- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 210
Recently reported in the Calgary Herald:
"Frustrated by having to wear boreal green camouflage uniforms in a desert environment, Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan began slapping brown latex paint onto their rifles, bulletproof vests and other equipment Thursday.
Contingent commander Lt.-Col. Pat Stogran termed the chameleon-like change by the 28 soldiers in one company of the Princess Patricia‘s Canadian Light Infantry an example of the initiative he expects from his soldiers. One infantry officer characterized it as traditional Canadian make-do.
"It‘s a case of improvise, adapt and overcome," said Maj. Mike Blackburn, commander of 5 Platoon, Bravo Company.
Blackburn‘s soldiers used all manner of techniques to copy the desert camouflage of their American colleagues.
Using paint scrounged from a source they refused to divulge, the soldiers drenched their fabric helmet covers, splashed their bulletproof vests, painted their black gun barrels and daubed the stocks of their machine guns.
To imitate the texture of the desert terrain, some soldiers poured fine brown sand onto the wet paint. Others covered sections of their rifles with desert-camouflage tape. They‘d purchased a $25 roll of the tape from a gun and military memorabilia store before leaving Edmonton.
"I don‘t suppose the government will be reimbursing us," said one soldier.
The browning of Blackburn‘s soldiers will now be copied by all 750 soldiers of the Canadian contingent, said Stogran.
"Camouflage is very much an individual thing. It is certainly in our bag of tricks to do this," he said.
The Canadian army unveiled its new line of desert camouflage battle gear this week, but the first uniforms aren‘t expected to be distributed to soldiers in the field until the summer, too late for the soldiers now in Afghanistan.
It‘s better to adapt than to whine, Stogran said.
"We have to focus on mission success and not cry about spilled milk," he said.
Make-do desert camouflage is nothing new for Canadians, one soldier said. Similar adaptations were made in Somalia but the improvisations of Blackburn‘s soldiers go far beyond paint and tape.
Cpl. Chris Arnott was a walking example of the art of improvisation. On his right shoulder, Arnott sported a small two-way radio, one of a pair purchased from Future Shop for $70. It will allow him to stay in touch with his section buddy when conditions allow unrestricted radio communication.
Arnott bought extra pouches so he could carry more magazines of ammunition for his assault rifle. Since his rifle is equipped with a grenade launcher, he also bought a $50 American vest designed to hold 36 grenades.
"The army gave us bandoleers to carry our grenades but bandoleers jump and jostle when we‘re moving," he explained.
Strapped to his right thigh were three more rifle ammunition pouches, stitched together by a friend in Edmonton. He can now carry a total of 13 magazines, each filled with 30 bullets.
Each of his ammunition pouches -- the ones issued to him by the army as well as his personal ones -- was held closed with a snap-fastener purchased from Mountain Equipment Co-op rather than the army-issue fastener, which he finds difficult to close.
Change was the order of the day Thursday. Some soldiers stripped the pouch pockets off the front of their jackets and sewed them onto their sleeves.
"If it‘s on the front of your jacket, you can‘t get into them once you‘ve put your bulletproof vest over top," one soldier explained.
Before he left Edmonton, Arnott also picked up a pair of kneepads similar to the ones supplied to American foot soldiers. At Mountain Equipment Co-op he purchased additional gloves. To put it all in, he had to buy an extra-large Co-op bag.
"I spent $300 of my own money," Arnott said. "It‘s worth it though, if it can add to my comfort, speed and safety."
Good God Almighty, why are those young rastabouts not being brought up on charges? How dare they imply NDHQ and the CDS have not given them the best, most up to date equipment available to any soldiers around the world today? They should be ashamed to be playing the parts of clowns in such a circus.
So much for not being able to customize you kit in the Almighty Reg F. (This is the point where I and my fellow Res rats should bow in awestruck reverence.) But I‘m sure the RSM will start taking heads for his desk soon enough.
Remember Egg‘s mantra: We are the best equipped and trained army to ever grace a battlefield.
"Frustrated by having to wear boreal green camouflage uniforms in a desert environment, Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan began slapping brown latex paint onto their rifles, bulletproof vests and other equipment Thursday.
Contingent commander Lt.-Col. Pat Stogran termed the chameleon-like change by the 28 soldiers in one company of the Princess Patricia‘s Canadian Light Infantry an example of the initiative he expects from his soldiers. One infantry officer characterized it as traditional Canadian make-do.
"It‘s a case of improvise, adapt and overcome," said Maj. Mike Blackburn, commander of 5 Platoon, Bravo Company.
Blackburn‘s soldiers used all manner of techniques to copy the desert camouflage of their American colleagues.
Using paint scrounged from a source they refused to divulge, the soldiers drenched their fabric helmet covers, splashed their bulletproof vests, painted their black gun barrels and daubed the stocks of their machine guns.
To imitate the texture of the desert terrain, some soldiers poured fine brown sand onto the wet paint. Others covered sections of their rifles with desert-camouflage tape. They‘d purchased a $25 roll of the tape from a gun and military memorabilia store before leaving Edmonton.
"I don‘t suppose the government will be reimbursing us," said one soldier.
The browning of Blackburn‘s soldiers will now be copied by all 750 soldiers of the Canadian contingent, said Stogran.
"Camouflage is very much an individual thing. It is certainly in our bag of tricks to do this," he said.
The Canadian army unveiled its new line of desert camouflage battle gear this week, but the first uniforms aren‘t expected to be distributed to soldiers in the field until the summer, too late for the soldiers now in Afghanistan.
It‘s better to adapt than to whine, Stogran said.
"We have to focus on mission success and not cry about spilled milk," he said.
Make-do desert camouflage is nothing new for Canadians, one soldier said. Similar adaptations were made in Somalia but the improvisations of Blackburn‘s soldiers go far beyond paint and tape.
Cpl. Chris Arnott was a walking example of the art of improvisation. On his right shoulder, Arnott sported a small two-way radio, one of a pair purchased from Future Shop for $70. It will allow him to stay in touch with his section buddy when conditions allow unrestricted radio communication.
Arnott bought extra pouches so he could carry more magazines of ammunition for his assault rifle. Since his rifle is equipped with a grenade launcher, he also bought a $50 American vest designed to hold 36 grenades.
"The army gave us bandoleers to carry our grenades but bandoleers jump and jostle when we‘re moving," he explained.
Strapped to his right thigh were three more rifle ammunition pouches, stitched together by a friend in Edmonton. He can now carry a total of 13 magazines, each filled with 30 bullets.
Each of his ammunition pouches -- the ones issued to him by the army as well as his personal ones -- was held closed with a snap-fastener purchased from Mountain Equipment Co-op rather than the army-issue fastener, which he finds difficult to close.
Change was the order of the day Thursday. Some soldiers stripped the pouch pockets off the front of their jackets and sewed them onto their sleeves.
"If it‘s on the front of your jacket, you can‘t get into them once you‘ve put your bulletproof vest over top," one soldier explained.
Before he left Edmonton, Arnott also picked up a pair of kneepads similar to the ones supplied to American foot soldiers. At Mountain Equipment Co-op he purchased additional gloves. To put it all in, he had to buy an extra-large Co-op bag.
"I spent $300 of my own money," Arnott said. "It‘s worth it though, if it can add to my comfort, speed and safety."
Good God Almighty, why are those young rastabouts not being brought up on charges? How dare they imply NDHQ and the CDS have not given them the best, most up to date equipment available to any soldiers around the world today? They should be ashamed to be playing the parts of clowns in such a circus.
So much for not being able to customize you kit in the Almighty Reg F. (This is the point where I and my fellow Res rats should bow in awestruck reverence.) But I‘m sure the RSM will start taking heads for his desk soon enough.
Remember Egg‘s mantra: We are the best equipped and trained army to ever grace a battlefield.
