Will Chaster, Base PA Office ~Base Commander Captain (Navy) Jason Boyd made a splash at the annual Military Police Block Party.An attendee with good aim soaked the naval officer in the dunk tank. The annual community party, held Friday Aug. 25 in Belmont Park, was a fundraiser for the MP Unit’s charity of choice, the Military Police Fund for Blind Children.The charity was founded in 1957 and specializes in assisting visually impaired children up to the age of 21. The fund is operated entirely by Military Police volunteers and has no paid employees.Activities at the block party brought fun for both children and adults. A barbecue satisfied hunger pangs, and a fire truck from CFB Esquimalt Fire and Rescue Services, a face painter, and inflatables grabbed, and kept, the children’s attention.“The whole idea of the Block Party is to bring people together and celebrate living in the same area, while supporting a great cause,” said Leading Seaman Andrée Noye, an MP member and Block Party organizer.This year’s party raised about $2,000 for the charity.“I’m really happy that everybody enjoyed it and I already have some ideas for how to make it even better next year,” said LS Noye.For details on the Military Police Fund for Blind Children and information on how to donate, visit www.mpfbc.com.

Reviewing Officer, Capt(N) Jeff Hamilton (center), signs the certificates of the Incoming Commanding Officer, Commander Sylvain Belair and the Outgoing Commanding Officer, Commander Chris Peschke during the Sea Training Change of Command Ceremony held at the Wardroom, CFB Esquimalt on Aug. 25.Photo by LS Valerie LeClair, MARPAC Imaging Services

In this episode, we highlight Operation OPEN SPIRIT and the CAF’s participation in this year’s Capital Pride Parade.

In this episode we take a look at Operation NANOOK and give a Bravo Zulu to the Defence Team on being recognized as one of the top 25 best employers in Canada.

Will Chaster, Base PA Office ~After several incidents, the Military Police Unit Esquimalt has reached out to the Victoria Police Department in order to increase law enforcement at the intersection of Esquimalt and Admirals Roads.This is in response to a number of complaints in which pedestrians have almost been hit by individuals turning left onto Admirals Rd from Esquimalt Rd between 3:30 and 4:30 p.m. on weekdays.In the majority of these cases, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and DND members have been identified as those endangering pedestrians and running lights.In order to ensure the safety of pedestrians and motorists, Vic PD will step up patrols in the area.“Vic PD will be at the location and they will not be giving out warnings,” said Leading Seaman Andrée Noye, Community Relations Coordinator with MPU Esquimalt.Aside from endangering the lives of others, dangerous driving can come with its own legal ramifications.“The consequences can be pretty severe; if you’re caught breaking the law you could face demerit points on your license and a fine of over $150,” says LS Noye.When moving through a busy intersection, drivers have to be mindful of the dangers of not paying attention.“I understand everyone wants to get home but think about the consequences; pedestrians are very vulnerable to someone with their mind on beating the traffic crawl,” she says.CAF personnel are reminded to always obey traffic regulations and maintain extra levels of vigilance for pedestrians.

[caption id="attachment_16933" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Corporal J.W.S. Houck - Formation Imaging Services[/caption]Portuguese Tactical Operations Unit practices cross boarding drill on board HMCS Charlottetown during Operation Reassurance, Aug. 30.

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~The year-old Naval Security Team has taken another step towards providing improved port protection to Royal Canadian Navy vessels after a successful deployment to Fiji.Ten members of the Naval Security Team and two personnel from the Maritime Tactical Operations Group travelled to the South Pacific Nation’s capital city of Suva Aug. 11 to 20 to train alongside 12 personnel from the Republic of Fiji Navy.Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Jeff Chura says although his unit is still “growing and refining,” he has been impressed with its initial efforts to enhance understanding and cooperation with partner navies through global engagements and bi-lateral training exercises.“The biggest takeaway from the deployment to Fiji was that it gave our personnel a better understanding and perspective of how other militaries do business, how to interact with other navies, and how they would approach situations,” he said. “They are normally stationed domestically or in continental North America, so expeditionary overseas operations gives them the international experience naval reservists need.”Canadian and Fijian sailors focussed on the safety and security of vessels approaching a berth, alongside and departing, while learning the dynamics of setting up force protection (secured) zones in both military and non-military harbours.The deployment was part of the Royal Canadian Navy’s (RCN) Poseidon Cutlass, a series of training exercises with regional partner navies at sea. The Naval Security Team completed a deployment to Busan, South Korea, in June, also part of Poseidon Cutlass.Since the RCN’s visit occurred just ahead of Fiji’s integration of women into their military next year, there were discussions with LCdr Chura and his team about gender equity in Canada’s military.Their hosts had a strong interest in visiting Canada to interview Canadian female personnel about their experiences in the military and to see them perform in a working environment.“They wanted...

[caption id="attachment_16906" align="alignnone" width="450"] PO2 Kenwar Nijjer, co-chair of the Defence Visible Minority Action Group, congratulates one of 85 new Canadian citizens after receiving their official citizenship certificates. Photos by Peter Mallett, Lookout[/caption]Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~A sailor with over 22 years of experience in the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is educating teens and young adults from Canada’s South Asian community about career opportunities in the military.Petty Officer Second Class Kanwar Nijjer, a Sikh from the Punjabi region of India, is promoting life in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) to bolster diversity recruitment.“Many Canadians, including those in the South Asian community, really don’t know what the military has to offer in terms of a career path,” he says. “They need to be aware the CAF is not all about combat; they can become a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer, or a trades person.”For 10 years he has worked at annual Vaisakhi festivals and other community events in Vancouver and Victoria handing out recruiting information. Part of his focus is mentoring wayward youth drawn to gangs and crime in an effort to change their path.A few weeks ago he broadened his recruitment scope to JoyTV, a Vancouver cable station, where he talked about his experience in the military and his mentorship efforts during a taping of the Harpreet Singh Show.“By wearing a turban on the show, it really makes me stand out, and if the viewers see someone like me on TV they realize that I could be them, or their children, or grandchildren, and that they have a place within the CAF,” he says.At 15, PO2 Nijjer moved to Edmonton from his birthplace in a small northern India village. Beyond the culture shock of 1981 in Canada, language was his greatest hindrance. His enrolment in a second language English program...

[caption id="attachment_16884" align="alignnone" width="450"] Images of Major (Ret’d) Rene Boileau past and present are depicted in a promotional photo for the film The Home Front: In the footsteps of Canadian Armed Forces families. Boileau’s daughter, St. John’s-based director Renée Boileau, and cinematographer Tiffanie Green will begin filming their documentary in Esquimalt next month before traveling to other military bases across the country in spring 2018. Photo by Tiffanie Green[/caption]Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~Are you unpacking or packing up for your latest posting? If you believe ‘home is where the heart is,’ independent documentary filmmaker Renée Boileau wants to interview you.From Sept. 13 to 17, CFB Esquimalt will mark the starting point of the Newfoundland-based filmaker’s ambitious 10,000-kilometer, cross-country journey to interview military personnel at bases in all of Canada’s provinces and territories. The Home Front: In the footsteps of Canadian Armed Forces families will be the 53-year-old engineerturned-director’s first movie collaboration with her best friend and cinematographer Tiffinie Green.In spring 2018, Boileau and Green plan to take their production on the road and follow Boileau’s father, Major (Ret’d) René Boileau, across the country. During the journey he will revisit bases where he trained and served throughout his military career. Together, father and daughter will gather stories from new and long-serving military personnel that reveal their beliefs and experiences about their notion of ‘home.’“The concept behind my film is that Canadian Armed Forces members have a completely different culture than other Canadians, because they have given something up that most Canadians take for granted: a permanent home,” says Renée. “Most Canadians know where their home is but often when people join the military they are really taking a huge leap of faith into the unknown and giving up many personal freedoms for the protection of the freedom of others.”Living the nomadic...

[caption id="attachment_16881" align="alignnone" width="450"] Lara Agapow (center right) and Tristan Vanderklok (center left), workers from B.C. Wildfire Services, are married at Camp Riske Creek, B.C., on Aug. 19 during Operation Lentus. Photos by Cpl Blaine Sewell, MARPAC Imaging Services[/caption]Lt(N) Paul PendergastOp Lentus Land Task Force (Pacific) Public Affairs ~Saturday, Aug. 19 was a special day at the Riske Creek fire camp in B.C.’s fire-ravaged Cariboo region. It was the wedding day of Tristen Vander Klok and Lara Agapow, and although they had been working side-by-side for over a month managing the Riske Creek equipment warehouse for British Columbia Wildfire Services (BCWS), they took a few hours off to say their vows, with Army vehicles from Operation Lentus providing the backdrop.It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. The young couple travelled from Alberta to the home of Lara’s parents in Hanceville, B.C., on July 7 to finalize their Aug. 19 wedding plans. Within five hours of their arrival, all arrangements for rings, dresses and flowers had to be put on hold as a major forest fire erupted near Lara’s family home.The young couple spent the next week fighting fires 24/7 alongside Lara’s parents, saving their family home, and most of the nearby homes as well. Lara’s father, Juri Agapow said, “Our neighbours in the First Nation community of Anahim were a tremendous help. They fought the fire with us, brought us food so we could keep fighting the fire, and they even fed and watered our pigs.”When BCWS offered Tristen and Lara jobs, they decided to relocate to from Alberta to Hanceville, and when the fire season is over, they intend to settle there permanently and take up cattle ranching.Father of the bride, Juri Agapow, is a Canadian Ranger, who is part of the Operation Lentus force working nearby in Williams...

Steven Fouchard, Army Public Affairs ~The lead organizer of an annual Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) fighting competition says he hopes it will help bring what is known as “combatives” training to the forefront of essential military skills development in Canada.Training a soldier, says Lieutenant-Colonel Steve Burgess, is like building a house. It’s best to start with the foundation and build up from there.“Hand-to-hand combat is the essence of warrior training,” he says. “I would argue that when you start training soldiers by exposing them to the application of projectile weapons such as firearms, prior to developing their baseline hand-to-hand combative skills, that’s starting from the roof and going down.”That, he added, is how great warrior cultures such as the Samurai of Japan did it.“They believed that to master a weapon, you have to master yourself first. You are the ultimate weapon in a fight. So it’s not what you’re holding in your hand, it’s your ability to use it in a fight and develop the mindset to manage your fear.”LCol Burgess is a Senior Military Combatives Instructor in the CAF. He holds black belts in karate, judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu and, since joining the CAF in 2001, has spent most of that time teaching hand-to-hand combat to both conventional and special operations forces.Most experts consider combatives techniques as those used to engage an opponent at a distance of 25 metres or less, either hand-to-hand or with small weapons.In search of a way to increase the visibility of hand-to-hand combat in the CAF, LCol Burgess organized the inaugural Military Combatives Grappling Championship (MCGC) at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa in 2013.“I was trying to figure out a way of actually bringing this back to more of a level of importance to the CAF itself,” he says. “So I figured the easiest way...

[caption id="attachment_16896" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Corporal J.W.S. Houck - Formation Imaging Services[/caption]Crewmembers from HMCS Charlottetown deploy a floating target to be used as target practice for Allied NATO vessels during Operation Reassurance, Aug. 28.

[caption id="attachment_16874" align="alignnone" width="450"] Lynn Gardner’s husband, Jamie Allin (centre) and their son, Gregory, join former Rocky Point Commanding Officer Major Jean-Luc Rioux during a gazebo dedication ceremony for Gardner on Aug. 3. Photo by Cpl Stuart MacNeil, MARPAC Imaging Services[/caption]Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~A gazebo has been dedicated in memory of long-time Rocky Point employee Lynn Gardner, who passed away on July 13, at the age of 54.The gazebo, located just outside the ammunition depot’s canteen, is a fitting tribute to Gardner, who worked for the Department of National Defence as an Ammunition Technician and Acting Materiel Processing Officer, says former co-worker and close friend Sandra Nelson.“She was an upbeat, perky person and everyone truly loved her because she never had a bad word to say about anybody, never played into gossip and had a high degree of compassion and respect for everyone here,” Nelson said. “Whenever we look out the windows of the canteen towards the gazebo we will think of her.”On July 11, Lynn, her husband Jamie and their son Gregory were in the Vancouver area traveling back from visiting family in Quesnel, B.C., when she suffered a brain aneurysm, tragically passing away just two days later. When news of Gardner’s death reached her coworkers it hit everyone pretty hard.  “There were lots of tears as her extended family here at Rocky Point were left speechless when we heard the sad news,” said Nelson.A dedication ceremony in remembrance of Gardner was held at the structure on Aug. 3, and was attended by her husband, their son, and numerous friends and colleagues. During the ceremony a plaque was affixed to the gazebo with the inscription:Dedicated in memory of Karen Lynn Gardner, 30 January 1963 – July 13, 2017. Lynn started as a groundskeeper and excelled at everything. She advanced...

[caption id="attachment_16870" align="alignnone" width="450"] Photo by Capt Christopher Daniel[/caption]Major Krzysztof StachuraPublic Affairs Officer, Canadian Army Doctrine and Training CentreDr Tara ReillySenior Officer Human Performance Research DFit, PSPPhysical fitness is an integral component of military service and Canadian Army (CA) soldiers must be physically fit.  Strength and endurance could mean the difference between success and failure in a military operation. The CA has traditionally used a load-bearing march, familiar to most as the Battle Fitness Test (BFT), as the accepted physical fitness Individual Battle Task Standard (IBTS) designed to ensure CA soldiers are physically prepared for Land Operations. While the current and familiar FORCE evaluation was being developed, Human Performance Research and Development was monitoring and evaluating the physical demands of typical CA operational tasks conducted in various environments. The conclusion:  the BFT no longer had broad operational relevance for the CA and a new physical fitness IBTS needed to be developed. The result is FORCE Combat; the most comprehensive and scientifically validated physical fitness IBTS ever developed for the CA. FORCE Combat represents an evolution of the existing IBTS based on modern and relevant CA operational tasks observed over the last 15 years.  Those required to complete FORCE Combat will shortly begin transition training in order to prepare for the formal implementation in October 2017. Research was conducted by Personnel Support Services and the CA to validate the transition from the old to the new IBTS.  For example, trials were performed to determine the optimum number of practice attempts to account for the initial learning curve associated with the new evaluation (three times).  The DFit.ca training program developed for those who were originally unable to complete FORCE Combat was also validated with great success (all participants who followed the program successfully achieved the new IBTS).  Field trials in various locations in Canada have resulted in...

[caption id="attachment_16891" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Regina Edwards[/caption]Canadian Army Master Corp. (Ret.) Jody Mitic lights the torch at the 2017 Invictus Spirit Flame ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 9.

[caption id="attachment_16867" align="alignnone" width="450"] Members of the Canadian Armed Forces and RCMP are working together to help B.C. residents as part of the ongoing emergency response to the wildfire threat. Photo by MCpl Malcolm Byers, Wainwright Imaging Services[/caption]Capt Jeff ManneyOp Lentus Land Task Force (Pacific) Public Affairs ~The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) say the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV 6), with its thermal imaging camera and ballistic-steel hull, is “designed to operate in the world’s hot spots.” Well, they certainly got that right.LAVs and their military crews are currently at work in B.C.’s fire-ravaged interior, where more than 1.1 million hectares have burned to date in the worst wildfire season in the province’s history.Instead of conducting battlefield reconnaissance, they’ve been supporting RCMP and provincial authorities, monitoring evacuation perimeters, looking for looters at night and using their vehicles’ advanced thermal imaging system to help firefighters better protect communities.“The assistance of the CAF has been absolutely essential,” said RCMP Sergeant Aaron Sproule. “Their ability to quickly mobilize large amounts of equipment and personnel has been a crucial part of ensuring the safe notification of residents when fire evacuation orders are issued by local governments. This has been especially true when the evacuation orders were applied to some of the more remote regions.”LAVs aren’t the only asset designed for the battlefield that are at work this summer in B.C.  Nearly 500 soldiers are deployed to Williams Lake on Operation Lentus, the Canadian Armed Forces effort in the ongoing emergency response to the wildfire threat.Soldiers are staffing observation and reporting points with their RCMP colleagues, providing information to the public and helping support evacuations. “We train to survive in an austere environment,” said Captain Rico Spiller, an infantry officer with the 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.  “We’re self-sustaining, so we don’t need much to...

[caption id="attachment_16864" align="alignnone" width="450"] The Royal Canadian Navy sailors taking part in Replenishment at Sea training with the Chilean Navy pose for a photo on board the Almirante Montt.[/caption]By Lt(N) Ellie Aminaie Officer in Charge of Canadian Crew on board Almirante Montt ~Seventeen Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) sailors, ranging from the rank of Lieutenant (Navy) to Ordinary Seaman, took part in three weeks of Replenishment at Sea (RAS) force generation training on board the Chilean tanker Almirante Montt.With the absence of an Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment (AOR) platform in the Pacific Fleet since the de-commissioning of HMCS Protecteur in 2015, many junior sailors have not had the opportunity to operate with a tanker, let alone on board one. In preparation for the arrival of Canada’s own AOR, MV Asterix, in 2018, this timely opportunity to train RCN sailors on board Almirante Montt proved very beneficial.The Montt travelled from its home naval base in Valparaiso, Chile, to meet the Canadian sailors in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii, in mid-July. The Montt then proceeded west to rendezvous with HMCS Ottawa and HMCS Winnipeg, who were on their journey home to Esquimalt after a five-month deployment on Poseidon Cutlass.Once the three ships met, the RAS force generation training was in full swing, carrying out a multitude of exercises ranging from liquid replenishment at sea (fuelling), heavy jackstay (for transferring provisions) and two-point and multi-ship replenishments. The RCN crew onboard Montt consisted of twelve boatswains, four bridge watchkeepers, and a Maritime Surface and Sub-surface Officer Lieutenant who was the Officer in Charge of the team. They all found great benefit from this hands-on experience as it allowed them to put their training into practical use, furthering their professional development.The Canadian crew observed the first two seamanship evolutions conducted by the Chilean crew, and then actively participated in...

[caption id="attachment_16858" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Cpl Andrew Kelly, CF Combat Camera[/caption]Members from the Canadian Armed Forces contingent conduct drill at the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry monument during the 75th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid in Dieppe, France, Aug. 19.

[caption id="attachment_16855" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Peter Mallett, Lookout Newspaper[/caption]Saskatchewan Roughriders mascot Gainer the Gopher is put to work by personnel of HMCS Regina while visiting the Halifax-Class frigate on Aug. 6.

[caption id="attachment_16832" align="alignnone" width="450"] Private John Hill from Vanderhoof Patrol of 4 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group is deployed near Williams Lake as part of Operation Lentus 17-04. Operation Lentus is the Canadian Armed Forces response to the wildfires in the interior of B.C.[/caption]2Lt Cameron Park, 39 Canadian Brigade Group,Canadian Scottish Regiment Land Task Force (Pacific) PAO ~Private John Hill, from Vanderhoof Patrol of 4 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group, is in Williams Lake, B.C., with the Canadian Armed Forces as part of Operation Lentus 17-04, which is providing support to the province to combat the wildfires.Canadian Rangers, along with soldiers of the Canadian Army Reserves and Regular Force from 1 Combat Engineer Regiment are assisting the RCMP in the Williams Lake area.Private Hill and other Rangers are manning an observe and report point with RCMP members on a route into the evacuated city. They are also assisting in monitoring traffic near the evacuated area and providing information on possible dangers to residents.“It’s very exciting, getting prepared, and then finally getting our order to come out and deploy,” he says. “After many years of training and working with the military and other units, everything came into place. As a reservist, being here and helping out my community really brings out a sense of pride and joy from being able to assist those who need it.”

[caption id="attachment_16852" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Cpl Andrew Kelly, CF Combat Camera[/caption]A French child watches the Canadian Armed Forces contingent march by during a ceremony at the Pourville monument commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Dieppe Raid in Pourville, France Aug. 20. 

[caption id="attachment_16826" align="alignnone" width="450"] Master Corporal (Retired) Sandy Bate prepares for the Invictus Games. Photo by Peter Mallett, Lookout[/caption]Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~A military veteran and talented athlete from CFB Esquimalt who endured two painful knee replacement surgeries says her inclusion in the upcoming Invictus Games has re-invigorated her life.Master Corporal (Retired) Sandy Bate is competing in golf at the Invictus Games  in Toronto. She says win, lose or draw, competing in the Games will be a victory.“Being part of Invictus has given me something to shoot for, and makes me feel great that I am part of a team and getting back on track with a healthy and active lifestyle.”That optimism wasn’t apparent following her medical release in 2009 after a 21-year career in the military.Sports was her pride and joy, and her downfall.Whether it was golf, ice hockey, floor hockey, broomball or slowpitch, she was on the team leading them to Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) national and CISM (Conseil International du Sport Militaire) championship titles.  She was recognized for her achievement in sports when she was inducted into the CF Sports Honour Roll in 2007 for multiple sports.“Sports was always a way for me to fit in but when I was unable to participate any longer it became very difficult for me to cope” says the 57-year-old.Injuries slowly began to plague her, including bulging disks in her neck and knee damage. She underwent two knee replacement surgeries on her left knee, one in 2013 and another in 2014, but recovery was fraught with setbacks including two painful manipulations of her artificial knee. “Golf has always been such a huge part of Sandy’s life, so not being able to play the game she loved so much was incredibly hard for her and was having a terrible impact on her,” says...

[caption id="attachment_16822" align="alignnone" width="450"] Photos by Peter Mallett, Lookout[/caption]Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~Players from the Chilean supply ship Almirante Montt’s soccer team scored a lopsided 17-1 victory over an impromptu team of Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) sailors in an exhibition soccer game at the Colville Road sports field on Aug 11.Approximately 25 players from the Chilean Navy showed impressive ability during two 45-minute halves against an RCN team of personnel from HMCS Regina and HMCS Calgary, including six sailors from the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN), who unofficially dubbed themselves ‘The Coalition Forces.’“It truly was an international friendly and everyone out on the field seemed to be smiling and enjoying the competition,” said Able Marine Technician Joe Mataele of the RNZN.The Coalition Team got some late consolation with a shutout-busting goal midway through the second half, but it was the fun factor and not the final score that seemed to matter most to participants and approximately 75 spectators, who cheered and shouted encouragement to both sides right up until the final whistle.“We knew going into this game that we would be outmatched and that it was only for fun and it was great to see all of the players on our team with good attitudes towards our opponents and enjoying the esprit de corps,” said Lieutenant (Navy) Andrea Leitch, who works as the Logistics Officer aboard Regina.After the final whistle the players from both teams gathered for the traditional post-match handshake before posing for a group photograph in the centre circle.

[caption id="attachment_16849" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Cpl Blaine Sewell, MARPAC Imaging Services[/caption]Members of a Domestic Response Company, made up of Canadian Army Primary Reserves, attack a fire hot zone near Riske Creek, B.C. during Operation Lentus Aug. 17.

[caption id="attachment_16819" align="alignnone" width="450"] Photo by LS Valerie LeClair, MARPAC Imaging Services[/caption]Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~Eighty-five people from 23 different countries were officially welcomed aboard as Canadians in a citizenship ceremony hosted by Maritime Forces Pacific on Aug. 16 at Duntze Head.With an overflow crowd of supporters looking on, the new Canadians took their Oaths of Citizenship, were presented their citizenship certificates, cheered, embraced family members and loved ones and then sang O’ Canada.Youngest among this new group of citizens was 15-month-old Wesley Yuki Lau who comes to Canada from Yokosuka, Japan. Wesley Lau is the newly adopted son of Lieutenant Commander Jimmy Lau, a Submarine Technical Officer in Canada’s Submarine Force, and his wife Crystal Lau, who works as a Registered Nurse at Victoria General Hospital. Although Wesley is young and likely won’t remember the ceremony, LCdr Lau said it’s a moment he and his wife will never forget.“It took a lot of paperwork and we are very happy to get this done before my next posting,” said LCdr Lau. “This moment really marks the beginning of a great new chapter in Wesley’s life and thankfully we will have the pictures to show him when he gets older.”The citizenship process was a fairly stressful one for LCdr Lau and his wife because they were in a race against the clock to have citizenship granted before the family moves to England. After Labour Day, LCdr Lau will be cracking open the books during a 16-month posting in a sponsored post graduate program at the University College of London studying for his Masters in Naval Architecture.Jimmy and Crystal met in 2006 and had their minds set on adopting a child prior to their marriage in 2012. Wesley was placed with the Lau’s in Japan when he was just one-month old in...

[caption id="attachment_16846" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Cpl Manuela Berger, 4 Wing Imaging[/caption]The contingent marches down the Esplanade past thousands of spectators following the Signature Ceremony as part of the commemorative ceremonies of the 75th Anniversary in Dieppe, France, Aug. 19.

In this episode, we highlight the Women in Force program, ask for your participation in the Public Service Employee Survey, and remind you to submit your work for the CAF Imagery Contest.

[caption id="attachment_16816" align="alignnone" width="450"] Two candidates for the Raven Program, OS Nicole Kununak (left) and OS Sam Seven Deers (right), receive maneuvering instructions from AB Nathaniel Lewis, during the day sail on Aug. 14. Photo by LS David Gariepy, MARPAC Imaging Services[/caption]Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~Thirty-seven members of the Royal Canadian Navy’s Raven Aboriginal Program got a taste of life at sea when sailors aboard three Orca-class Patrol Craft Training vessels treated them to a day sail on Aug. 14.The mostly high-school aged Aboriginal students who hail from communities in Nunavut, North West Territories, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia took part in a six-week work study program at CFB Esquimalt designed to give them an up-close look at the Canadian Armed Forces and the many career options available.“The day sail is a fun day for the Ravens but it’s also an educational one as they continue to learn about what life in the Navy is all about,” said Lieutenant Commander Daniel O’Regan, the Commandant of the Raven Program. “After over six weeks together the group is very tight right now and the cohesion and sense of pride they have in themselves is great to see.”On board the Orcas the Ravens were quickly put to work, roving fenders and hauling lines before forming a human chain as, box by box, they loaded the day’s rations into the galleys. The group was given a guided tour of the vessels including the engine room, mess and bridge, where they learned about basic navigation and operations on board, and had a lesson on how to helm the ship.“It was difficult learning how to steer the vessel at first but after some practice it became fairly easy,” explained Raven Ordinary Seaman David Saviakjuk who comes from Coral Harbour, Nunavut, a tiny community on...