Soooo....now that I've laid out the basics of how Canadians do the airborne thing, let's start into how Bland envisions it working. Much like our examination of Alex Gabriel's Winnipeg Map Recce, I'm going to have to break this down into multiple posts. This one's going to deal with some big-picture strategy issues, the next … Continue reading 55-Lepine has a Plan (1) – Hard Assed?
Airborne Ops: A (very) basic primer
So the next part of the Deconstruction deals with a planned Airborne Operation carried out by Douglas Bland's fictional Canadian Special Service Regiment (CSSR). A lot of the shit that gets presented is seriously, blatantly, wrong, but that wrongness is not necessarily self-evident. So I figure it might be a good idea to lay out … Continue reading Airborne Ops: A (very) basic primer
Leadership(?)-First one to look
So there's this joke in the militia about how you determine who's leadership material, but for it to make sense I need to explain a few things first. This might take a moment, but I am going somewhere with this. Identifying potential NCO leadership is a tricky situation in the militia, and a major part … Continue reading Leadership(?)-First one to look
“Anything that moves…” ROEs when things aren’t simple.
***This post started out as a footnote for an upcoming post, before I tried to tie it in to a previous post, at which point I realized I needed to turn it into a full sized article and so here we are.*** ROEs. Rules Of Engagement. These are vital orders that must be given in … Continue reading “Anything that moves…” ROEs when things aren’t simple.
53-Lepine is loading Chekhov’s gun with blanks!
In case you were wondering what our token “good Indian”[1] with the western sounding name, we’re now back to Gen Lepine’s headquarters.... [Heavy sigh. Time for a sidebar.] Okay, so, I'm still not sure what to make of the fact that René Lepine is native. Because it feels like it should mean something, even though … Continue reading 53-Lepine is loading Chekhov’s gun with blanks!
Supplemental Reading – A Soldier First
In the novel Uprising, Douglas Bland makes it pretty clear that his fictional CDS, Gen Andrew Bishop, does not respect the Prime Minister Jack Hemp. That in and of itself wouldn't be too strange, if it wasn't for the fact that (apparently) no-one else respects the Prime Minister either. During the meeting in Langevin Block … Continue reading Supplemental Reading – A Soldier First
Women in the CAF – Uh…Swooch?
So let's establish a few things right off the bat... I'm a forty-one year old Sergeant who's last named hair style was the mullet. I used to have long hair, so I generally get the idea behind why long-haired women would care about something like Ponytail-FORGEN, but I'm not going to claim I get it … Continue reading Women in the CAF – Uh…Swooch?
Guest Post – The King Byng Affair
An Introduction from your Humble Blog Host... Today I’m going to be doing something a bit different. I’ve been doing this blog for a little more than a year, and while the number of readers I’ve had has fluctuated, the overwhelming majority of the comments here have been by a gentleman named Bill. Bill is … Continue reading Guest Post – The King Byng Affair
Billy Bishop – Let’s have a proper introduction…
I've been meaning to do this for a bit. In Douglas Bland's Uprising, General Andrew Bishop is named after (and in story he's the descendent of) the real life William Avery "Billy" Bishop, who was a Canada's top Ace pilot during the First World War, and was a General training new pilots within the British … Continue reading Billy Bishop – Let’s have a proper introduction…
Leadership(?) – NTM/NMB/NLT and why timing is everything
I got some mixed feelings about the classic war movies like 'The Longest Day' or 'A Bridge Too Far.' Sometimes they capture the spirit of the age in a way we don't always manage in modern films, but other times they get uncomfortably sentimental or melodramatic (and in the case of wars featuring the Japanese, more … Continue reading Leadership(?) – NTM/NMB/NLT and why timing is everything
Putting Down Uprising 