[caption id="attachment_14328" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Cpl Blaine Sewell, Formation Imagery Services[/caption]As seen through the bridge window of HMCS Charlottetown, ships manoeuvre into position to take part in a multinational naval formation during Exercise Joint Warrior, Oct. 13.

[caption id="attachment_14294" align="alignnone" width="465"] A rider performs a stunt during the making of the movie Moto8. Photo courtesy of Moto8 The Movie[/caption]Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~MS Pierre Lacombe wants fellow motocross, BMX, and mountain bike enthusiasts to mark Nov. 18 on their calendars.On that day the Pacific Fleet Club will screen Moto8 The Movie. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at www.pitboard.ca or at the door.The movie features spectacular aerial footage of some of motocross’ top riders doing jaw dropping tricks, stunts and jumps on their mechanical rides.The screening will serve as a fundraiser for Canada’s Motocross of Nations (MXON) team, and an opportunity to bring the dirt bike community together.“I want to get all the MX, BMX and mountain bike community in Victoria together in one room for the first time,” says MS Lacombe, who owns Pit Board Industries / Pit Board Racing with his wife Isabelle. He also works as a naval electronic sensor operator aboard HMCS Calgary.He became engaged in MX racing four years ago in 2012 when his children Antoine, 12, and Leone, 16, started their involvement in the sport.He started out designing racing outfits for his children, but gradually expanded his uniform-making ability into a cottage industry.The hand-made racing gear was eventually sold to local BMX and motocross teams and clubs in Victoria, then on provincial teams, and now the national MX team.In the summer, Kourtney Lloyd, Team Canada MXON manager, contacted MS Lacombe for custom-made jackets and pit shirts for the team’s mechanics and pit crew. The items were for their Sept. 24 Moto Cross of Nations event in Maggiorra, Italy, one of the sport’s most important competitions.“They liked my designs so much they immediately ordered 40 jackets,” says MS Lacombe. “They even painted my design on the riders’ helmets. So my...

[caption id="attachment_14324" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Cpl Blaine Sewell, Formation Imagery Services[/caption]A crew member from Spanish Navy ship ENPS Cantabria relays information through hand signals to HMCS Charlottetown as the ships conduct a pre-dawn Replenishment at Sea during Exercise Joint Warrior, Oct. 10.

Ryan Melanson, Trident Staff ~ As current and former sailors, along with friends and family, gathered to say goodbye to HMCS Preserver after nearly five decades of service, RAdm John Newton made it clear Oct. 21 was not a day for sadness. “There’s no sadness in my mind today, only celebration of 46 years of world-class capability sailing the globe,” said the Commander of Maritime Forces Atlantic to the crowd gathered on the jetty, Preserver in the background. The day marked the paying off ceremony of Preserver, the last of the Royal Canadian Navy’s Protecteur-class auxiliary oiler replenishment ships. When Preserver was commissioned in Saint John, New Brunswick, on Aug. 7, 1970, it and sister ship, HMCS Protecteur, were an example of cutting-edge technology and modern underway replenishment procedures. As RAdm Newton described it, “They allowed our navy to act big. These ships gave the navy global reach, sustainability, fast deployment when called to action by the government, and a great utility in coalition for food, stores and fuel, which were and are always in short supply.” Among the crowd were a few who made up the very first crews to board the ship.RAdm Newton mentioned retired sailor Gerry Curry, who made it a point to be there see the ship out, just as he saw it ‘in’ back in 1970. “I spoke to Gerry and what I took from his words is that Preserver inspired him from the first time he stepped aboard it in 1970, and it continued to inspire him throughout his career and into retirement, like it did for so many.” The ship deployed and supported Canadian and allied task groups on missions around the world through its life, beginning in the Cold War years and continuing well into the 21st century. Some of those were...

[caption id="attachment_14321" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Cpl Blaine Sewell, Formation Imaging Services[/caption]HMCS Charlottetown’s CH-124 Sea King helicopter intercepts and deters a simulated small craft threat while conducting naval warfare training during Exercise Joint Warrior, Oct. 12.

[caption id="attachment_14277" align="alignnone" width="425"] Duane Freeman, a senior environmental officer at CFB Esquimalt, displays a diver’s knife found during dredging operations in Esquimalt Harbour.[/caption]Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~A massive cleanup of Esquimalt Harbour’s seabed continues to reveal a cache of historical artifacts.The multi-year $160-million Esquimalt Harbour Remediation Project began in late 2015 and involves removing contaminated silt from the seabed, created by over 150 years of commercial and naval operations within the harbour. The purpose of the remediation is to clean up the historical contamination from various areas of the harbour, with an end goal of improving the overall health of marine species in the area.As the massive dredging operation, covering 354 hectares, continues, employees from Formation Safety and Environment (FSE) have been taken aback by the diversity of items found locked in the thick layer muck.“We were completely caught by surprise and did not expect this,” said Duane Freeman, who is the Branch Head in charge of FSE.Two large display cases at FSE house service medals, uniform buttons, straight edge razors, rings, cigarette lighters, plates, cutlery, and several IDs.  Not on display were the remains of hundreds of boots. There is no exact count of the number of items recovered, but most date from the 1980s back to the turn of the century, says Freeman.One of the first discoveries was a coffee mug that belonged to VAdm (Ret’d) Gary Garnett almost 30 years ago when he was Commander of the Second Canadian Destroyer Squadron. His name and squadron of his ship were still visible on the mug.Freeman says the cold water temperatures and layers of accumulating silt have helped to preserve many of the found items. To expand on his point he displays a military identification card noting the card was likely from the mid-1950s and belonged to Norman John Boulton of HMCS Cornwallis, whose name and picture are still legible.The dredging operation was carried out by a giant crane barge. The large crane equipped with a bucket was...

[caption id="attachment_14272" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Cpl Blaine Sewell, Formation Imagery Services[/caption]A gun crew from HMCS Charlottetown scans for maritime threats as the ship’s CH-124 Sea King helicopter flies by while conducting naval warfare training during Exercise Joint Warrior, Oct. 12.

[caption id="attachment_14246" align="alignnone" width="425"] MFRC volunteer Muriel Dunn receives the Valued Elder Recognition Award from (left) Lorie McLeod, Executive Director of the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation, and Scott Hofer, University of Victoria Director of the Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health, at the Salvation Army Citadel. Photo credit University of Victoria[/caption]Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~One of the Military Family Resource Centre’s (MFRC) top volunteers has been recognized by the University of Victoria for her outstanding community work.Muriel Dunn, 80, was honoured by the Institute on Aging and Lifelong Health and the Elder Care Foundation with a Valued Elder Recognition Award at the Salvation Army Citadel on Sept. 30.The ceremony was in recognition of the Government of Canada’s National Seniors Day on Oct. 1, and Dunn was one of 16 Capital Regional District residents who, over their lifetime, have given exemplary service to helping others, in particular between 2000 to 2016.“I am very pleased and humbled to be receiving this recognition,” said Dunn. “I was shocked and surprised that I was receiving this reward because I don’t see volunteering as hard work, but more fun and something I truly look forward to doing.”The native of Smithers, B.C. has taken volunteer roles at the base since she and her late husband PO1 (Ret’d) Denis Dunn moved to Victoria in 1954. He was a medical assistant in Royal Canadian Navy vessels, and she was a student nurse at the time, graduating 1957.She retired from nursing 17 years ago and said she wanted to volunteer to stay active and engaged with people in the community.Her involvement with the MFRC began in 2003 when she first volunteered at the non-profit organization’s second hand store on Esquimalt Road. But after the facility closed a few years later she pitched in at other MFRC functions, such as...

[caption id="attachment_14269" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Imaging Services 12 Wing Imaging[/caption]Members on HMCS Kingston practice removing a mock casualty from a zodiac during Operation Caribbe, Oct. 13.

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~It is a prestigious but demanding job standing sentry at the corner of a war memorial. Only a select few Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members secure the honour.This Remembrance Day, local sailor LS Kyle Ruttan will stand guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa with other CAF members representing the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force, and one Royal Canadian Mounted Police member.“It’s a big honour,” says LS Ruttan. “I’m not a hard navy trade; I’m a support trade, so being selected was a complete surprise.”A sentry is required to stand solemnly, with head bowed and white-gloved hands on the butt of a ceremonial rifle, throughout a ceremony that stirs strong emotions among most people. Concentrating at the task at hand, and not becoming openly touched by the event, will be a challenge admits LS Ruttan.“Straight-faced with no emotion, that will be the hardest part because it is an event that always tears me up, especially when they play ‘The Last Post’,” he says.Remembrance Day will also evoke memories of his mother who died last April. The two would often watch the ceremony at the National War Memorial while he was growing up.“I’ll be part of the event this year, and she won’t be there to see it,” he says. “I know she would be so proud of me though.”His father Micheal Ruttan who lives in Verona, Ontario, will make the journey to see his son at the highly visible national event.As he stands vigil his thoughts will also stray to his great grandfather Clifford McInnis who served aboard HMCS Strathadam for four years ­during the Second World War. He will also remember fallen ­co‑­worker LS Brandon South, who died in Tanzania in April 2014 while...

[caption id="attachment_14266" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Cpl Blaine Sewell, Formation Imagery Services[/caption]Finnish Navy Ship Uusimaa (left), Her Danish Majesty’s Ship Absalon (centre) and Portuguese Navy frigate NRP Álvares Cabral (right) manoeuvre into position during Exercise Joint Warrior, Oct. 13.

[video width="580" height="326" mp4="https://www.lookoutnewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/2016-09-16_jag-message-eng.mp4"][/video] The Office of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) is conducting consultations with Canadians as part of the Court Martial Comprehensive Review, to help shape our future military justice system.From Oct. 11 to Nov.7, Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) members can join the discussions with the Court Martial Comprehensive Review Team, as part of our collective effort to strengthen the court martial system.CAF members and the Canadian public can access the Court Martial Comprehensive Review website to find out more about the different topics for discussion, to provide their input, and to see what others have to say on the discussion board.Purpose of the Court Martial Comprehensive ReviewThe purpose of the review is to conduct a legal and policy analysis of the CAF’s court martial system. The Review Team is engaging with Canadian and international experts, CAF members, and the Canadian public, to help ensure the CAF’s court martial system is effective, efficient, and legitimate.Canada’s military justice system contributes significantly to the CAF’s ability to achieve its mission in Canada and around the world, and aligns with Canadian values and the rule of law, all the while serving the particular needs of the CAF.Ways to participate:Fill out the Comment Form: www.forces.gc.ca/en/about-reports-pubs-military-law-court-martial-comprehensive-review/index.pageSend an email: JAG-Consultations@forces.gc.caMail comments: Office of the Judge Advocate General – Court Martial Comprehensive Review Team, 101 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K2

[caption id="attachment_14263" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Cpl Blaine Sewell, Formation Imaging Services[/caption]HMCS Charlottetown’s CH-124 Sea King helicopter crew conducts hoist training during Exercise Joint Warrior, Oct. 12.

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~It was a fight for its survival, but the HMCS Alberni Museum and Memorial (HAMM) received an 11th hour reprieve and found a new home in Courtenay just in time for Remembrance Day.The museum, dedicated to the sailors who served aboard the Royal Canadian Navy’s flower-class corvettes during the Second World War, and the preservation of Canadian military history, found a new home six-kilometres down Comox Road is the Courtenay Mall.Prior to negotiating a new lease deal, HAMM Founder and Director Lewis Bartholomew said he truly believed it was the end for the 16-year-old Alberni Project and museum when, in June, they were served with notice to vacate the Comox Mall location. A developer looking to ­remodel the mall had served other occupants of the mall with similar notices.“Right before Labour Day weekend I came to the painful realization that we just don’t have a place to move and the future wasn’t good; I was really distraught,” said Bartholomew.“We were told to clear out our stuff. We had gotten to the point where we were already asking friends and volunteers of the museum to clear out spaces in their garages to store our exhibits.”However, on Sept. 25 Bartholomew announced they would be setting up the museum in its new centrally located spot in downtown Courtenay.“I am thrilled we were able to find a new place. Our new landlords made their approach to us at exactly the point when I was becoming extremely frustrated.”While all of its exhibits won’t be unpacked and ready, Bartholomew said the museum plans to open its doors at 9 a.m. on Nov. 11 with its Memorial Wall and some of its popular exhibits ready for display until 6 p.m.That will offer patrons a sneak peak of what its new digs have to...

[caption id="attachment_14260" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Cpl Blaine Sewell, Formation Imaging Services[/caption]A Naval Communicator from HMCS Charlottetown uses signals to relay information while training during Exercise Joint Warrior, Oct. 12.

[caption id="attachment_14227" align="alignnone" width="425"] HMCS Protecteur’s anchor, headed to the Naval Museum of Alberta.[/caption]Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~The giant anchor that once rested on the ocean floor, securing HMCS Protecteur for the better part of five decades, has found a new home 1,045 metres above sea level in Alberta.It is being loaned by the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) to the Naval Museum of Alberta. Plans are underway to transport the 12,000 lb anchor and its 1,100 lb connector shackles to its temporary home.“To be able to send a piece of sea-going history, especially from a vessel as important to the navy as Protecteur, inland to our naval brothers and sisters in Alberta is a great opportunity for the RCN, and we were more than happy to facilitate,” said LCdr Justin Leger, Base Logistics Executive Officer. “Otherwise the anchor would have waited on our property for disposal; this way we get to share it with the public.”The Protecteur-Class replenishment oiler was commissioned Aug. 30, 1969, and prematurely decommissioned in May 2015 following a major shipboard fire. In February, the ship was towed via tugboat from Esquimalt Harbour, south through the Panama Canal to its final destination, a scrapyard in Liverpool, N.S. where it was broken up.However, its anchor remained in Base Logistics’ inventory at their warehouse in Colwood. An inquiry was made by Calgary museum staff to the office of the Base Commander to borrow the anchor. Their request was then relayed to the Assistant Deputy Minister (Materiel) who granted the request.Naval Museum of Alberta Project Manager, Brad Froggatt said he was delighted to learn their request was approved.“Our museum is dedicated to telling the story of the RCN and Protecteur, having served for more than 45 years, was an integral part of that story,” he says.The anchor will be on...

[caption id="attachment_14255" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Cpl Blaine Sewell, Formation Imaging Services[/caption]HMCS Charlottetown’s Enhanced Naval Boarding Party (ENBP) conducts training exercises on board ship during Operation Reassurance on Sept. 21.

[caption id="attachment_14219" align="alignnone" width="425"] Divers from Fleet Diving Unit (Pacific) make preparations for a second mine countermeasures dive during Clear Horizon 16 in Chinhae, Korea.[/caption]PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES REMEMBER THE FALLENCapt Jenn Jackson, MARPAC PA Office ~Senior representatives from Australia, Canada, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States took part in a memorial ceremony in Busan, Korea, Oct. 15  at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea to honour United Nations fallen soldiers during the Korean War.The ceremony was part of the commencement events for Clear Horizon 16, a multi-national Mine Warfare Exercise led by the Republic of Korea Navy taking place in Busan and Chinhae, Korea, and the surrounding coastal waters from Oct. 15-23.Lt(N) Greg Oickle, Executive Officer of Maritime Forces Pacific’s Fleet Diving Unit, represented Canada at the ceremony.“It was an unforgettable opportunity to be part of this ceremony that honours more than 2,000 United Nations soldiers, more than 300 of which are Canadian, who fell during the Korean War,” he said. “I was really struck by how young many of the interred soldiers were when they fell. The average appeared to be around 19 years old.”The United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea is the only United Nations cemetery in the world. The Parliament of Korea, in order to honour the services and sacrifices made by the UN forces during the Korean War, volunteered the land for permanent use by the UN as a cemetery in August 1955.The General Assembly accepted the proposal and UN Resolution #977(X) to establish a United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Korea; it became effective in December 1955. This is a holy site where the fallen of 11 nations are interred.During the ceremony, Rear-Admiral Jong Sam Kim, Commander of Republic of Korea Navy Flotilla 5, led the parade of senior...

[caption id="attachment_14204" align="alignnone" width="425"] Commercial shipping traffic transits the Saigon River past HMCS Vancouver in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on Oct. 20.[/caption]Lt(N) Paul Pendergast, MARPAC Public Affairs ~Since departing its home port of Esquimalt in June, HMCS Vancouver has operated extensively throughout the Pacific region, including participation in large-scale multi-national exercises RIMPAC, held in July in the Hawaii area, and Kakadu, hosted by Australia in September.Two weeks into October the ship arrived in Singapore for the first goodwill port visit of WestPloy 16 on Oct. 11. Vancouver’s deployment is aimed at building strong ties between the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the navies of Asia-pacific countries, while also promoting peace and security in the region.After all the routine tasks such as hooking up shore power and landing gash were completed, the crew were able to explore the city. They were impressed by the modern, efficient, and prosperous city-state.With about the same area and population as greater Toronto, Singapore is the world’s second busiest port in terms of total shipping tonnage (Shanghai is the busiest). Located strategically in the Malacca Strait connecting the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea, the booming metropolis is jam packed with gleaming glass and steel skyscrapers.The ship hosted a reception, welcoming business and government leaders to tour the newly modernized frigate and enjoy some Canadian hospitality.There was also time for unofficial efforts to make a positive difference in the community. Twenty members of the crew visited a school at the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore. They spent a morning with students playing games and singing songs.Petty Officer Second Class Stephen Rownd, coordinator of the activity, said, “I was surprised how quickly some crew members jumped into the games, even though they had never done this before. We were really touched by the experience.”Vancouver also hosted an academic roundtable of local security experts while in Singapore as part of the deployment outreach agenda.Attendee Dr. Jim Boutilier, Special Advisor to Maritime Forces Pacific on...

On Oct. 21, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services will hold the Sports Awards Ceremony in Ottawa. It is considered the highlight of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) sports year. Athletes, coaches and officials, serving and retired, are recognized for their outstanding athletic performances and remarkable contributions to sport. Selected members are also inducted into the Canadian Armed Forces Sports Hall of Fame and Honour Roll during the ceremony. Below are CFB Esquimalt’s nominees:2015 CFB Esquimalt Women’s Soccer TeamRoyal Canadian NavyBuilding a strong team bond can take months; however, the CFB Esquimalt Women’s Soccer Team pulled together a winning, determined and sportsmanlike team in mere days. Unable to field teams for a CAF Regional Championship, athletes from throughout the Pacific Region came together to practice only the day before the 2015 CAF National Championships. They worked hard through a difficult round-robin, barely made play-offs, and then surprised everyone by upsetting the reigning champions, the Ontario Region. The team’s final match against the Quebec Region was a nail-biting scoreless tie through two overtimes, but CFB Esquimalt at last claimed a 2-1 victory on penalty kicks.AB Marjolaine PlanteSwimming, CFB Esquimalt, Royal Canadian NavyIn just a few short years, AB Plante has burst onto the swimming scene in the CAF and has out-paced swimmers 18 years her junior. Her passion for the sport, quiet determination to succeed, and exceptional physical fitness were on display repeatedly in 2015. She reached the podium seven times in civilian regional competition, and won gold medals at the CAF National Championships in the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m freestyle, as well as the 100 m backstroke. AB Plante also competed for Canada at the CISM Military World Games in the 50m butterfly and backstroke, where she swam great races against Olympic-calibre athletes.SLt Connor DukeBasketball, CFB Esquimalt, Royal Canadian NavyIn just one year on the CFB Esquimalt Men’s Basketball Team, SLt Duke grew from a talented but reserved new player into one of the best basketball players in...

[caption id="attachment_14183" align="alignnone" width="425"] Commander Clive Butler (back row, third from left), Commanding Officer of HMCS Vancouver, hosted a round table of local security experts in Singapore on Oct. 12. HMCS Vancouver is in Singapore to conduct a goodwill port visit as part of WestPloy 16. The round table meetings are part of the outreach agenda aimed at building strong ties between the Royal Canadian Navy and the navies of the Asia-Pacific countries while promoting peace and security in the region. Photo by Lt(N) Paul Pendergast, MARPAC PA[/caption]DND ~HMCS Vancouver arrived in Singapore last week to conduct a goodwill visit as part of WestPloy 16.Vancouver’s deployment is aimed at building strong ties between the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and the navies of Asia-Pacific countries while also promoting peace and security in the region.The ship is engaging in a variety of training opportunities with foreign navies as well as visiting several countries in the Asia-Pacific region. WestPloy 16 provides a unique opportunity that allows the RCN to foster and sustain cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world’s oceans.This deployment allows Vancouver, along with an embarked CH-124 Sea King helicopter and air detachment, to test and evolve the warfighting capabilities of the Halifax-Class warships after upgrades to equipment that were made as part of the Halifax-Class Modernization/Frigate Life Extension project.

[caption id="attachment_14178" align="alignnone" width="425"] Commodore Marta Mulkins, Commander Naval Reserve (centre), on a joint Canadian Coast Guard / RCMP rigid hulled inflatable boat during Exercise Erie Valour. Photo by Lt(N) David Lewis[/caption]Lt(N) David Lewis, HMCS Prevost PAO ~Seven Naval Reserve Divisions, four Army Reserve units, the Canadian Coast Guard, and the RCMP all came together on the first weekend of October for Exercise Erie Valour.The exercise is designed to simulate a joint task force and improve interoperability between government departments.The exercise ran from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 in Port Stanley, Ontario.“The main focus of the exercise is to develop and regenerate individual skills and knowledge of naval operations, seamanship, and specific trade skills in a dynamic and active training environment that promotes skill development and personnel retention,” said LCdr Sean Batte, Commanding Officer of HMCS Prevost, and Joint Task Force Commander for the exercise.Training centered on individual readiness and proficiency in small boat operations while working within a Joint Task Force command structure that oversees waterborne and land security.Also, in an effort to enhance the safety and security of its ships and personnel while on deployment, the Royal Canadian Navy’s developing capability – the Naval Security Team – was tested. In the future, Exercise Erie Valour will continue to support the concept of the Naval Security Team in its training.Commander of the Naval Reserve, Commodore Marta Mulkins visited Port Stanley during Erie Valour and said, “The professionalism and teamwork demonstrated during Ex Erie Valour is impressive. The skills these sailors hone during training exercises such as this will serve them, their home units, and the Royal Canadian Navy for years to come.”In an official tweet from the RCMP they referred to Erie Valour as “a great weekend training with our Maritime Security partners.”

SLt Duy Nguyen & Lt(N) Ellie AminaieHMCS Ottawa ~For the first time since its Halifax Class modernization, HMCS Ottawa and crew had the opportunity to operate in a multi-ship task group.Along with HMCS Winnipeg, Ottawa participated in a U.S.-led exercise involving numerous American ships, a Chilean submarine, and multitudes of U.S.-based aircraft off the coast of Southern California.Ottawa’s crew is working toward high readiness for their upcoming WestPloy 17 deployment; so, the ship’s company has undergone a month-long Intermediate Multi-Ship Readiness Training (IMSRT), also referred to as workups, in order to prepare the crew for the challenges of naval operations, damage control, and warfare.The U.S.-led exercise, called SWATTEX, also served to improve the Royal Canadian Navy’s interoperability with American counterparts.For many of the younger members of the crew, the workups program was a first taste of high tempo operations over an extended period at sea. Ottawa embarked a team from Sea Training Atlantic to train and mentor the crew, helping to establish core skills required at sea, and build team cohesion.SLt Bryan Carr, a Phase VI Combat Systems Engineering Officer and recent graduate from initial training ashore, joined the crew days before sailing from Esquimalt, and was quickly exposed to an array of new naval operations and seamanship evolutions.“There’s been a lot to learn since pretty much every evolution was practiced during IMSRT. It’s been a great opportunity to see the 57mm gun and Close-In Weapon System, both in action and taken apart for maintenance. For a while, we were doing a shoot every day,” he said.Although he found many concepts at sea difficult to grasp at first, SLt Carr was able to gain greater comfort and confidence as he experienced numerous emergency scenarios.Another young sailor who benefitted from Ottawa’s Force Generation program was Able Seaman Jean-Michel Derome, who is a Junior Weapons Engineer. In addition to the Sea Training mentorship he received in repairing equipment during battle damage scenarios, AB Derome’s experience with the Naval Boarding Party was the highlight...

[caption id="attachment_14171" align="alignnone" width="425"] Lieutenant Commander (Ret’d) John Nosotti[/caption]Deborah Morrow, Contributor ~Last week, Lieutenant Commander (Ret’d) John Nosotti celebrates the two-year anniversary of the near-impossible odds of surviving a cardiac arrest while on a remote island.Two years ago, Nosotti and four friends were enjoying a sail on a HMCS Discovery C22 vessel from Stanley Park to Bowen Island. Upon arrival, Nosotti stepped onto the jetty and immediately collapsed in full cardio-respiratory arrest, which means no breathing, no heartbeat, and no signs of life.Responding to shouts for help, a sailor from a nearby yacht dove into the water, swam to the jetty, and began chest compressions. Another member of the C22 crew who had years of E.R. experience as a nurse also helped; a bystander said she was an oncologist, and another person who came to help also knew CPR.Nosotti’s skin colour was deeply blue which meant he needed oxygen. While one person did mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, the others took turns doing chest compressions.The Bowen water taxi operator called on his radio for a paramedic helicopter, but knew the advanced life support help was 45 minutes away. Nosotti’s rescuers had to keep going until help arrived, or else lose him.CPR is exhausting, so turns had to be taken to avoid fatigue from interfering with effective CPR. The four capable and trained first aiders spelled each other off.Mouth-to-mouth ventilation was effective but lacked the high percentage of oxygen the blood needed to fully saturate his body.So Nosotti was still cyanotic (blue) when the Bowen Island Volunteer Firefighters came to help. They did not have full respiratory equipment, but they did have an oxygen tank and mask. The person doing mouth-to-mouth used the mask to breathe in a high concentration of oxygen into her own lungs and then breathe what she could into Nosetti.Shortly...

[caption id="attachment_14163" align="alignnone" width="425"] Dance instructor Victor Golubkov, owner of VGdance studio, and Captain Jenn Jackson move through their Rumba routine to “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten. The dance was performed at the Pacifica Ball in April 2016 in Victoria.[/caption]Capt Jenn Jackson, Contributor ~A cancer diagnosis is not necessarily a death sentence.In fact, I am living, breathing proof that with determination, perseverance and support, life doesn’t even have to stop for cancer treatments.In November 2014, I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Stage II Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and Ductal Carcinoma In-Situ, two different types of breast cancer.I was 35, active, otherwise healthy, and had no family history of the disease. There was nothing to indicate that I was more likely than anyone else to be diagnosed, but yet there I was. I was the CFB Esquimalt Public Affairs Officer and I was also a competitive ballroom dancer.I can’t speak for the experience of others, but when I received my diagnosis it just seemed unreal. I didn’t feel sick. In fact, I had competed in dance just two weeks prior and won top pro/am student. I had just organized the Remembrance Week Speaker’s program for the Formation.But whether it felt real or not, reality in the form of six months of chemotherapy, six weeks of radiation, and multiple surgeries was rapidly coming my way. More than 18 months of my life was spent eradicating the cancer and reducing as much as possible the chance of it reoccurring.I realized early on that if I was going to make it through so many months of treatment, feeling sick, being off work, and unable to do many of the things I wanted, that I needed to find one thing as an ‘anchor’ to keep me grounded, positive, and looking ahead to the future. I needed to know there would be something in my life to give me joy. It quickly became obvious that dance was that one thing, and all of my health...

[caption id="attachment_14158" align="alignnone" width="425"] Rudi Hoenson meets with CPO1 Gilles Grégoire and RAdm Art McDonald during a war medals presentation ceremony for Hoenson at the Veterans Memorial Lodge at Broadmead, Oct. 7. Photo by Peter Mallett, Lookout Newspaper[/caption]Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~Japanese POW Rudi Hoenson, 93, has finally received his well-earned war medals, seven decades after the Second World War ended.Netherlands Defence Attache in Canada, Lieutenant Colonel Christa Oppers-Beumer, on behalf of Netherlands Minister of Defence Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, honoured him with the Mobilization War Cross and the Medal for Order and Peace during an Oct. 7 ceremony at Veterans Memorial Lodge at Broadmead.Despite seeing the worst horrors of war firsthand, including the Nagasaki atomic bomb, the upbeat Hoenson teased officials.“I would like to thank the Dutch government even though these medals are a little late in arriving. What took you so long? I have been waiting 71 years…You are not going to prick me with the medal are you?”The extended spell of spontaneous laughter broke much of the pre-ceremony tension in the auditorium, but after his ice-breaker the war veteran took a more serious tone.In his address to the audience, Hoenson said he was dedicating his medals to his fallen comrades who fought alongside him in the Dutch East Indies prior to his capture, and those at the POW camp in Nagasaki - where he spent three-and-a-half years - that didn’t survive.“They were entitled to the awards too, but sadly many of them did not receive it,” said Hoenson, who received a standing ovation.The atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki on Aug. 9, 1945, and Hoenson’s POW camp was less than a mile from ground zero. In the aftermath of the blast much of the city was levelled and left in smouldering ruins; Hoenson and several other prisoners fled the...

[caption id="attachment_14150" align="alignnone" width="560"] Photo by Corporal J.W.S. Houck, Formation Imaging Services[/caption]HMCS Shawinigan sits alongside in the Baltimore Port to take part in Fleet Week 2016, an international naval show displaying naval and coast guard vessels serving along the eastern seaboard, Oct. 12.