# On Guard 90 and the 'Super Master Corporal's' Training Course



## RARinne (21 Feb 2015)

Good Morning,

My name is Rob Rinne and I am wondering if someone here can help me acquire some information. It’s research for a novel I am plotting.

1.	“Super Master Corporal’s Course”, or at least, back in and around the 1990s, this is what I remember how people referred to it. Is such a course still in existence? I have no desire to take it, but I am wondering how I can get information regarding the course as it was  back in 1990.

2.	“On Guard 90 : Total Force In The Making” is a training exercise back from 1990. I don’t remember if all of Ontario was in on it, but I do remember that LFCATC Meaford was definitely involved. I want to get as much information as I can about that particular exercise. Everything from the planning, the brochures, and some of the specific events. The internet has not been of much help to me. The brochure for On Guard 90 had a soldier in combat uniform on the cover, complete with camouflage makeup. I can almost remember his name of who it was. I am nearly sure it was a master corporal and I am very nearly sure that it was a particular master corporal who did exceedingly well on the ‘super master corporal’s course’.

Anything and everything that anyone can send my way, including contacts who can also point me in the right direction, would be appreciated. Again, the internet has not been my friend and neither has my local library.

Regards,
Robert A. Rinne


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## Loachman (21 Feb 2015)

I orchestrated all of the helicopter support (five Chinook, Twin Hueys, NY ARNG Hueys, and a bunch of Kiowas). That may not have been quite the most intensive two weeks of my life, but I cannot remember any other period that clearly exceeded them.

I doubt that I could be of any real help, though, as I was in my own little bubble.


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## Ostrozac (21 Feb 2015)

I wasn't on that exercise -- so can't really comment on that part, but the closest I remember to the course you describe was hearing about the RNTP program, which was an intensive reserve only course that was intended to be a combined QL3 Infantry and Infantry Section Commander Course all rolled into one. The member would enrol in the reserves off the street, go on the course, then graduate as a Master Corporal four months later.

I remember it being explained, and then me thinking that it was the most insane idea for NCO production that I had ever heard. But that's the closest thing that I can think of to a Super Master Corporal course, but I never heard it described as that -- it was always called RNTP. Pronounced "Rin-Tip". I can't remember what the acronym stood for.


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## mariomike (21 Feb 2015)

Ostrozac said:
			
		

> -- it was always called RNTP. Pronounced "Rin-Tip". I can't remember what the acronym stood for.



Reserve NCO Trg Plan/Program?


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## Haggis (21 Feb 2015)

Reserve NCO Training Program was more of an "instant" MCpl Course than a "Super" MCpl Course.  Many grads lacked the maturity and people skills to apply the leadership principles taught on RNTP.


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## Old EO Tech (21 Feb 2015)

I was a young Pte in 2 Svc Bn in Pet at this time.  I can't speak to the RNTP as I've always been Reg Force.  But I took part in On Guard 90, or as we called it Oh God 90.  Definitely a very limited success of a Total Force Ex.  I don't know how this worked out on the Combat Arms side of things, but on the CSS side we ended up splitting up 2 Svc Bn between Pet and Meaford, and then trying to integrate as many CSS(EME in my case) technicians/officers to make full up Coys/Pl's at each location.

So we ended up with some reserve Wpns Tech's in W&E Pl, Maint Coy in Pet.  And a EME LT reserve Pl Comd that was even younger than me :-/  In order not to alienate the reservists, we went so far as to make Pet Svc Bn and Mfd Svc Bn epaulets, I still have my Pet Svc Bn OD slipons as a keepsake :-/  

As far as the Ex went it was a fairly standard Svc Bn Ex at the time, occupy and defend a  hide, move at night and repeat.  I'm sure the reservist did get some good training out of this, but for all the resources used for this Ex they probably could have just put the reservists on TD to reg force units for OJT and get more out of that.....


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## noneck (21 Feb 2015)

I was On Guard 90, It wasn't just an Ontario MO Ex. I was on the Western one in Wx, it was a standard MilCon style Ex with about 4 days of stand Trg and a 2 or 3 day FTX. I still have a US style shoulder patch we were issued as members of the 12 Militia Strike Bn......I don't know who made this sh~t up! They only issued us one patch and we had to take it off one shirt and sew it on the other when changing uniforms. It was a good Ex, but no better or worse than any of the other MilCon's.

As far as the "Super MCpl" course, we called it JNCODP, Junior NCO Development Program out West and there was both a Reg and Res course in Wainwright. We had at least one guy from my unit, go on it. They did GMT, BTT Inf and ISCC in 4 months, I remember that it was an abject failure and it was never run again.


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## Eye In The Sky (21 Feb 2015)

ON GUARD '90 also took place in the Atlantic Area as well in Gagetown.  We had fast air, helo inserts (against our O.P. screen).  I was in the Recce Sqn.  We did mtd OPs on HLZs, there were insertions on those LZs and they came looking for us.  Interesting times.

Ref the 'super Master Corporal' course, the irony is that 99.9% of the Jacks it produced were anything but super IMO.


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## Tow Tripod (21 Feb 2015)

I was on On Guard 1990 as a member of 1PPCLI, C-Coy. They still haven't paid me enough for that Ex! I now have 26 years in and that particular Ex stands out as a horrible experience...


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## daftandbarmy (21 Feb 2015)

Tow Tripod said:
			
		

> I was on On Guard 1990 as a member of 1PPCLI, C-Coy. They still haven't paid me enough for that Ex! I now have 26 years in and that particular Ex stands out as a horrible experience...



I was OC of a reserve rifle coy. My favourite part was when the Regs were told that they had to fill in the (extensive) trenches so the reservists could 'get back to work', then we were ordered to leave the positions. 

Needless to say, we disobeyed (yet another ridiculous) order and stayed there and helped.


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## AmmoTech90 (21 Feb 2015)

I remember the Recruit to MCpl course running in Wainwright sometime between 92 and 94.  It only ran once and consisted of GMT, Battleschool, one or two OSQ (MG and Comms I believe) followed by a CLC.  I seem to remember it running for 9 months and graduating one or two.


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## medicineman (21 Feb 2015)

Tow Tripod said:
			
		

> I was on On Guard 1990 as a member of 1PPCLI, C-Coy. They still haven't paid me enough for that Ex! I now have 26 years in and that particular Ex stands out as a horrible experience...





			
				daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> I was OC of a reserve rifle coy. My favourite part was when the Regs were told that they had to fill in the (extensive) trenches so the reservists could 'get back to work', then we were ordered to leave the positions.
> 
> Needless to say, we disobeyed (yet another ridiculous) order and stayed there and helped.



I was in 1 Fd Amb for that exercise...when we did our Brigade ex, we dug in a fair amount (if was a defensive ex) and when time came to pull pole, we were told to leave the positions in situ.  Our reserve equivalent unit occupied said positions (some troops, incidentally only with the clothes on their back and whatever was in their fighting order during the wettest, coldest week of the summer) and at end ex, vacated them.  If it wasn't for the fact I was on an ambulance run to UofA Hospital and had my ambulance blow up in Edmonton, I'd have been stuck helping fill in those trenches.  

The dude I had to take to the hospital had been shot in the face at point blank range by a rifle with no BFA on it while he was assaulting a trench  :.

MM


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## daftandbarmy (22 Feb 2015)

medicineman said:
			
		

> The dude I had to take to the hospital had been shot in the face at point blank range by a rifle with no BFA on it while he was assaulting a trench  :.
> 
> MM



And I know the guy who shot him.

Awkward...

Having said that, there was loads of stupidshit going on. Like my CP was attacked by a section of enfor mounted in a CF ambulance  :

Really?

After that, I gave orders to shoot and/or stab to death anything that moved, including the grass. 

It was pretty much a complete waste of time and convinced me that I shouldn't go on too many more of those jamborees.


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## noneck (22 Feb 2015)

Hmmmm, D&B was my OC on that EX....This is awkward I think we may have been responsible for some of those incidents!

D&B wasn't that the EX where you threw yourself on the wire obstacle?


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## daftandbarmy (22 Feb 2015)

noneck said:
			
		

> Hmmmm, D&B was my OC on that EX....This is awkward I think we may have been responsible for some of those incidents!
> 
> D&B wasn't that the EX where you threw yourself on the wire obstacle?



Yup. At the Marguerita-Ville Massacre. 

At the time I was hoping that if I was 'killed' I wouldn't have to put up with anymore of the _BS_ being dished out by the _DS_  ;D


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## medicineman (22 Feb 2015)

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> Having said that, there was loads of stupidshit going on. Like my CP was attacked by a section of enfor mounted in a CF ambulance  :
> 
> Really?



I seem remember getting yelled at in Kabul for something like that...took a section of our engineers on an EOD task in a Bison amb that was being used for coverage.  But yes, that was bad form there.



			
				daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> It was pretty much a complete waste of time and convinced me that I shouldn't go on too many more of those jamborees.



I agree...I'd have to say that it was one of the top 5 worst exercises I've ever been involved with...behind the Gagetown COP Cobra  fiasco I was on in '95  and Western Defender '13 but marginally ahead of a 5 and 15 Fd Regt gun camp in '88 in Ft Lewis.  The 3 MilCon's I did when I first joined 11 Med Coy were actually quite good - my last one went off with a literal bang, as I was with the guns for it, got to see some cool shoots, borrowed an RAAC Gazelle for an air recce and promptly had to call the dude back later that day for a no duff casevac  ;D.  Oh God '90 struck me more as a hasty relief in place followed by a repeat of what was done to us earlier - without the Green Jackets and the SAS wreaking havoc all over.

MM


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## Franko (22 Feb 2015)

medicineman said:
			
		

> I seem remember getting yelled at in Kabul for something like that...took a section of our engineers on an EOD task in a Bison amb that was being used for coverage.  But yes, that was bad form there.
> 
> I agree...I'd have to say that it was one of the top 5 worst exercises I've ever been involved with...behind the Gagetown COP Cobra  fiasco I was on in '95  and Western Defender '13 but marginally ahead of a 5 and 15 Fd Regt gun camp in '88 in Ft Lewis.  The 3 MilCon's I did when I first joined 11 Med Coy were actually quite good - my last one went off with a literal bang, as I was with the guns for it, got to see some cool shoots, borrowed an RAAC Gazelle for an air recce and promptly had to call the dude back later that day for a no duff casevac  ;D.  Oh God '90 struck me more as a hasty relief in place followed by a repeat of what was done to us earlier - without the Green Jackets and the SAS wreaking havoc all over.
> 
> MM



COP Cobra....what a waste of time. I was in the tank Sqn at the time and we found it to be an utter jug fuck. On Guard 90 - someone's idea of a massive joke. 

I remember the "super MCpl" course. The products of said course had to be, for the most part, retaught or relinquish the rank due to incompetence.


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## Rifleman62 (22 Feb 2015)

On Guard 90: Was that the FTX when a dude got off the Herc in WX from BC, all camouflaged up with a camouflaged M-16? Turned out he was a civilian. I blieve he also had Ball ammo on his person. I was at the AH. Man Mil Dist did the Arty Conc.

Rained all week, and the RCR Bde Comd (you know who) had all tarps taken off all vehs. Or was that a different year?

Our RSS G3 had ball caps made up: TFB - Total Force Buddy.


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## daftandbarmy (22 Feb 2015)

Rifleman62 said:
			
		

> On Guard 90: Was that the FTX when a dude got off the Herc in WX from BC, all camouflaged up with a camouflaged M-16? Turned out he was a civilian. I blieve he also had Ball ammo on his person. I was at the AH. Man Mil Dist did the Arty Conc.



There were a few older cadets integrated into the companies, and I used one as a runner. The aim was to give them some experience with the reserves in the likelihood that they would join. They gave them deactivated M16s (no idea where they got them) to carry around. I doubt that any of them touched any ammo.

After about Day 2 though there was a massive collective flinch, and they were all extracted immediately.


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## Rifleman62 (22 Feb 2015)

Yes, forgot that he was a Cadet and who his father was.  Remember now.


> They gave them deactivated M16s


 That's why we started asking questions as we of course had the FNC1!

At that time, it seemed LCol's did not retire from the military in BC. They just went to Pacific Area HQ. An old boys club.


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## SprCForr (22 Feb 2015)

Rifleman62 said:
			
		

> Rained all week, and the RCR Bde Comd (you know who) had all tarps taken off all vehs. Or was that a different year?



Yup, different year. IIRC '94-'95 was that pppperiod. The CO directed that the tarps be left on for the road move from Chwk to Suffield for winter warfare. The Bde Comd caught the trail packet at a fuel point east of Calgary. He was livid when he was done questioning me. Of course, my attitude may have been influenced somewhat by the fact that the tarp on HIS Iltis was still on...


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## FormerHorseGuard (22 Feb 2015)

I ws witha  unit that had 2 guys come off that  course, one is now MWO I hear MP and the other is Col.
Both were very good soldiers and had a lot to learn about leadership but they worked hard to get thru the course. I think one that became a Col. was the top soldier on his course.
  
As for the ex, I was on it but was in the pay office. So have very little to say  about it


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## Brad Sallows (22 Feb 2015)

I was in the res fd amb in the Wx version.   We did move into prepared positions that we didn't have to fill.  It wasn't the only mess we left after endex when everyone prepared to hastily depart.  It was no better than any other milcon and worse than some.

One of the "militia rumors" I heard after the fact is that an opportunity had been created to fail - to demonstrate convincingly that no, the militia can not really conduct collective training as a "battle group" and certainly not as a "brigade" so that in future we could get back to fundamentals.   Regardless whether that intent existed, it was a useful point to make and I hope it had some effect on restoring sanity.  Maybe that and the point about learning to function in inclement weather without becoming an environmental casualty were the two most useful lessons.

>Rained all week, and the RCR Bde Comd (you know who) had all tarps taken off all vehs. Or was that a different year?

Yes, that was OG90.  Apparently it makes you more tactically proficient if you run around in an open-top jeep while you are conducting administrative activities supporting work-up training.  And, as it happened, being able to merely function in crappy weather turned out to be a shortcoming for a lot of people.  Partly it was the kit - unless you had purchased a US-style raincoat, for example, you probably got and stayed wet.

I remember the rapid NCO development program, and receiving a briefing thereon.  One of the premises was that units would be very selective in choosing candidates, and not simply fill slots because they had them.


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## Kat Stevens (22 Feb 2015)

JJJJJJJ C was NOT the brigade commander for that ex.  I came home from Germany in '92, and he took over 1 CBG the following spring.  He was responsible for OP COBRA in '94, and the decree was any time the temps were over 0, tarps off, and everyone slept in a hole in the ground.


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## vonGarvin (22 Feb 2015)

RNTP was ridiculous.  The time for a young recruit to make it to MCpl in the militia back in the 1990s wasn't that long to begin with (took me about 2 years), so I don't know the rush.
As for "On Guard 90", I was a MCpl in 2 RCR at the time.  We were out in the field with the rest of 5e GBMC.  From my point of view, and from my hazy memory, it was a fantastic ex.  Brigade defensive position for...3 (?) days, followed by a withdrawal, and then the counter attack.  We did a combat team attack and then on the consolidation, we were given hasty orders to mount up in some Iroquois helicopters and then we hit the bad guys in the depth as the rest of the Brigade advanced on them.  From my low level view looking up, it was fantastic training.


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## daftandbarmy (22 Feb 2015)

Technoviking said:
			
		

> RNTP was ridiculous.  The time for a young recruit to make it to MCpl in the militia back in the 1990s wasn't that long to begin with (took me about 2 years), so I don't know the rush.



I believe we had messed up the career progression to the point that there were zero 'Sergeants in waiting', so there was a massive short term effort put in to qualify more MCpls.

It worked. 

I had a rifle company with about 12 MCpls: about 1 for every two or three Ptes. It was like trying to run some kind of bizarre Taiwan parliamentary session  ;D


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## medicineman (22 Feb 2015)

Brian Vernon was Commander 1 CMBG for that ex - and yes he didn't like us driving around with Iltis tarps up if temp was >/= 0 Deg C...Herr Cox took that a couple steps further.

MM


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## Osotogari (23 Feb 2015)

I did my BMT/GMT in the summer of 1990, and can say that the super-MCpl course that was mentioned did not start until January of 1992, and it was called JNDP.  I know this because I did my reserve QL3 infantry in the summer of 1991, and JNDP was sold as an opportunity to take a regular force basic, battle school and ISCC back-to-back-to-back.  Being young and stupid, I put in for it, but in retrospect was saved by (ironically) the incompetence that characterized much of what stood for admin on the part of the reserve force back then.  There was a battle school run at more or less the same time, I believe the serial was called Amiens.     

Not many of them stayed for the ISCC portion, as most of them put in for the pre-training for Op Harmony roto 1.  A few did, but if memory serves from being part of the summer help in Wainwright that year, not more than a half dozen.


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## vonGarvin (23 Feb 2015)

I know nothing about jndp, but RNTP was out in at least 1989: I was a reservist Sergeant with a MCpl who was a product of RNTP. He was a nice enough guy, but lacked the experience one would expect of a junior NCO.


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## Danjanou (23 Feb 2015)

Well thanks' to whomever started this thread because there's a quarter century of  liquid slef medication therapy wasted, as I now remember RNTP, On God 90 and subsequent runs ins with a certain senior officer with a sock fetish. 8)

I arrived in LFCA in late 1988 and by Jan 1989 was a very new CSM of a rifle company in a TO reserve unit. It was like many a company in name only as we couldn't of course field a rifle platoon and my first priority was try and rebuild it, including repairing the damage of my predecessors. No point in recruiting hundreds of troops if we had no one to train them and I had inherited far less NCOs both Jr and Snr NCO then I would have liked, and some of the ones I had were soon encouraged to find new homes.

RNTP existed then and I took advantage of it as well as many spots on the concurrent running "conventional" ISCC  as I get my hands on between 1989 to the early 1990s. The course itself was okay,, long and demanding enough with the appropriate standards in my opinion and I had just come from a 5 month stint at t he school of cool in Gagetown and prior to that 2 years at MTC Aldershot Leadership Company so I may have had some expertise in Militia Leadership training.

As noted the point was picking kids literally out of recruit course rather than the normal seasoned been in 3-5 years types  to send on it the first place. I had no choice and make no excuses. We were actively recruiting and rebuilding and  by 1992 would have in excess of 150 warm bodies in the company for Milcon that year. Someone had to help me train and lead them.

Some were unmitigated disasters yup, some did okay learned, becoame slef confident  and improved steadily, and some were pretty damn good from the start. Can't remember if he was RNTP or ISCC but the recently retired 32 Brigade RSM was one of those 19-20 year olds I tossed into the fire and I think based on where he eneded up he turned out okay.  A check I did showed a few others stayed in and went up in rank. Others drifted off but did okay in their chosen careers.

It was in the initial choosing of the right type of candidate, intelligent but more than that, a certain attititude, also good supervisiona nd guidance, basically what you should be doing in the first place.  That I think resulted in the majority not being duds.  Many of them also went off on tours as Cpls before we tossed them the leaf,Namibia, Cyprus, Cambodia, or even a REFORGER in Germany and that probably helped a bit.

As we weren't at full strength yet for Oh God 90 we were amalgamated with another unit to form a composite company and their CSM went up to Pet. I stayed and puttered around the armouries catching up on assorted odd jobs and neglected paper work  for 2 weeks waiting for him for screw up  and be fired or quit and be ordered up to replace him. Waste of my vacation form my new day job.

1992 we did take an over strength Coy complete with some of my RNTP/ISSCs instant M/Cpls up to Pet and they did Okay IMHO. Among other things they held their temper while the OC and I were publically jacked in front of the whole company by the then Deputy Commander of the SSF on a difference in opinion on aspect  dress. Speaking as a former 21 year old M/Cpl myself I would not have shown such maturity and restaint and have decked the old shit.  ;D


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## daftandbarmy (23 Feb 2015)

Danjanou said:
			
		

> 1992 we did take an over strength Coy complete with some of my RNTP/ISSCs instant M/Cpls up to Pet and they did Okay IMHO. Among other things they held their temper while the OC and I were publically jacked in front of the whole company by the then Deputy Commander of the SSF on a difference in opinion on aspect  dress. Speaking as a former 21 year old M/Cpl myself I would not have shown such maturity and restaint and have decked the old crap.  ;D



See, you're more professional than you give yourself credit for!  ;D

During that ex, in Wain-wrong, I had the pleasure of watching a demonstration by one of the 3VP OCs, about how to run an area ambush.

It was a disaster. The closest example I can think of regarding his approach would be the immortal scene in 'Ronin' where Sean Bean gets a drawing board lesson on ambushing....

Afterwards he, very smugly, he asked me what I thought of it (knowing that I would fall on my knees to thank him for showing me the way of truth).

I said something like: 'I'm sure this works extremely well in Wainwright. South Armagh? Not so much..."


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## medicineman (23 Feb 2015)

Would have worked well in Nicosia too, especially with empty chambers/magazine housings  ;D.

MM


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