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retiredgrunt45 said:
Sorry, I was just having a "GOC's Inspection" flashback.....that some members here may not understand
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- Thread starter Journeyman
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Sorry, I was just having a "GOC's Inspection" flashback.....that some members here may not understand
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Yup I remember them Journeyman, come back from reforger, then it's of to the wash bay. The RQ has ordered pallets of paint. The "Maint O" is running around in a panic trying to get parts for the broken down vehicles. and the EME shop is working 24 hours hours a day trying to keep up with him. After battalion parade next day your Pl Wo hands you a couple of paint brushs, two gallons of olive drab paint and a few gallons of flat black, points to a row of 113's and says "Make them look like new soldier" the generals coming next week. GOC, Fond memories.
Nice to see you back safe and sound Jammer! "Pro Patria"
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retiredgrunt45 said:Yup I remember them Journeyman, come back from reforger, then it's of to the wash bay. The RQ has ordered pallets of paint. ... a couple of paint brushs, two gallons of olive drab paint and a few gallons of flat black ... "Make them look like new soldier" the generals coming next week. GOC, Fond memories.
Fonder memories yet that it turned out that the most important thing for a certain man of myth and legend was having us yank off our combat boots to ensure our thread colours on each of our grey socks we were wearing matched - just because he could - and I still wonder today just how the fact that mine did not impacts operational capability. :
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I seem to remember we had an OC in 1RCR who did that, he's now "General Jimmy Cox". Some of the older Royals here will know who he is.
I can still hear him shouting at us slackers on parade, which was most of us in his eyes. "It's attention to detail and disciple that makes a good soldier".
I thought I would never see him again until he became CO of 3RCR in Winnipeg just after we had repated from Germany and went to Cyprus with us in 85, what a fun tour that was... Bed inspection parades, sock inspection parades, uniform inspection parades... He even had the Med A's inspect our toe nails to make sure we were keeping them properly trimmed, no guff, this is all true!
Sounds funny, but to this day, I always have the same colour thread on each sock, He--ruined--my--life!!!! :crybaby:
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Oh I shouldn't say those things about Jimmy, he was a pretty good CO, hard as nails old school type, but also very fair. He had a way of doing things "His way" He always expected and recieved 100% from his officers, less they wanted the wrath of Jimmy. I was his driver for a while in Winnipeg and Cyprus and he always treated me very well. He took care of the people around him, even though his parades were an experience onto themselves, he always took the time to stop and speak with as many OR's as he could, always questioning how we were being treated, family concerns etc and he expected his officers to do the same. There were a few tense moments after he had rescued me from my own stupidity after I had been late a few times. After he had giving me a good chew out as only Jimmy Cox could, RSM O'Rielly gave me a wink and smile sent me on my way knowing full well that I probably wasn't going to re-offend and he was right, because to be chewed up and spat out by Jimmy Cox once was enough for most people. No one wanted to be standing at attention and be chewed out by Jimmy a second time. Because on the second time the guard house was just a short march from his office and that's were you'd be under the watchful eyes of the RP's for 15 days on a diet of bread and water, shining shiny brass and stripping and waxing floors and any other imaginative punishment he could find for you.
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My favourite GOC's inspection story is from the '60s.
The GOC was Jimmy Gardner. He was "only" a Brig (there were no BGens back then) but he was Comd 4CMBG and Comd CAE (Canadian Army Europe).
The issue, which came to a head on the parade square, involved the issuing of incomplete kit.
What would happen is that supply would issue kit without all the necessary bits and pieces. Sometimes the issued kit was quite useless. The missing items were "covered" with a piece of paper - the unit's copy was pink - called a Certificate of variance (C of V). The particular culprit at the time was the then brand new AN/GRC 106 radio - that replaced out old medium power HF radio sets.
One CO - a signaller named Bill Grant - finally brought the thing to a head. In addition to a squadron of well turned out soldiers, Bill had a long line of vehicles on the parade square. The Comd inspected the troops and then walked slowly down the line of vehicles. He finally stopped at one 3/4 ton box body which was empty - not a single piece of useful kit in it - nothing at all except for a one of those ring board that admin and QM types use to hold papers. But the vehicle had a sign: "1 BR Corps rear link."
"What the hell is this, Bill?" Brig Gardner asked.
"It's your emergency link to the Corps Commander," Maj Grant answered. "When, not if, the fancy secure phone fails this is the radio you will need to talk nuclear release wth the Corps Commander."
"Then where in bloody hell is it?"
"In all those pink slips," said Grant. "Here is a complete radio station, "issued" by the supply gods in Canada to CAE and then to brigade and then, finally, to me. Now each slip came as part of other radio stations but my technical people did their "juju" to make as many working radio stations as we could - but we were left without one complete station - every single item is "covered" by one of these useless bloody pink slips!"
The Brig turned to the hapless AQ staff officer who was trotting along at the end of the line - me - and said: "Sort this out, young fellow!" "Sir!" I responded, quite certain that neither he nor I had any idea how. But all the signallers grinned broadly and, eventually, "we" (Brig Gardner, actually, with me taking notes) had a fairly pointed "conversation" with a bunch of "supply management" people in Ottawa. I would like to say that things improved ... I would also like to win the lottery and I would really, really like the tooth fairy to come back.
The GOC was Jimmy Gardner. He was "only" a Brig (there were no BGens back then) but he was Comd 4CMBG and Comd CAE (Canadian Army Europe).
The issue, which came to a head on the parade square, involved the issuing of incomplete kit.
What would happen is that supply would issue kit without all the necessary bits and pieces. Sometimes the issued kit was quite useless. The missing items were "covered" with a piece of paper - the unit's copy was pink - called a Certificate of variance (C of V). The particular culprit at the time was the then brand new AN/GRC 106 radio - that replaced out old medium power HF radio sets.
One CO - a signaller named Bill Grant - finally brought the thing to a head. In addition to a squadron of well turned out soldiers, Bill had a long line of vehicles on the parade square. The Comd inspected the troops and then walked slowly down the line of vehicles. He finally stopped at one 3/4 ton box body which was empty - not a single piece of useful kit in it - nothing at all except for a one of those ring board that admin and QM types use to hold papers. But the vehicle had a sign: "1 BR Corps rear link."
"What the hell is this, Bill?" Brig Gardner asked.
"It's your emergency link to the Corps Commander," Maj Grant answered. "When, not if, the fancy secure phone fails this is the radio you will need to talk nuclear release wth the Corps Commander."
"Then where in bloody hell is it?"
"In all those pink slips," said Grant. "Here is a complete radio station, "issued" by the supply gods in Canada to CAE and then to brigade and then, finally, to me. Now each slip came as part of other radio stations but my technical people did their "juju" to make as many working radio stations as we could - but we were left without one complete station - every single item is "covered" by one of these useless bloody pink slips!"
The Brig turned to the hapless AQ staff officer who was trotting along at the end of the line - me - and said: "Sort this out, young fellow!" "Sir!" I responded, quite certain that neither he nor I had any idea how. But all the signallers grinned broadly and, eventually, "we" (Brig Gardner, actually, with me taking notes) had a fairly pointed "conversation" with a bunch of "supply management" people in Ottawa. I would like to say that things improved ... I would also like to win the lottery and I would really, really like the tooth fairy to come back.
There was a certain armoured regiment in Gagetown in the early-sixties that will remain nameless, but it had three words in its title. Hint, the first word started with R and the last word started with D. Anyway, for some unknown reason - because the regiment was a happy, efficient lot - it could not get through a GOC's inspection without a minor disaster.
One year in the roll past, one of the Centurions traversed towards the reviewing stand and dipped the gun. A beer bottle slide out of the tube and shattered in front of the reviewing stand. On another occasion, another tank traversed its main armament towards the stand (unfortunately through the band.) And finally during another inspection, the GOC ordered one of the external turret bins opened, only to discover a truly mangy grease-encrusted black iron frying pan.
Crap happens to everybody during inspections. One year we had an inspection in the field with the batteries mustered in tactical groups in various gun areas. An Eastern Command Headquarters staff officer walked up to our BSM and asked to see the NBCW protective drills. The BSM turned about and yelled "Gas! Gas! Gas!" and one of the troops leaped on the POL vehicle and began to toss jerry cans off.
Meanwhile the main entourage had descended on A Battery. The great man stated he wished to see one of the troops come into action. The BC issued a quick radio order to A Troop, the GPO leaped in his vehicle and ordered the driver to head towards a tree line. The driver popped the clutch, floored the gas, hauled the wheel hard over and flipped the command post trailer. (We used built-up 3/4 ton trailers for troop command posts in thosepre-M 577 days.)
One year in the roll past, one of the Centurions traversed towards the reviewing stand and dipped the gun. A beer bottle slide out of the tube and shattered in front of the reviewing stand. On another occasion, another tank traversed its main armament towards the stand (unfortunately through the band.) And finally during another inspection, the GOC ordered one of the external turret bins opened, only to discover a truly mangy grease-encrusted black iron frying pan.
Crap happens to everybody during inspections. One year we had an inspection in the field with the batteries mustered in tactical groups in various gun areas. An Eastern Command Headquarters staff officer walked up to our BSM and asked to see the NBCW protective drills. The BSM turned about and yelled "Gas! Gas! Gas!" and one of the troops leaped on the POL vehicle and began to toss jerry cans off.
Meanwhile the main entourage had descended on A Battery. The great man stated he wished to see one of the troops come into action. The BC issued a quick radio order to A Troop, the GPO leaped in his vehicle and ordered the driver to head towards a tree line. The driver popped the clutch, floored the gas, hauled the wheel hard over and flipped the command post trailer. (We used built-up 3/4 ton trailers for troop command posts in thosepre-M 577 days.)
daftandbarmy
Army.ca Fossil
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We were all part of inspections like this in the GOD (Good Old Days), but do they still have inspections like that these days? I doubt that they have the time.... ;D
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Certificates of Deviance? >
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Coolest guy for GOC's when I was in Calgary was BGen Vernon - it was very informal (at least ging through out lines), no spit and polish or paint on rust on paint. However, if you failed to perform in the field, look out. He always talked with everyone; I remember him calling me the "best equipped drug dealer this side of Columbia" when I was Brigade Pharmacy Tech. He even suggested I should get an APC though if I felt the urge to work in Columbia. The Stutter Meister on the other hand was the only Brigade Commander who never talked to me - not sure if it was the height thing or what. I do know his driver almost ran me over in California while my rifle platoon was doing a live attack. I thankfully managed to avoid GOC's with him.
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