Given recent events, I felt that this post is necessary but rather than fill it with my own choice words and hope that I could do justice to these remarkable and courageous women and men who make up our Armed Forces, and specifically in this case the members of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, I’d prefer to let their own deeds and words do the speaking.
I’ve gone through a lot of material in a remarkably short period of time in order to give you an idea who these members of our Armed Forces really are. Their courage and dedication, those who recently underwent a disastrous ordeal at their Battalion Headquarters in Wainwright, Alberta. Those who recently lost their lives. Those who are struggling to overcome their injuries. Those who survived with minor or no injuries sustained while doing their best to rescue and recover their injured and fallen.
There are many films and television shows and video games and books and comics that give people a sometimes exaggerated glimpse into the lives of members of the Armed Forces, but they rarely cover their day to day lives as they live out these situations and challenges where they’re deployed and in this post I’m going to focus on their peace keeping deployments, though keep in mind that for most of those who enlist in the Armed Forces, that they aren’t simply doing a job. Their role in our country often encompasses the entirety of their lives, whether that involves their deployment to assist civilian populations during natural disasters, or their efforts to raise money for their chosen charities, these are people who dedicate much of their lives to protecting and preserving that for which our citizenship stands.
We’re all different, and we have different beliefs and ideas about what the right way is to run a society. Every border in the world is a testament to this idea, as is every founding document of every nation and country, whether written or kept as an oral tradition. These are the people who elect themselves, or that are sometimes chosen by their respective society to rise to protect these ideals for their given society.
In this particular case and of the focus of this post on Shhhh! Digital Media, that refers to Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. One of Canada’s finest Airborne Regiments. Women and men dedicated to protecting the Canadian way of life, while supporting our international allies and partners, including the United Nations.
I could have scoured and scraped content from a number of sources, but instead I chose the ones that involve some of their most noteworthy contribution to the world, and in times of crisis where a firm and steady stance with regard to the obstruction of conflict was called for, rather than focusing on conflict itself. There’s enough of that today, and perhaps we need to be reminded that our Armed Forces stand for much, much more.
I hope that this modest collection of recollections effectively demonstrates to you the lives behind the names and faces of those recently lost during the Wainwright disaster, because most of it is in their words, or the words of their commanding officers.
Operation CAVALIER [c/o UNPROFOR: Government of Canada]
In April 1992 the Yugoslav civil war spread from Croatia to the neighbouring republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Fighting throughout the republic, but especially the siege of the capital city of Sarajevo, led to the decision to temporarily transfer some of UNPROFOR’s peacekeepers from Croatia to Bosnia-Herzegovina to assist with the delivery of humanitarian relief supplies. Most prominent in this initial effort were the attempts in the summer of 1992 to open the Sarajevo airport to relief flights. Canadian peacekeepers, members of the Canadian infantry battalion group serving in Sector West, spent the month of July under gunfire at the Sarajevo airport until they were replaced by French, Ukrainian and Egyptian troops.
UNPROFOR’s mandate was expanded in June 1992 to incorporate the “pink zones”, areas outside of the UNPAs with substantial numbers of ethnic Serb residents. After adjusting to this additional territory, the first Canadian deployment finished its tour in early October and was replaced by engineers from 1 Combat Engineer Regiment and an infantry battalion group formed by 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. The engineers continued the work begun by their predecessors until March 1993 when UNPROFOR’s engineering requirements were assumed by non-Canadian engineering units. Similarly, the soldiers of the infantry battalion group continued the peacekeeping duties previously undertaken in Sector West throughout a tense and dangerous six-month rotation. In September 1992 UNPROFOR was permanently expanded into Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of humanitarian relief operations throughout the country. This led to the Canadian government’s offer of another infantry battalion group under the designation Operation CAVALIER and became known to the UN as CANBAT 2. The 2nd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, provided the first six-month deployment and faced numerous difficulties attempting to fulfill their duties. Their primary task was to assist the UN in delivering humanitarian supplies by protecting and escorting humanitarian convoys around Sarajevo and throughout eastern and central Bosnia-Herzegovina. In addition, in January 1993 Canadian soldiers were sent to Macedonia to serve as observers along its borders with Serbia and Albania. This was an early example of UN “preventive peacekeeping” that was intended to keep local tensions from escalating to war. The Canadians were replaced in Macedonia by Scandinavian troops in March 1993.
In April 1993 Operation CAVALIER was expanded when 300 soldiers were redeployed to the eastern Bosnian city of Srebrenica to protect the city’s refugee population (mostly Bosnian Muslim). The next two battalion groups, provided by the 2e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment, and 12 e Régiment Blindé du Canada, continued to fulfill escort and protection duties while facing increased tension and instability in the region. In March 1994 a Dutch unit replaced the Canadian peacekeepers in Srebrenica. Three more Canadian infantry battalion groups, provided by the Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians), The Royal Canadian Dragoons and the 3e Bataillon, Royal 22e Régiment, served in Bosnia-Herzegovina while the situation continued to worsen between the spring of 1994 and late 1995.
Operation HARMONY: Overseas At Last [c/o The Patrician 1992]
The Battalion was organized into four rifle companies, headquarters company and an administration company. The
Advance Party departed 26 September and the main body in three chalks in the first week of October. We formally took
control of the Canadian Sector on October, 1992. and will remain in the former Yugoslavia for months, returning in April
1993. 3 PPCLI is located in the UNPA known as Sector West. This sector is centred around the town of Daruvar and includes the
towns of Pakrac, Lipik and Novska. We share the task of controlling the sector with the Argentinean Battalion to our
North and the Nepalese and Jordanian Battalions to our South. Our Battalion controls an area of approximately 400 square
kilometres, broken down into four company areas; Frezenberg, Sanctuary Woods, Ortona and Kapyong. These areas are
occupied by through Companies respectively. The terrain ranges from level farm land in the West to heavily forested hills
in the East.
The basic tasks of the Battalion include manning permanent vehicle checkpoints, referred to as WCs, manning mobile
checkpoints and patrolling, both mounted and dismounted. The main purpose behind these tasks is to control the flow of
weapons into the UNPA, and to attempt to confiscate those already here.
Company, under the command of Maj Makulowich, occupies Frezenburg, encompassing the South-West corner of
the Canadian sector. It includes the town of Lipik and WCs through 5. The three platoons in A company occupy three
different locations. 1 Platoon, commanded by 2Lt Ankersen, mans WC 1, 2 and 3 with section at each checkpoint. 2
Platoon, commanded by Lt Szelecz (The King of Lipik), is located in platoon house in the town of Lipik. 3 Platoon,
commanded by Lt Paynter (C Scot R), is co-located with Company Headquarters in the town of Mali Banovac.
Sanctuary Woods, the home of B Company, under Maj Fisher, is the largest company area. It contains the hills and
woods in the North Eastern portion of the Battalion area. B Company is quite spread out, controlling WC through 12.
Company Headquarters and 4 Platoon, commanded by Lt Hendrickson, share accommodations in the town of Novo Selo.
5 Platoon, under Lt Hackett, is spread out in three section houses; one each at WCs 9 and 10, and the third in the town of
Gornja Sumetlica. 6 Platoon, commanded by Capt Staniowsky (R Wpg R), is split between the town of Bijela and WC 11. With
one section at WC 11 and the remainder of the platoon in Bijela. Maj Morneault commands Company, situated in Ortona
Sector. This sector is the most active of the four. It includes the town of Pakrac, major hot-spot. Company Headquarters and
Platoon, under Capt Blanc (RRR) share the Pakrac Hotel in the heart of the town. 7 Platoon, with Lt Mandaher, has platoon
house located on the Croatian side of the town. 8 Platoon, under Lt Richards, is split with platoon house on the Serb side
of Pakrac, and section at each of Ammo Houses 1 and 2. D Company, (C Coy PPCLI by another name), under Maj Moxley, occupy Kapyong sector. As the reserve company they have no permanent checkpoints in their area but man mobile checkpoints and patrol throughout all four company areas. They live in two separate locations. 10 and 11 Platoons, under Lts Furuness and Robichaud respectively, share accommodations with Company Headquarters in the town of Touranj. 12 Platoon, commanded by Capt Litt (LSSR), live about three kilometres down the road in house known as the ranch.
Headquarters and Administration Companies, commanded by Capt Willis and Maj Barr respectively live in Camp Polom, about kilometres South of Daruvar .Also living in Camp Polom is the Canadian Contingent Support Group and small portion
of the Canadian Contingent Headquarters.
The first half of our tour has had more than its share of excitement; we have faced everything from ambushes to rabid
dogs. Through all of these incidents the soldiers of the Battalion have done themselves and their Regiment proud. We have also
conducted a number of Cordon and Search Operations against both civilian houses and police stations. These Ops have netted a
wide variety of hardware, ranging from ammunition and rifles to 30 1/4 pound blocks of plastic explosives. Our mobile
checkpoints have also been very successful, capturing everything from mortar rounds to three SA-7 Grail missiles.
One of the activities that occupies most of the troops time off is accommodation renovations. This is one area where the
Battalion has proven that Canadians really are the best in the world at doing more with less. Among the projects we have
undertaken are the re-roofing of the Pakrac Hotel, something CE said would cost 140,000 but which Coy accomplished for
about $40,000. We have also dumped enough gravel to fill Victoria Harbour into the various mudholes around the area,
but guess what, we’re still up to our knees in mud. Three of the major incidents from the first half of our tour are described briefly in the following paragraphs. There have been many other incidents of note during our time here, both humorous and sad, from soldiers falling into septic tanks to grenades being thrown at checkpoints. feel that these three will give good indication of what life can be like in the former Yugoslavia, and drive home to those of you who haven’t been here that we’re a long way from Cyprus, Toto.
10 October, 1992 at 16:45 hours C/S received incident reports from WC 10 followed closely by WC 9. The first incident involved the armed hijacking of vehicle West of WC 10.The second incident, terrorist shooting, occurred km East of WC 9. Coy arrived upon grisly sight. Two Croatian men from another vehicle were struggling to assist what appeared to be four badly wounded men in the ambushed car. The final tally was one civilian killed and three injured. The combat first aid skills, applied within the initial minutes, were accredited with saving the lives of two men, and possibly contributed to a third.
In the early hoursof26 Oct. Company and Recce Platoon were dispatched to the Stara Gradiska Bridge to assist the Nepalese in closing it. As it turned out, our knowledge and experience proved to be the most valuable commodity we had to offer. Recce pulled up to the bridge at 0450 hrs with five APCs and blocked it off. As they constructed a barricade, bursts of automatic weapon fire went right past them from both sides of the bridge but they were just meant to scare us. Near dusk the order to tear down the barricade was received.
22 Nov at 0115 hours shots were heard just outside of Coy Headquarters. A five man patrol was dispatched to investigate.
They discovered an armed man who fired at them. Two warning shots were fired by Capt Blanc, the patrol commander.
The individual then fired at the patrol again. The patrol then returned fire with ten to fifteen rounds but the individual
managed to escape in the dark. Investigation revealed that the man and one other had been firing into a house owned by three
elderly Serbian women who lived in Pakrac.
For more information about who Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry are, visit PPCLI.com
Brian Joseph Johns
Shhhh! Digital Media