Main photo: Lt. Alex Gagnier (l), of Aurora, Ontario, and Capt. Dan Maguire, originally from Halifax, NS, supervise the departure of members of 1 Combat Engineer Regiment on Friday morning. They travelled from Edmonton the day before, stayed overnight in the Sportsplex, and then left for Chilliwack. They will take part in a civil defense exercicse in the Lower Mainland before returning to Edmonton in a few weeks. According to the regiment’s website, 1 Combat Engineer Regiment is a Regular Force regiment of the Canadian Military Engineers. It is located at CFB Edmonton, and is assigned to 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. Combat Engineers ensure that troops can live, move, and fight on the battlefield. They also perform construction and maintenance tasks, operate vehicles and equipment in support of engineer operations, and maintain field installations and facilities.
Left: A truck drives out of the roundabout on its way to the Sportsplex. The vehicles travelled in small groups to avoid creating congestion.
Below: A bowser is parked in front of the Sportsplex in readiness to refuel trucks carrying elements of 1 Combat Engineer Regiment from Edmonton to Chilliwack. As one former combat engineer described their job, “We were the people who got sent in before the infantry to clear mines and other obstacles.”
