Capt James “HIT HIM YOU COWARD!” Anderson continued his promise to train the officers of the Regiment in the ways of Close Quarters Combat.

After almost two years of waiting, this September I was finally in a position to put all the skills and training which I had received into action. Ex KAPYONG-MACE 15 was the first time that many of our new tank crews had worked together...

Headquarters Squadron (C/S 8) has always been extremely diverse organization. We are a combination of maintainers, cooks, medical technicians, armoured soldiers and many other trades. We all come together to create a cohesive team.

Exercise TRIDENT JUNCTURE 2015 was NATO’s largest joint exercise in over a decade. It involved 36,000 people from over thirty allied and partner nations and took place throughout Italy, Portugal, Spain, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.

The Worthington Cup is a long standing armoured gunnery competition which fosters excellence in our ability to shoot, move, and communicate with our advanced armoured fighting vehicles, and raising the overall proficiency within the Canadian Army.

The crisp morning air pinched our cheeks as Recce Squadron vehicles rolled past the north gate at Edmonton Garrison early in the morning of August 30, 2015, en route to Wainwright to commence Exercise RECCE RELOAD.

During the first week of September the students of the Leopard 2 Gunnery courses, the TOC course and the crews of B Squadron faced off against their timeless and most hated enemy on the range – rectangular wooden targets.

It has been five years since Major General (retired) Cam Ross took over as Colonel of the Regiment, and on 20 June 2015 he gave his final speech and salute.

In the early morning of the 23rd of July, the Strathcona Mounted Troop (SMT) began the long trip to Vernon, BC. There were many miles to cover, and hot chow waiting for us at the end of the line.

With the crowd looking on in anticipation the Strathcona’s one hundred man honour guard stood poised to deliver the Feu de joie. With rifles held high pointed towards the blazing sun Major Darryn Gray, Commander of the Guard delivers the order to “FIRE!”

For the Strathcona’s, our early deployment to the wildfires happened just after a long weekend in Calgary at the Stampede Parade and Spruce Meadows.

After some of the driest climate in recent memory, fires of unprecedented scale broke out across Western Canada this past summer.

At 0530 hrs on Canada Day, two armoured vehicle crews and some members of Historical Vehicle Troop gathered at the Regiment. Our plan? Drive through downtown Edmonton with a Leopard 2 and a Coyote to the Alberta Legislature.

For the first time in years, nearly since the end of the war in Afghanistan, the Regiment ran a Combat First Aid course from 16 to 22 June, and it went very well.

With the yearly festivities surrounding July 1st, this year saw Recce Squadron LdSH(RC) deployed to Calgary for a visit to The Military Museums and organizing a family-oriented military obstacle course for the Spruce Meadow’s Heroes behind the Heroes run.

1st Troop, aka The Jokers, couldn’t of had our 42 days in the field go any better for us. From the start of our field time on April 20th to May 31st 2015 the Troop worked hard maintaining our tanks...

Exercise MAPLE RESOLVE 15 (Ex MR 15) started for Headquarters (HQ) Squadron on 13 April with the Advance Party setting out for the camp set up of our future home, Camp Richardson.

From 18 April until 20 May 1st Troop A Sqn was tasked as the OPFOR tank troop for Ex MAPLE RESOLVE 15 (Ex MR).

On Saturday, 23 May the Communities for Veterans Foundation (CVF) Ride Across Canada trotted into Edmonton and of course, as Canada’s finest Cavalry Regiment, members of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) were there to help with the ride.

In the early morning, as the fog settled over the village of Enriquillo, the chain of command had been awakened by the chatter of villagers. Warning of the American’s arrival through the tree line was scattering across the western flank of the town.

"NO DUFF! NO DUFF! NO DUFF! JESSE DROP THE RAMP" yells MCpl Rory Adby through the headset. Tpr Jessey Vanbeek jumps up and releases the ramp lock and engages the ramp leaver.

Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) enjoyed their annual Moreuil Wood Sports Day for 2015 with fresh Tim Horton’s in hand on 26 March 2015.

April 20th was the start of a month and a half long adventure in Wainwright, Alberta. As a new trooper in the Regiment, I was pretty excited to be going and very curious to see how a real exercise works.

During Exercise MAPLE RESOLVE 2015, B Squadron, along with elements from 1 CER, 5 GBMC, and other NATO parties, participated in force-on-force training.