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The days are long and sometimes crazy, but without them the Canadian Forces would not be able to operate overseas or at home. For the most part, the men and women filling these days—and nights—work behind the scenes and rarely get recognized for turning seemingly impossible tasks into reality. All of them fall under the umbrella of the Canadian Operational Support Command (CANOSCOM) and they have been extremely busy helping to close out Canada’s five-year combat mission in Afghanistan. A major part of their work in the wartorn country involves bringing soldiers and equipment home, a massive undertaking that began months ago—well before the decision was made to switch Canada’s role from a combat mission, which will end in July, to a training mission. Over all, Canada’s military presence in Afghanistan stretches just under 10 years, an experience shared by thousands of military personnel and supported by CANOSCOM through everything from operational logistics, engineering, communications, equipment maintenance to health and military police services.

More than 500 people packed the Chateau Laurier in downtown Ottawa Feb. 24 and 25 for the annual Conference of Defence Associations (CDA) symposium. The speakers at the two-day event were distinguished as always, including Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Dr. John Hamre, president of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in the United States. The CDA is an umbrella group of military associations of which The Royal Canadian Legion is the largest member. This year the meeting had two themes, Canada-United States security interests 10 years after 9/11 and the Canadian Forces after the combat mission in Afghanistan. Hamre started [...]

Despite missing morning practices to allow for a few extra minutes of sleep, the Quebec team played hard and remained undefeated to take first place during the 55th Dominion Command Curling Championships, March 19-25 in Hudson, Que. Victory did not come easy for the team of lead Danny Comeau, second Matt McCrea, third Evan Mooney and skip Jeff Cheal from Col. John Bourque Branch in Sherbrooke, as all eight teams played with heart throughout the week. “We had high expectations coming in. Like any tournament, you want to do well, but also have a good time,” said Cheal. “It’s a great field, [...]

When the phone rang just before Thanksgiving, 11-year-old Alisha Perreault of Petawawa, Ont., thought nothing about answering. She had no idea the call would change her family forever. After picking up, the unfamiliar voice asked for her mother, Frances.

The life of John McCrae, author of the famous poem, In Flanders Fields, and the First World War are brought to life daily by dedicated volunteers and staff at McCrae House, the Guelph, Ont., home where the poet was born in 1872. The western half of the four-bedroom limestone cottage in a residential part of the city was built in 1857. In 1867, the second storey was added, and sometime between 1875 and 1966 the veranda was removed and a small porch was added. The house was used as a private residence until the mid-1960s when it was threatened with demolition. At [...]

Corporal Craig Andrew Sparks researched Rideau Hall in Ottawa in preparation of receiving his Operational Service Medal (OSM) on Dec. 6 from Governor General David Johnston. “I was nervous, and not sure what to expect,” said Sparks, one of the first 50 recipients of the OSM. His research included going to the Cable Public Affairs Channel’s website to find an image of the hall’s ballroom. “Before we came in, I managed to peek through the doors and was assured it was the same room.” The medal, created on July 5, 2010, recognizes Canadian military personnel, civilians under the authority of the Canadian [...]

The three branches of the Canadian Forces, along with Fire and Emergency Services—Newfoundland and Labrador— and locals joined forces to battle the aftermath of Hurricane Igor. The hurricane hit the coast on Sept. 21, sweeping away roads, bridges and houses, leaving some 50,000 households without power. Operation Lama, a joint task force (JTF) mission, was created and housed in a computer training room at Canadian Forces Station St. John’s. Station Commander Larry Jones said the operation went smoothly. “It was an incredibly busy time for our station, but it went very well. Certainly my folks, military and civilian alike, were very proud to [...]

Governor General Michaëlle Jean announced Sept. 8 that the Queen has approved a new service medal that will fill an existing gap in recognizing overseas service. The Operational Service Medal (OSM) was created July 5, 2010, and will be issued with a ribbon specific to the theatre of operations or type of service, including South-West Asia, Sierra Leone, Haiti, Sudan, Humanitas and Expedition. “There are a wide variety of people who are going to be eligible to receive this new medal,” said André Levesque, director of honours and recognition for the Department of National Defence. “Mainly members of Canadian Forces will be [...]

When Sergeant Renay Groves started Notes From Home, a collection of well wishes for Canadian troops in Afghanistan, she never knew how much the project would grow. It started as a small homemade book of 3,000 messages and over four years has grown to 80,000 signatures. Groves, a scrapbook savvy lady, started the book as a response to citizen reactions. She found when she was walking around in uniform people would approach her and say thank you for her work and the work Canada is doing in Afghanistan. At the time, she hadn’t been to Afghanistan, so she told them she [...]