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FROM YOUR EDITOR
Lieutenant-Colonel GT Lusk, CD
“20-20 – Not Clear Vision”
This past year has been extraordinary in many ways. We started with the feeling that, in line with the year 2020, it would be a clear 20-20 vision of our future progress as a competent and progressive regiment in Canada’s reserve army. Well, whatever our intentions were, they came to a major roadblock called COVID-19, a global pandemic.
As you will read in various articles in this issue of Canada’s Red Hackle, our Regiment rose
to the occasion and took on the new roles imposed upon us with our usual dedicated approach to service. One cannot be anything but teary-eyed when reading about the way the seniors in the long- term care homes welcomed and appreciated our soldiers being there as helpers and friends when, in many cases, there was no one else able or willing to do so. All reports say we served with pride, integrity & bravery. By the time our soldiers left, the feeling was that the homes had come alive again. It goes to show that the hierarchy of a military system is ideal when it comes to “sorting out” in a crisis where the civilian system does not function as efficiently. The use of our army should not be seen as utilizing this resource as a last resort but as a primary one in times of need, such as the ice storm of 1998 and the devastating flooding in 2017. The ultimate distribution and application of vaccines to our citizenship will be best served as a military operation and we can be thankful our country’s leaders see it that way. It tends to instill confidence that the task will be handled very efficiently and professionally.
It has been brought to our attention that there was an oversight in our last issue in the article 30 June 1970. Within this story there were sketches that should have been attributed to artist Wally Malkauskas. Please accept our apologies for not crediting him with his fine work in portraying our 2 RHC in Cyprus. Wally was born in Lithuania before WW2 and made his way westward ahead of the Russians and eventually arrived in Canada. He joined the Black Watch and 2 RHC in 1960 and served in West Germany and two tours in Cyprus. He is a talented artist and painted the murals which once adorned the Junior Ranks Mess in CFB Gagetown’s St. Andrew’s Barracks. He titled one of his latest works “Hey Johnnie Cope”. He has also portrayed 2 RHC’s work in Germany and Canada. Please accept our apologies for not crediting him with his fine work in portraying our Regiment. We thank Roderick Macintosh for informing us.
The success of Canada’s Red Hackle depends largely on the ability to chronicle a variety of information, from Association Branch and Cadet Corps activity to the active soldiering that takes place in our Unit, and finally to the special interest articles we have been fortunate to have from so many talented writers. Our challenge will always be to maintain this high level of publishing. To accomplish this, we have always asked that our contributing organizations profile a distinguished individual in their areas. We also are interested in attracting new contributors to this journal; there are many stories to be told and we would like to publish them.
Public awareness of our Regiment is essential both in terms of recruiting and visibility to the Canadian public. Improving both is crucial to the ongoing success of our Regiment, in our local community and in the wider political and military circles. We must all do what we can to assist the Regiment in attracting new soldiers and maintain our traditions. This spirit of the Black Watch, which is so prevalent in the officers and soldiers of the Regiment, whether training or during their civilian activities, must be rekindled from time to time for most of us who are separated from the daily goings-on of the Regiment. Thank you and please continue to contribute to our success.
Remembrance Day Every Day! NEMO ME INPUNE LACESSIT
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