Article written by Corporal J-P Vallières (RMR)
Westmount, Quebec – 09 August 2016: I remember thinking on the first day of this course that it wasn’t going to be anything like the Basic Military Qualification that I had completed just days before arriving to Camp Vimy. From day one I was excited, I would be training for my desired trade: infantry.
As an infantry candidate I knew that I would have to push my limits both mentally and physically. Despite numerous ups and downs, I’m confident that this course has been and will continue to be one of the best experiences of my life. After a considerable amount of push ups and inspections with my fellow section members, I consider myself lucky to have known them. I can rely on them to be part of our team, to share their knowledge and raise morale whenever it’s low. I know that this cohesion we’ve built will be our strongest quality once we start our field phase.
My favourite part of the course was definitely shooting the C9 Light machine gun on the base ranges. I enjoyed it because it’s a weapon system that’s capable of firing several of rounds accurately at the enemy while remaining light enough to sprint with. The section attacks however provided the biggest thrill so far. Although we practiced them only a handful of times, I can’t help but feel like a real infantry soldier when we are attacking an enemy position. With speed, coordination and aggression, I can see my section comrades move forward to close with and destroy the enemy.
I look forward to the coming weeks in the field and seeing what the course staff have planned. I’m sure that the platoon will be able to endure and adapt to any task that we’ve been preparing to face.