[caption id="attachment_5194" align="alignnone" width="300"] Vice-Admiral (Ret’d) Nigel Brodeur (left), son of Rear-Admiral Victor Brodeur, presents replicas of his father’s medals to Bertrand Dupain, principal at L’école Victor Brodeur.[/caption] In a small Remembrance Day ceremony at l’école Victor Brodeur in Esquimalt a piece of history was passed down.A set of miniature medals, replicas of those worn by the school’s founder and namesake, Rear-Admiral Victor Brodeur, were presented to the school by Rear-Admiral Brodeur’s son, VAdm (Ret’d) Nigel Brodeur.“This school meant a lot to my father,” says VAdm Brodeur, who retired as Vice-Admiral and Deputy Chief of Defence Staff in 1987. “I thought it was only right to pass on a tangible connection between him and his legacy.”The medals are one quarter scale replicas of the medals Rear-Admiral Brodeur acquired during his 37 year career as an officer in the Royal Canadian Navy, including service medals for the coronation of King George V, Croix de Guerre avec Palme en Bronze from France, and the Second World War Victory Medal.The presentation was conceived as a way for VAdm Brodeur to acknowledge, strengthen, and solidify the bond between his family and the Francophone community in Esquimalt.“My father started this school as a way to help a community which was, at the time, small and unsupported,” say VAdm Brodeur. “To see his dream reach this point, to have a thriving and exuberant Francophone community in Victoria, is everything my father could have hoped for and more.”Principal Bertrand Dupain says the presentation came as a welcomed and flattering event.“It’s an honour to have something so rich in history and personally important to our school’s founder,” he says. “While the school may not be in the form Rear-Admiral Brodeur originally envisioned, it holds the same values and goals, and we hope he would be proud.”The medals also...

[caption id="attachment_5191" align="alignnone" width="300"] Sgt Dominix demonstrates how to properly search a vehicle.[/caption] Sgt Frank Dominix and MCpl Jodi Woolridge from the Military Police Unit Esquimalt instructed crews from HMCS Whitehorse and HMCS Nanaimo on security procedures pertaining to persons, baggage and vehicle searches Oct. 22. The training was custom tailored to meet the crews individual needs based on their current in-place security policies, Defence Controlled Access Area Regulations, and Inspection and Search Defence Regulations.One key point emphasized by Sgt Dominix and MCpl Woolridge during the training was, as a condition of being given access to a controlled area, a person shall on demand of a designated authority submit to a search without warrant of his/her person or personal property while entering or exiting the controlled area, or any restricted area within the controlled area. If upon entering a controlled access area where a person refuses to be searched, they can be denied entry; however, once inside a controlled access area, they are subject to search by authorized persons who may use as much force as reasonably necessary to carry out that search. These regulations apply when persons want access to Royal Canadian Navy ships and/or jetties which gives access to the ships. During the training, MCpl Woolridge demonstrated proper techniques for searching baggage, while Sgt Dominix provided an informative demonstration of a thorough vehicle search using specialized search mirrors. Members of the audience were able to participate in the training by attempting to find pre-placed items of interest in both the demo vehicle and baggage. As part of the MARPAC Force protection team, the Military Police Unit Esquimalt team continues to assist units with specialized Force Protection training and advice.  -Military Police Detachment

[caption id="attachment_5183" align="alignnone" width="630"] The advance party of the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) loads a C177 Globemaster bound for Hawaii at Canadian Forces Base Trenton on November 11, 2013 as Canada awaits recommendations from the Interdepartmental Strategic Support Team (ISST) and Humanitarian Assistance Reconnaissance Team (HART) on how best to assist the people of the Philippines.[/caption] The advance party of the Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) loads a C177 Globemaster at CFB Trenton on Nov. 11, as part of Canada's assistance to the people of the Philippines.

[caption id="attachment_5180" align="alignnone" width="630"] Lieutenant-General Stuart Beare, Commander of Canadian Joint Operation Command, salutes on the final Remembrance Day held by Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan on November 11, 2013.[/caption] Lieutenant-General Stuart Beare, Commander of Canadian Joint Operation Command, salutes on the final Remembrance Day held by Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan on November 11, 2013.

[caption id="attachment_5177" align="alignnone" width="630"] Personnel Support Programs (PSP) Fitness Instructors completed the second rotation of the Personnel Support Programs Deployment Support course. One day of the five day course involved training in sea survival skills.[/caption] Personnel Support Programs (PSP) Fitness Instructors completed the second rotation of the Personnel Support Programs Deployment Support course. One day of the five day course involved training in sea survival skills.

[caption id="attachment_5174" align="alignnone" width="630"] CPO1 Darrel Downey, Acting Formation Chief, receives the flu shot from Primary Care Nurse Lt Laura Brunet.[/caption] CPO1 Darrel Downey, Acting Formation Chief, receives the flu shot from Primary Care Nurse Lt Laura Brunet.

[caption id="attachment_5170" align="alignnone" width="630"] Senior Lieutenant-General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Vietnam Vice-Minister of National Defence, is being piped onboard Her Majestyís Canadian Ship (HMCS) CALGARY during his visit to HMC Dockyard Esquimalt on 1 November 2013.Photo by: Leading Seaman Ogle Henry, MARPAC Imagery Services[/caption] Senior Lieutenant-General Nguyen Chi Vinh, Vietnam Vice-Minister of National Defence, is piped onboard HMCS CALGARY during his visit to HMC Dockyard Esquimalt on Nov. 1.

[caption id="attachment_5166" align="alignnone" width="630"] Military and Victoria Royals members stand together during the opening ceremonies of the Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign Hockey Game held at the Wurtele Arena on Nov. 4.[/caption] Military and Victoria Royals members stand together during the opening ceremonies of the Canada Workplace Charitable Campaign Hockey Game held at the Wurtele Arena on Nov. 4.

[caption id="attachment_5162" align="alignnone" width="300"] British Frag 20-lb Mk III Bomb Tail Fin with Arming Vein.[/caption] Two Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technicians from Fleet Diving Unit (Pacific) were called to help solve a 70-year-old mystery late last month. On Oct. 25, PO2 Shawn Goodine, Maritime Explosive Ordnance Disposal (MEOD) 2 I/C, received a call from the Regional Joint Operations Centre (RJOC), telling him a crashed aircraft, possibly from the Second World War, had been found 10 kilometers northwest of Port Renfrew, B.C. Employees from Teal Cedar Products Ltd. had stumbled upon the wreckage while surveying an area for potential logging. “They thought they saw some military ordnance that resembled tail fins from aircraft bombs within the debris,” says PO2 Goodine. “They weren’t really sure so they called the RCMP for assistance.” The RCMP passed the information on to the PO2 Goodine and early on Oct. 30, MEOD and a member of the RCMP headed to the remote logging area outside Port Renfrew to investigate. The loggers had already surveyed the area and showed the divers every piece of debris they had found on the roughly 130 by 40 meter crash site. “They knew where all the pieces were,” says PO2 Goodine. “So it was basically, ‘Shawn we found this, Shawn we found that. This is the landing gear. This is the piece we think belongs to a bomb.’” As the team worked its way down the mountain slope from the tail section to the cockpit of the plane, they searched for serial numbers and anything else that might help identify the plane, but they found much more. “We found a couple pairs of boots; we found part of a leather jacket worn by the aircrew, and the old style World War Two leather aviator hat. We didn’t find the goggles but we definitely found the leather hat and it actually still had the ear bud still in for comms,” says PO2 Goodine. Unfortunately, there were no clues as to the fate...

[caption id="attachment_5158" align="alignnone" width="600"] One component of the Personnel Support Programs Deployment Support course involved training in sea survival skills. Students practiced safely entering the water in their clothes, moving in the water as a group and turning over the 20-person life raft in the Naden Athletic Center pool.[/caption] Nineteen Personnel Support Programs (PSP) fitness instructors learned what it’s like to be a sailor last week. Coming from bases across Canada, they were part of a deployment training program designed to prepare them to sail in Canadian warships. The five-day course is a follow-up to the successful pilot project developed in 2011. Students learn at-sea survival skills in addition to job-specific training that prepares them to provide fitness and recreation services to ships’ crews. “The course is basically branched in five different areas beginning with the seamanship division of the school here at Esquimalt, providing the critical sea survival training theory in addition to job-specific training from fitness, sports, health promotion and recreation,” says Chris Giacobbi, PSP Training Manager, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS). While the applicants have many of the basic skills necessary to provide fitness services on board the ship, their job stretches beyond that scope. They are also there to help maintain good morale among the crew by organizing recreational activities and promoting healthy lifestyle choices. When they arrive on ship, one of their jobs is to meet  with crew members and conduct a town hall to find out what activities the crew would like to have. The course shows them how to do that and then develop a deployment-long program for the crew. The course also addresses “the inherent barriers of delivering fitness at sea,” says Giacobbi. “For example, elevated sea states, changes to ports itineraries, ship’s company working on different schedules.” In addition...

[caption id="attachment_5153" align="alignnone" width="600"] Corey Hargreaves, a financial counsellor with SISIP Financial Services, is ready to meet the military community and help them make the financial decisions.[/caption] SISIP is laying out the welcome mat throughout November to mark Financial Literacy Month. The financial services company is hosting events all month long to make military members aware of the resources available to them. “Financial literacy is having the knowledge and understanding to make sound, responsible financial decisions,” says Corey Hargreaves, a local Financial Counsellor with SISIP. “Along with financial literacy comes knowing what resources are available and how to use them.” During November, SISIP is setting up at locations around the base to arm military members with the knowledge they need to take control of their finances. There will also be an open house at their office in the Naden CANEX building on Nov. 20 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. They will be serving up cake at 11 a.m. Visitors can enter to win an iPad or iPod Nano just for stopping by to say hello at any of these events, but Hargreaves hopes people who come by will seriously consider their financial situations and whether there’s anything they should change. He acknowledges that developing a long-term financial plan can be difficult. “Navigating the financial landscape is intimidating,” he says. “A lot of people don’t even know where to begin.” A great place to start is to create a monthly budget, he says. “The foundation of financial literacy is your budget - how much do you earn and where is it going? And obviously savings too. One of the sound financial principles is to have a savings plan. You’re never going to regret saving money,” says Hargreaves. Some people think of the word budget as negative, but it’s just a...

[caption id="attachment_5121" align="alignnone" width="600"] LS Amber Oldland to stand guard at Ottawa vigil.[/caption] An HMCS Winnipeg sailor will be in the spotlight for the whole of the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) this Remembrance Day. LS Amber Oldland will ship out to Ottawa for the country’s largest Remembrance Day Vigil, standing guard for the RCN as one of four ceremonial sentries along with representatives from the Army, Air Force and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). “It’s a very exciting opportunity obviously,” she says. “This is a big deal for me. I get to represent the navy I love so much on the national stage.” The selection came as a shock, as LS Oldland was initially nominated in secret by Winnipeg Deck Officer Lt(N) Anthony Morrow. “He came up to me and told me to write a bio and get my ceremonial dress ready,” she says. “We got some pictures taken, it was all sent off, and I kind of forgot about it.” Last month the good news came in: she’d been selected. “The feeling was indescribable,” she says. “I’ve been begging to get on a Cenotaph team for Remembrance Day since I joined, and now I get to go to the biggest vigil in Canada. It means so much to me.” LS Oldland will fly out and spend a week in Ottawa with her two-year-old son and parents, who live in Niagara Falls. From there they will be put up in a hotel and tour the various military and historic sights around Ottawa, including a luncheon at the Royal Canadian Legion, a tour of the War Museum, and a visit to the House of Commons. “It will just be so interesting to see the ceremony from the inside,” says LS Oldland. “I couldn’t be more honoured to be a part...

[caption id="attachment_5116" align="alignnone" width="600"] Online archive sheds light on Victoria’s war history.[/caption] An in-depth look at Victoria during World War One is now just a click away. A new website titled “A City Goes to War” was conceived by University of Victoria (UVic) PhD student and retired Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) Colonel Jim Kempling. “I thought about how a lot of Victoria’s history from World War One has been forgotten,” says Col Kempling. “On Remembrance Day, we all say ‘we will remember them.’ The truth is we have forgotten. I wanted to help people remember what happened in Victoria.” The website comprises historical articles, timelines, and service records that show the many significant events, both good and bad, that took place in Victoria during the conflict. “We always talk about how Canada was ‘born on the bloody slopes of Vimy Ridge’, but we never talk about how there were anti-German riots in Victoria,” says Col Kempling. “Racism was rampant at the time. The Asian population in British Columbia wasn’t even allowed to join the military, they had to make their way to Alberta or further. These are things we’ve completely forgotten about.” Victoria was also home to significant figures during the First World War, another fact often forgotten. “Sir Arthur Currie, Commander of the Canadian Corps, was a school teacher and real estate agent in Victoria before World War One,” says Kempling. “Many people in Victoria have forgotten that, but it’s a big part of our history.” The website, besides being an online archive, also offers a teaching package aimed at educating high school students on The Great War. The package includes assignments to encourage students to make what’s called a “Fakebook”, essentially a fictional social media page for a historical figure. “We want kids to be aware...

[caption id="attachment_5111" align="alignnone" width="600"] The cast of “Heroes”, Alan Ormerod plays Henri, Bill Christie plays Gustave, and Thomas Holder plays Philippe.[/caption] An upcoming stage production looks to give Victorians a skewed and hilarious look at the lives of World War One veterans. The production, called “Heroes”, is a translation of a play by French playwright Gérald Sibleyras. Originally opening in London in 2005, Langham Court’s production is a first for Victoria and director Don Keith, who says he couldn’t be happier to bring it to the community. “It’s such an intelligent, witty play,” he says. “The cast is just delightful and they really bring a huge amount of talent to the production.” The show will run from Nov. 14 to Nov. 30 at the Langham Court Theatre and focuses on the lives of three World War One veterans who are living out their remaining days in hospice. While the subject matter is emotionally heavy, Keith says the play itself is a comedy, and it shows in the cast. “The characters are hilarious, they spend so much time together, they’re like three uncles who do nothing but bicker,” he says. “We did our best to do the characters and the source material justice, so it was important for us to get the relationships right.” While the original London production featured English heavy hitters Richard Griffiths, John Hurt, and Ken Stott, Victoria’s production features three new local talents. Bill Cristie, Alan Omerod, and Thomas Holder will take the stage as veterans Gustave, Henri, and Phillippe. “We’ve got an Englishman, an Irishman, and a Scot, so you can imagine the conversations they have,” says Keith. “It has been such a pleasure working with them and the experience they present is incredible.” While the last of the World War One veterans has died, Keith...

Sergeant William Soucie and Corporal Yves Labranche, quickly move into a defensive location during a practice camp attack drill held at Camp Phoenix during Operation ATTENTION in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The Tutor aircraft, also known as the Snowbirds, celebrate their 50th anniversary this year. Pictured here, one of the Tutors flies over Primrose Lake Evaluation Range in 2009.

André Fillion (left) kisses his father Ft Lt Denny Fillion at RAF Kinloss shortly before the 1967 crash that killed him. It was the last photo of the two ever taken. See page 24 in this week's Lookout for the whole story.

The Colour Party at the Esquimalt Legion stands at ease, waiting for the the Remembrance Day Flag to rise during the official kickoff to this year's poppy campaign.

A Second World War Auster Mark V is prepared for loading into the belly of a Hercules. The aircraft was returned to Canada in September and will rest at the National Artillery Museum in Shilo, Manitoba. Read more on page 13 of this week's Lookout.

An allied convoy moves eastward across Atlantic bound for Casablanca, Africa in November 1942. The Atlantic Ocean was a perilous place during the Battle of the Atlantic. Read more about the trials of this battle on page 28 of this week's Lookout.

[caption id="attachment_5052" align="alignnone" width="300"] Cdr Lorne Carruth, LCdr Michele Tessier, Cdr Barb Clerihue and Jean-Paul Condon are featured in Kaleidoscope Theatre’s production of the Rocky Horror Show.[/caption] What do fishnet stockings, counter culture stage performance, and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) have in common? Nothing usually, but this year they’re coming together for Kaleidoscope Theatre’s performance of the Rocky Horror Show. The production runs Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 at the McPherson Playhouse, and features a number of faces from CFB Esquimalt. “It’s been such a great experience getting this show together,” says Cdr Barb Clerihue, who will run the show as Kaleidoscope’s Stage Manager along with Assistant Stage Manager LCdr Michele Tessier. “We’ve got a great cast together, and this is definitely going to be one of the most all-out shows we’ve done.” The show is a performance of the original Rocky Horror Show, a cult stage musical that premiered in London in 1973 and spawned an equally legendary film in 1975. “This is a show with a lot of very important history and I’m so happy to be a part of it,” says Cdr Clerihue. “The cast is really giving it all they’ve got, so it’s going to be one memorable show.” A naturally organized motivator, Cdr Clerihue fit right into the role of stage manager. She says while the director creates the play, the stage manager makes it happened. “If I had to use a navy analogy, the stage manager is like the XO to the director’s CO,” she says. “The main difference is the military is an organization of discipline, whereas actors tend to do whatever they want. My career has definitely given me a leg up on getting these actors in line.” Under the bright lights of the stage the military is present as well, with Jean-Paul Condon of the Port Operations and Emergency Services Branch, and Cdr Lorne Carruth, Commander Coastal Division, hitting the stage as Dr. Everett Scott. “My wife shanghaied me into...

CFB Esquimalt was blanketed in fog for almost two weeks. This created an eerie image on the water landscape. Pictured above, Maritime Coastal Defence Vessels by Y Jetty are shrouded in the mist.

CT-156 's Harvard II from the NATO flying training school (NFTC) in flight formation over the Saskatchewan prairies.

Sweat drips down the face of LS Veaan Murray as he checks the guages in the engine room of HMCS Preserver during Operation Caribbe. The heat is blistering in these spaces.

PO2 Jamie Mercer looks out towards Willemstad, Curacao, from the port side of HMCS Preserver. The ship is in Willemstad after the success of Exercise Unitas 54-13.

[caption id="attachment_5058" align="alignnone" width="300"] Maj (Ret’d) Louis Barbeau (right) presents PO2 Robyn Jutras with a certificate honouring her selection as the winner of the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Centennial Quick March Competition.[/caption] The long and storied history of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI) now has a little Naden Band flavour. PO2 Robyn Jutras, bassoon and tenor saxophone player for the Naden Band of the Royal Canadian Navy, was recently selected as the winner of the PPCLI Centennial Quick March Competition.“I was so excited to hear my march had been chosen,” says PO2 Jutras. “To have something I wrote become a part of the long and prestigious history of the PPCLI is a real honour.”The competition began in 2011 and urged military composers from across the country to submit their quick march compositions for the 100th anniversary of the PPCLI. PO2 Jutras, as a long time musician and composer, says she took to the competition right away.“I’d written a few pieces before so I thought this was the perfect competition for me,” she says. “I started listening to a ton of military marches, reading up on their structure, and got to work.”When it comes to composing, PO2 Jutras says military marches are among the easier pieces.“The pieces of a march all fit together more or less the same,” she says. “Obviously each one is different, but when it comes to structure they can be very similar. It made my job a lot easier.”Putting pen to paper and staff to bar, PO2 Jutras composed the march in just under a month. After submitting the march in February 2012, it wasn’t until the following August she would receive the good word.“I couldn’t believe it,” she says. “It wasn’t just winning a competition. Now my music is taking place next to all...

[caption id="attachment_5055" align="alignnone" width="300"] Leah Smith and son Daniel O’Regan enjoy the MFRC casual child care service.[/caption] Some might view it as babysitting to give the at-home parent a break. But for other people, the MFRC’s Casual Child Care service is helping young children from military families connect with other children in a meaningful way.Leah Smith and her husband LCdr Danny O’Regan have moved four times since 2006, including this past June from the United Kingdom to Esquimalt. Both of them grew up close to their families in Newfoundland and had to reinvent that makeshift support system with each posting.   “When you move regularly, you have to work hard to become part of the community,” says Smith on moving into a new area.  “Having the MFRC around makes the transition much easier.”Leah brings her two-year-old son Daniel to Casual Child Care at the Lampson Street location. It has given the parents a break while they do some renovations on their home, but Smith thinks her son is really benefitting from the experience. “It’s an easy way to get out and help your child create a community,” says Smith. “It is important for children to have the opportunity to try new things in a safe and nurturing atmosphere.” She wasn’t always able find something that she was comfortable with, but gave the MFRC child care on Lampson Street an opportunity. The MFRC provides her son a well-structured program in a very secure environment. Leah believes that it helps her son develop important skills. The experience allows him to develop a sense of independence. He tries new things and meets new friends. Afterwards, he talks about his friends and how he “plays and shares” at playschool. He talks to her about the care providers and even sings the cleanup song he learned....