rotation just to take up the slack because every other Army unit had
been there numerous times.Senior officers argued that paratroopers were no
longer needed given the type of warfare going on it the world. An excellent
topic for debate in fact.
I can say that the Regiment was different when we became part of the Brigade
in Petawawa. In Edmonton, it seemed that we trained and exercised as we saw
fit. There was no ‘big brother‘ in the camp with us. Petawawa brought a new
way of operating and we were part of the SSF with a Brigadier breathing down
our necks watching. We paratrooper were not always a brilliant lot, and
painting ‘Airborne‘ on the water tower in Petawawa within two days of the
advance party‘s arrival did nothing to endear us to members of 2 brigade.
please excuse the giggle Perhaps the Regiment was under a microscope from
then on but we all have to agree that its value was always a point of
controversy. As well this move saw us loose our jump brothers in the
Airborne Battery and Engineer Squadron to their parent units. Was there
political motivation for this move? I‘m not sure there is an answer to that
question but I believe with all my heart that it was the begining of the end
of the Regiment.
The Regiment didn‘t always do everything that is set out to do. These
failures were a source of shame but served to make the soldiers try harder.
One year the Commander said we would march back to Edmonton from Wainwright.
I think most units made it to Viking and it was called off. one young
officer from the first commando somehow got permission to go off on his own
and completed it. In Petawawa the BC wanted effective fire 20 minutes after
the green light going on in the aircraft. At night. In the winter. First
time was a failure but they did it in 18 minutes the second time. to
gunner: if you are still reading this list from ‘over there‘... It was a
wonderful day to be on the DZ with a bunch of Gunners.
Things like that happen all the time to all soldiers, not just soldiers in
that Regiment.
I am not going to address the comments made about other unit‘s ‘cleaning
house‘ and sending the dregs off to the CAR. Nor will I comment on the ‘in
your face‘ bravado often seen by outsiders. I have to look at the Airborne
Regiment‘s value to the Army from a soldier‘s point of view and not a
politician‘s. That value was that it gave regular soldiers something to
aspire to. A place where they could push themselves a little harder and be
challenged daily. It was also a place where soldiers had a common bond.
Cooks. mechanics, medics, infantrymen, padres, pilots and int ops all had
the exact same standards and took pride in it. Of course they all had wings
on their chest and wore the Maroon Beret. I was given the chance to push
myself beyond my dreams. I also had the privilege of working with many other
nation‘s army units. I took courses that I would never had taken had I
whiled away my time in a maintenance company in a Service Battalion. I made
sure my beret was a ‘half size‘ too small and I spit shone my Jump boots.
For me it they were the greatest years of my life, but... I‘m both happy and
sad that they are over.
Was the Regiment good for soldiers? It was for this one.
arte et marte
anderson sends:
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