Westmount, Quebec – 21 January 2016: The “Community Service Award of Excellence” in The Royal Montreal Regiment (RMR) is brand new and was donated by the Town of Hampstead to mark theirs and the RMR’s centennial that was celebrated together in 2014.
The first winner was 2Lt Rui Hao Wang. He joined the RMR in September 2014 and is currently serving as a platoon commander for the Recruit Indoctrination Course in Depot. On the civilian side, he is a MSc candidate at McGill University and also works as Bioinformatic Analyst at the new Glen Hospital.
He says his favourite memory of serving with the Regiment was visiting the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, reflecting that “I joined the RMR a little over a year ago, my favourite moments with the RMR was the War Museum visit in November 2014 and the Christmas dinner. I have learned tremendously about the RMR’s history and traditions. The RMR has an impeccable reputation within the Canadian Armed Forces since WWI, and I am proud of being a member of the RMR family. It motivates me to do my best to maintain the RMR’s reputation.”
He admits that wet feet is the only thing that he dislikes about the military, explaining “Infantry is one of the most demanding trades in the Canadian Armed Forces, both physically and mentally. What I like the least about being in the infantry is to traverse swamps or stay in a trench full of water. Wet feet is a big morale destroyer.” The thing he likes the most is the teamwork experienced in the RMR “All trades in the Canadian Armed Forces require teamwork, especially in the infantry. During a FTX, teamwork is the determinant factor of a mission success or a mission failure. I love working in a team in the infantry context because I know I can depend on my teammates, and I can trust them to put the mission first. This mentality is very hard to find in a civilian job.”
He thinks that the coolest thing he has ever done with the Regiment thus far was “At the end of my Phase II training, we conducted our very first raid in a platoon. It was the coolest thing ever because the operation was simulating a real assault. We had multiple hostile forces and enemy vehicles. We had the full first-line ammo with smoke grenades and T-flashes, and fire support from a weapon det. It was a lot of fun, and we completed the mission in 15 mins.”.
Born and raised in WuHan, Province of Hubei, China, 2Lt Wang arrived in Canada at age 15 and now lives in Pointe-Claire and is finishing his MSc in biochemistry at McGill, specializing in cardiology at Glen Hospital. I have graduated from BSc biochemistry, with a minor in management.. His comments on being awarded the Hampstead Trophy: “I am honoured to to be the first winner of the Hampstead Trophy, I am sure many members of the RMR are very involved in the community service. Helping people is a passion of mine, I will continue to do my part in the community.”
His advice to other soldiers who might want to win the same trophy in the future is that “The Hampstead Trophy is to recognize the RMR member’s contribution to the community. The willingness to contribute to the society and to make a difference to the people around us is more important than the trophy itself. If you enjoy helping people and giving back to the community, you are already a winner. Hence, I would say to the fellow soldiers, go out there, be a volunteer and enjoy what you do.”
Congratulations to 2Lt Wang, he deserves his trophy – way to set the standard for the rest of us!
Honi Soit Qui Mal Y Pense.