Ontario Regiment will be conducting training scenarios
Nov 19, 2008 - 02:45 PM
By Jeff Hayward
UXBRIDGE -- If you see army troops and military vehicles flooding north Durham this weekend, don't be alarmed.
Members of The Ontario Regiment (Royal Canadian Armoured Corps) will be making their way to the small community of Utica, situated centrally to Uxbridge and Port Perry, on the evening of Friday, Nov. 21, and will remain until Sunday, Nov. 23. They'll be carrying weapons, but the guns will be loaded with blanks, assures Second Lieutenant Bill Walker, public affairs officer with the regiment. "There's certainly no danger to the public," he said. He said as part of the training exercise, the troops will be thrown into "a scenario with enemy forces."
A number of the regiment's troops have served in Afghanistan, he noted. The training is designed to simulate "real world" combat situations, he noted.
The group will be practicing dismounted patrols (on foot) and convoy escorts, meaning there will be military vehicles on the streets at some points, said the lieutenant. The training will be day and night, in and around the village of Utica, he added.
Utica Town Hall, at Goodwood and Marsh Hill roads, will serve as a headquarters for the training group throughout the weekend.
The troops train at various sites around the province each year, he said. "We held (a training session) in Utica last year, the town was very receptive to us," said Lt. Walker.
According to the National Defence website,
www.army.forces.gc.ca, The Ontario Regiment has "a colourful history dating back as far as 1827.
"The Regiment has seen action in the Fenian Raids of 1866, The Great War, and (Second World War). In addition, soldiers from the Ontarios served in Northwest Rebellion of 1885, the South African War, and numerous UN missions around the world."
According to the site, The Ontario Regiment is headquartered at the Colonel RS McLaughlin Armoury in Oshawa and has training and maintenance facilities at Oshawa Municipal Airport.
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