Dispatches from the B Sqn Orderly Room

By Private Evan Arsenault
14 February 2006

There I was, one soldier, with a mountain in front of me and a chasm behind. There was only one thing I could do, soldier on. Yes, I battled hard and persevered. The LTA claims were done!! Yes, it was a tough battle with the doom of impending deadlines and the general uncertainties of War. That’s right I said WAR! You heard it troops, administration is War, the seventh and last part of War, but still War.

There are, in fact, many representations of clerks in historical wars. The proverbial “drawing a line in the sand” had to be done by a clerk because he was the only soldier proficient enough in the clerical arts to wield the pen, read stick, to do such a thing. They say the pen is mightier then the sword, well I would rather have a sword in a dark alley but in the OR, a pen will do just fine!

However, Sqn administration is not an individual effort – far from it! Why, what could I possibly get done without the constant badgering of our AO, Lt Paul Leonard. If it was not for his daily tossing of leave passes, MPRRs, binders and memos, I might be a happy, if underemployed, man. This is to speak nothing of the gratifying (read daily) visits from our Chief Clerk, WO Larry Cameron, whose steady eye on the bead of Ottawa’s administrative direction keeps us all paid, promoted and reengaged. Adding that extra bit of spice to our daily workings is the Adm Sgt (?), MCpl Mark Bell, whose safety inspections keep the paper cuts from getting infected. MCpl Mike “Mcgarnicle” McGarity, the acting Ops Sgt, does his best to keep us in training – under, of course, the ever watchful eye of the very near SSM, MWO Kevin Mulhern, who does his level best to issue just enough threat briefings from inside his office to keep us all on our toes. OC B, Maj Trevor Gosselin, also provides his own level of entertainment to the rest of us, terrorizing our AO with questions and demands.

So, if you think that the administrative world is a boring one, think again! And the next time you wing through your OR looking for that next piece of mail, or your leave pass, or LTA – remember to give a quick hello to your friendly OR staff. Or face the consequences of a thorough quilling!!!