They're baaack! Ceremonial Guard inspected by the Governor General

[dapaterson]

Decent set of photos at the Ottawa Citizen:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Ceremonial+Guard/1709338/story.html

 

[Occam]

I wonder....does the bearskin offer any head protection?  ;D

 

[freakerz]

Guessing by the pictures, nope, unless the it was a training exercise? (heat strokes, stretcher...)

Didn't know those guards were reservists. Thanks!

 

[begbie]

I wonder....does the bearskin offer any head protection?  ;D

It does (at least sometimes) for those who really faint.  If you watch closely, you can tell who really fainted and those who drop their weapon.  >

 

[chris_log]

Guessing by the pictures, nope, unless the it was a training exercise? (heat strokes, stretcher...)

Have you ever been on parliament hill in the middle of a muggy Ottawa summer in one of those tunics (albeit mine was green and I wore a glengarry, not a bearskin)? It sucks, people pass out, it happens and I have the utmost respect for guys who willingly put themselves through that during the summer (although, aside from that CG is a pretty good deal as far as a summer tasking goes).

Edit: I just noticed that some of the guys in DEU's were wearing CFSTG command pins. I first thought 'PRETC guys on a GD tasking' but they were Cpl's (not tooo many Cpl's at PRETC). Any idea what folks from CFSTG are doing up there?

 

[dapaterson]

I suspect someone clued in that giving PATs a chance to do drill on the Hill was eminently preferable to leaving them to rot in Borden for another summer.  Bigger guards for minimal outlay (and some Qs freed up in Borden for the summer, to boot).

 

[Rheostatic]

Decent set of photos at the Ottawa Citizen:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Ceremonial+Guard/1709338/story.html

A few more on the GG website:
http://www.gg.ca/media/pho/index_e.asp?GalleryID=760

 

[ringer98]

Have you ever been on parliament hill in the middle of a muggy Ottawa summer in one of those tunics (albeit mine was green and I wore a glengarry, not a bearskin)? It sucks, people pass out, it happens and I have the utmost respect for guys who willingly put themselves through that during the summer (although, aside from that CG is a pretty good deal as far as a summer tasking goes).

Edit: I just noticed that some of the guys in DEU's were wearing CFSTG command pins. I first thought 'PRETC guys on a GD tasking' but they were Cpl's (not tooo many Cpl's at PRETC). Any idea what folks from CFSTG are doing up there?

Well, actually none of us up here are from Borden, and or on PRETC. There  are 55 reg force members from Meaford who wee awaiting a course to open up. But since there were no DP1 available until sept, we were brought up to this absolutely fantastic city. Extremely better than roting up in Meaford for the summer if I d say so myself. All the other members up here with us are from various reserve force regiments all over Ontario and Quebec.

And to answer to bear skin question.... no lol.... as one of the guards who fell got a concussion  ;D

 

[chris_log]

Well, actually none of us up here are from Borden, and or on PRETC. There  are 55 reg force members from Meaford who wee awaiting a course to open up. But since there were no DP1 available until sept, we were brought up to this absolutely fantastic city. Extremely better than roting up in Meaford for the summer if I d say so myself. All the other members up here with us are from various reserve force regiments all over Ontario and Quebec.

And to answer to bear skin question.... no lol.... as one of the guards who fell got a concussion  ;D

But in the pics there are guys wearing the command badge of CFSTG (Canadian Forces Support Training Group), I'm sure of it. Looks like they were wearing Log cap badges as well. Drivers maybe?

 

[Big Foot]

Piper, it makes sense for the soldiers to be wearing the CFSTG command badge if they are in from Meaford. In Gagetown this past November for Rememberance Day, that was the only command badge we were permitted to wear as course candidates. The way my course programmer explain it is that since we were posted to the School, we were not allowed to wear the Land Command badge, only the CFSTG command badge.

 

[chris_log]

Piper, it makes sense for the soldiers to be wearing the CFSTG command badge if they are in from Meaford. In Gagetown this past November for Rememberance Day, that was the only command badge we were permitted to wear as course candidates. The way my course programmer explain it is that since we were posted to the School, we were not allowed to wear the Land Command badge, only the CFSTG command badge.

Ahh, gotcha. Kind of odd though, I thought the reg force infantry courses out of Meaford (or Gagetown for that matter) were under the purview of CTC...which is an army unit and not part of CFSTG.

And in the pics some of the guys wearing said badges were Cpls' (there can't be many, if any, Cpl's as candidates on a infantry course).

Not sure why I'm so fixated on this, it just struck me as odd.

 

[BKells]

Done that, in rank and file, for a whole summer. Never even thought about passing out. Even severely hungover.

More pt.

And don't worry, as the photos will attest, the Camerons will always be there to drag the Guards out of eyesight.

 

[Matt_Fisher]

Using PAT platoon bodies, is a great way to fill the role of CG, to the point that what is done in Ottawa could be done elsewhere in Canada, i.e. Citadel in Quebec, Provincial Legislature buildings and other points of interest (i.e. war memorial monuments, etc.) which would increase the public perception of the CFs, and provide something meaningful for people in PAT purgatory to do.

 

[George Wallace]

Some PAT pers would find that purgatory.  Drill, Drill and more Drill.  Some would complain endlessly.

As for the Citadel in Quebec, the Van Doos cover that one with their Guard en Rouge.  Kingston has the Fort Henry Guard, an all volunteer organization that has no DND/CF connection.  Same goes for the Citadel in Halifax, which falls under Parks Canada. 

The Ceremonial Guard falls under DND/CF, while the majority of the others fall under other levels of Government, or Private concerns.  This makes the employment of PAT pers a bureaucratic nightmare.

 

[dapaterson]

Some PAT pers would find that purgatory.  Drill, Drill and more Drill.  Some would complain endlessly.

As for the Citadel in Quebec, the Van Doos cover that one with their Guard en Rouge.  Kingston has the Fort Henry Guard, an all volunteer organization that has no DND/CF connection.  Same goes for the Citadel in Halifax, which falls under Parks Canada. 

The Ceremonial Guard falls under DND/CF, while the majority of the others fall under other levels of Government, or Private concerns.  This makes the employment of PAT pers a bureaucratic nightmare.

Garde en Rouge is primarily a Reserve tasking now; the R22eR have a minor presence, if any.

The real challenge in rolling out such an event in other locations isn't the troops, it's the junior leaders to keep the troops trained and deal with them day to day.

 

[Doom]

geeze, the fainting ?? didn't know it would be like that. last time i went to ottawa and saw the Governor Generals Guard I was outside waiting for 2 hrs and they didnt move an inch.

 

[PMedMoe]

geeze, the fainting ?? didn't know it would be like that. last time i went to ottawa and saw the Governor Generals Guard I was outside waiting for 2 hrs and they didnt move an inch.

What was the weather like when you saw them?  Monday was pretty hot here.  25C by 1000 hrs and over 29C by 1500 hrs.

 

[Doom]

could be mistaken, but it was like 20 out that day. I remember that much because i went into quebec to eat breakfast

 

[George Wallace]

A RSM probably had one question to ask each individual individually:

"Did you have breakfast?"

 

[Jammer]

My father was in the Canadian Guards in the late fifties when they were billeted in Connaught from Petawawa in the summer.
He loves to tell the story how they would have oral themometers in their bearskins and the guy with the lowest temp at the end of the day would have to pony up at the bar that night.