K1LLswitch
CGN Regular
- Location
- Calgary, Alberta
This thread has been fun to follow. Thank those of you who serve / served and for sharing cool photos and stories.
C1A1 Sniper Rifle
- Thread starter I Dont Care About You
- Start date
This thread has grown and evolved, but all in good taste.
I just sat here reading this part, unbelievable, but real, shook my head and then laughed like hell in sympathy.
First thing that came to my mind, I was on a night compass woods exercise at Pet, RCR Warrant tells us, no illumination what so ever and don't worry, all the previous trenches have been filled in. Well I think it took me less than 10 minutes to find an open trench, fell in and thank God I was wearing one of those sheet steel helmets at the time. There was so many left overs of steel crap stakes in the trench my head would have split in two. Crawled out cussing like a b@stard, pulled out my mini flashlight to enhance that useless stinken worn out tritium compass. I ran through the course, collecting the letters for the sentence and hustled my way back to the start area. Warrant says, give up, I present him with the code sentence, he shakes his head and says, you're the first back, get in the ML and you can go back to the barracks to sleep.
That was the only night of a good sleep during my Block 2 BOAT training and thank god I learned that compass down pat from one of the Airborne Instructors that took pity on me a few nights before we left.
All of our course instructors were all RCR Airborne if I recall, they were tough on us but fair and in the end, we knew we had accomplished something.
I was D@m proud!
I have used and showed others that compass knowledge over the years and it took me a bit of time to convert over from Mils to using degrees in the end.
A few times in the winter at Pet and I totally understand.
I can 100% relate and not a month goes by in my life when I tell people more or less the same statement.
Mine was total peacetime service, nothing was really going on during our watch in the late 80's other than OKA, then later the Gulf War.
I was out by then.
I can't even imagine the stories and feelings of those who served under extreme duress in Afghanistan and other places in between.
I was in the army, but I still call my service as concrete cowboy time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are a few pics from those days.
Picture quality is not the best as I snuck in a little 110 instant camera on training.
Barracks at Pet 1986 BOAT Course
Borden Shacks
Pet in the Outback
Basic 1985
I just sat here reading this part, unbelievable, but real, shook my head and then laughed like hell in sympathy.
First thing that came to my mind, I was on a night compass woods exercise at Pet, RCR Warrant tells us, no illumination what so ever and don't worry, all the previous trenches have been filled in. Well I think it took me less than 10 minutes to find an open trench, fell in and thank God I was wearing one of those sheet steel helmets at the time. There was so many left overs of steel crap stakes in the trench my head would have split in two. Crawled out cussing like a b@stard, pulled out my mini flashlight to enhance that useless stinken worn out tritium compass. I ran through the course, collecting the letters for the sentence and hustled my way back to the start area. Warrant says, give up, I present him with the code sentence, he shakes his head and says, you're the first back, get in the ML and you can go back to the barracks to sleep.
That was the only night of a good sleep during my Block 2 BOAT training and thank god I learned that compass down pat from one of the Airborne Instructors that took pity on me a few nights before we left.
All of our course instructors were all RCR Airborne if I recall, they were tough on us but fair and in the end, we knew we had accomplished something.
I was D@m proud!
I have used and showed others that compass knowledge over the years and it took me a bit of time to convert over from Mils to using degrees in the end.
A few times in the winter at Pet and I totally understand.
I can 100% relate and not a month goes by in my life when I tell people more or less the same statement.
Mine was total peacetime service, nothing was really going on during our watch in the late 80's other than OKA, then later the Gulf War.
I was out by then.
I can't even imagine the stories and feelings of those who served under extreme duress in Afghanistan and other places in between.
I was in the army, but I still call my service as concrete cowboy time.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are a few pics from those days.
Picture quality is not the best as I snuck in a little 110 instant camera on training.
Barracks at Pet 1986 BOAT Course
Borden Shacks
Pet in the Outback
Basic 1985
Attachments
Last edited:
We trained with the US Rangers in Wainright in the early 70s. We tried out the M16s and they tried the C1s. We laughed at the plastic Metal toys. Their older guys who had cut their teeth in the M14s and Garands loved our rifles.
30+ years later and that experience is still clear in my mind. I was SERIOUSLY freaked out the whole time.
LOL, there is nothing like blundering around in the woods in the pitch black. I ran right into a coil of razor wire in the pitch black. I only got a few small cuts out of it but it was interesting sitting in the back of the 5-quarter with sticky blood dripping down my leg and completely unable to see just how big the injury was.
You were a Cold Warrior, like me. We sat in the CFB Lahr Jr Ranks watching Gulf War 1 on TV, wondering if we were going to get to go.
A guy I served with stayed in and ended up going to Afghanistan and got blown up by a suicide bomber. A small part of me wanted to experience a real war but a big part of me is so very thankful that I did not have to see my friends die in horrible and terrifying conditions.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Boy does that look familiar.
ah Petawawa...the sand....the heat...the bugs...the gas hut....the DS.....the inspections....lying under my bed to pull it as tight as poss and sleeping on the floor...
I tried to find a postcard to send back to my family but they only had one of the Legion.....
I tried to find a postcard to send back to my family but they only had one of the Legion.....
A previous post mentioned a gasoline incident.
In 73, we were heading up to Resolute for an arctic frolic. I was in the back of a Herc with a few guys and several barrels of gas. 45 gal drums lying horizontal, double stacked. Half way along, we smelled gas. Searching, we found one of the barrels on the bottom row was leaking. Pilot called and asked if we could dump the barrel. No go. Now what. Crew turned the heat down to freezing to reduce vapours. The leak was at the bottom end of the rim, so the pilot did several very low g dives, almost making the drums weightless we were then able, with a pipe wrench, to turn the barrel so the leak was to the top. Brilliant. We finished the rest of the several hr flight with the heat down below freezing. Fun times.
Attachments
Freezing and choking on fuel fumes at the same time. LOL, good times.
I flew across the Atlantic in a Herc. Our CF flight got screwed up and we had to be in Gagetown for a live fire ex. So they bundled a bunch of us into a Herc, along with what seemed like hundreds of boxed lunches. There was no room to move in the back of that thing and it was 12 hours in the web jump seats.
The rear area heaters in a Herc are right at the front, behind the cockpit. So the guys up front stripped down to t-shirts and still boiled to death , while at the same time the guys at the back were wearing every piece of kit they could get hold of and were freezing to death. We alternated having the heat on for a period and then turned it off for a period to give the guys up front a break.
The piss tube on a Herc is entertaining. It is part way up the side of the round fuselage. I am 6'2" and had to stand on my toes to not piss all over myself. I have no idea what the short guys did.
Another CF flight across the Atlantic that I took, we had 100 guys getting onto a jetliner, with full gear, including C7 rifles and webbing. The idiocy of what happened next still baffles me.
Just before boarding the plane they went down the line and confiscated our C5 pocket knives .... because apparently soldiers can get on a plane with C7 rifles and bayonets but not with a C5 knife.
Can you image what would have happened to anyone dumb enough to try to hijack a plane full of solders, using a pocket knife? Guys would have lined up to beat the hijacker senseless simply for being a stupid d!ckhead. Where's the beer?
Just before boarding the plane they went down the line and confiscated our C5 pocket knives .... because apparently soldiers can get on a plane with C7 rifles and bayonets but not with a C5 knife.
Can you image what would have happened to anyone dumb enough to try to hijack a plane full of solders, using a pocket knife? Guys would have lined up to beat the hijacker senseless simply for being a stupid d!ckhead. Where's the beer?
The piss tube on a Herc is entertaining. It is part way up the side of the round fuselage. I am 6'2" and had to stand on my toes to not piss all over myself. I have no idea what the short guys did.
Have you ever used that tube with all your winter gear, ruck sack AND parachute? Might as well piss your pants.
Have you ever used that tube with all your winter gear, ruck sack AND parachute? Might as well piss your pants.
Sorry ,no stories though my girl will have some and SIL; this -40 we just had brings back her story from a exercise at Wainwright and digging trenches in frozen ground X2 and damn near freezing to death in tents.
I have had a few 1A1, L1 and a few other bits of C2's , C1's
Never shot the Israeli metric one, thou I have handled one.
The one that was a surprise was the 1A1 on how good it shot.
But I found that the 22 unit would not slide down the barrel on those.
A Brit L1 it would almost fit , but hang up part way. Bore a bit rough.
I use to have one of those scope mount /covers , but not the scope for it.
I picked it up at one of the Calgary easter shows from a collector out there.
He also had boxes of new wood and some barrels for C1's and a bit for the C2.
Some one mentioned blanks way back, I remember buying cases of blanks at under 80 I think. L1's where about the same price. late 1980's I guess.
I have had a few 1A1, L1 and a few other bits of C2's , C1's
Never shot the Israeli metric one, thou I have handled one.
The one that was a surprise was the 1A1 on how good it shot.
But I found that the 22 unit would not slide down the barrel on those.
A Brit L1 it would almost fit , but hang up part way. Bore a bit rough.
I use to have one of those scope mount /covers , but not the scope for it.
I picked it up at one of the Calgary easter shows from a collector out there.
He also had boxes of new wood and some barrels for C1's and a bit for the C2.
Some one mentioned blanks way back, I remember buying cases of blanks at under 80 I think. L1's where about the same price. late 1980's I guess.
I have not. I totally believe you though. LOL
Hmm, almost sheet myself at that tube.
1987-ish if I recall
Late February there were about 20 of us on Herc transport run across Ontario, picking up Senior NCO's and Officers for a winter symposium meeting at Pet with 2 SVC.
Everyone was just sitting on the jump seats, just after leaving Toronto's Pearson Airport, last stop Pembroke and after about 40 minutes in the air, we are all wearing our green combats, I get up to take a leak in that tube, but I must admit I was a little shy as we had many females on board.
As I'm just starting to take a leak I see one of the aircrew techs as he runs back to the large landing gear cylinder with his headphones on and I assume he's talking to the pilot.
He runs up front then back to that cylinder, chit chat - back n forth as I can see hydraulic fluid spraying a small pin leak from a gasket.
Hmmm, I'm thinking, Feck me, whats going on now,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Booooom,,,, a load bang goes off from the gasket and all of a sudden the whole area including everyone seated is covered from head to toe in hydraulic fluid.
The Herc almost turned on its side and then straightened out.
We are all told to take a seat and buckle up, meanwhile everyone and anything that was loose was bouncing around, a few people got sick and were throwing up.
Ohhh and as you would guess, no puke bags at hand!!!
For a second I thought we were going down.
Two aircrew got a hold of a crank handle and started to manually wind down that side of the landing gear and they were going crazy fast.
They were exhausted.
There was some talk about going to Trenton, but about 15 minutes later the pilot then landed that sucker into Pembroke like nothing happened.
We all got off including the aircrew and almost kissed the ground.
The C1's that we had with us were well oiled after that incident.
We went over to Base Supply and were all issued emergency clothing and kit.
That night in the Mess Hall overlooking the Ottawa River I can sure say, more than a few of us were drowning our sorrows.
We were never really told what the heel happened.
-Our ill-fated Herc-
Attachments
Last edited:
Yooowza!
A few years ago I was at a funeral for a past RSM of the CDN Forces Central Command, I was wearing my Legion uniform and in attendance was the President of the Legion at the time, Thomas D. Irvine. He asked me were I served and why was I not wearing a Veteran patch under the Legion Coat of Arms on my blazer.
I said, I served but I never considered myself as a Veteran as I never served in combat and my Father did in WW2.
Well, after he tore the largest strip off of me like never before, I was almost ashamed of myself. He said, you served in Cold War as he did and you were ready willing and able to serve in harms way at any time, you are still a Veteran of the Forces.
I went home with my tail between my legs, but in all honesty, yes I served, but my Veteran hero's are my buddies and those that went off to Afghanistan, some returned but not all of them.
I stood on that D@m bridge in Toronto holding the Canadian Flag and wearing my beret for every returning Highway of Hero's.
My work now is in France and Belgium honouring our men and women of the Great War and their sacrifices.
That is a story for another day.
I can surely relate!
Last edited:
Excellent aircraft (Mac Truck of the air).
Great story cigar_man, thank-you for that, and your service.
Glad it worked out OK. Surprised you didn't need a diaper to supplement the piss-tube!
I recall the piss tube in the Herc from my Cadet days. I think the Buffalo had them as well.
Great story cigar_man, thank-you for that, and your service.
Glad it worked out OK. Surprised you didn't need a diaper to supplement the piss-tube!
I recall the piss tube in the Herc from my Cadet days. I think the Buffalo had them as well.
Some of these stories need to be preserved.
Thank you to everyone for sharing even though we have strayed form the original posting.
My current L1A1 - C1 in wolfs clothing is a constant reminder of some of the most precious day of my life.
Along with a Great Big Heartfelt Thank You to all for your service.
Attachments
Last edited:
Looks pretty legit to me!
So many of my experiences in the CF were nothing short of surreal. Stuff that upon reflection you just shake your head and think, WTaF?
Lots of really funny stuff too, specially in Basic and Battle School.
My bunkmate in the gas hut story is pretty funny ... well for me but not for him.
As we were entering the Cornwallis gas hut, he was told to make sure the door was shut tightly. With all the shouting and being hustled into the room, he forgot to close the door. As punishment a trainer spun off his mask filter and threw it across the room, telling him to go get it. What nobody knew was the filter hit the cement wall hard enough to badly dent the attachment threads. My bunkmate tried and tried to get the filter to thread on with no luck. Slowly he began to go down from breathing in all the gas. The staff walked over, grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and dragged him to the exit door where he was unceremoniously thrown outside. I found out later what had happened. I thought that was hilarious, apparently it was not, for my bunkmate.
The gas hut is a right of passage for anyone who served. I doubt anyone ever forgets that experience.
The Airborne school in Edmonton used to use the original trial FNs for jump training. They were generally a bit bent up and well worn. Some time around 72/73, somebody wanted to bring back a few to serviceable condition. So we gathered up the best of the bunch and pieced together a few. These were full auto. We took them to Wainright to test them. Used a full case of ammo and had a blast.
