I'm Master Corporal Alexandra Brisson from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
I'm a crew member with the Royal Canadian Dragoons
posted at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa.
Armoured has two facets to it.
There's the tanks -
the tank's job is to roll through, they have the heavy firepower
and they can pretty much roll right over anything.
And then you have the reconnaissance - they need to be able to manoeuvre the battlefield,
get as much information and define the enemy and push that information to higher.
That way, the infantry, the artillery, the engineers -
all the rest of the brigade that will be behind us -
knows where the safe lands are and how much of the enemy threat is there.
After the recce crew does its job collecting and passing on vital information
on the enemy and terrain, the tanks get called in -
providing troops with protection and firepower to advance in the field and defeat the enemy.
Driving a 70-tonne tank is not your everyday job.
Getting the job done means working within a team that acts like a single organism -
moving, firing, and communicating all at the same time.
You gotta have a good work ethic, you need to have a good communication skill
because if you can't talk and communicate with your commander or your driver,
you're not going to accomplish anything.
Equipped with night vision capabilities,
Canada's armoured vehicles are ready to move at all times, day or night.
Leopard tanks can take out targets up to four kilometres away,
while the LAV 6 and the TAPV are loaded with guns and surveillance equipment
that will find the enemy without being seen.
It's kind of like playing a big game of hide-and-go-seek -
you don't want to be found, and you want to be able to hide this big armoured vehicle,
but yet you have the firepower to defend yourself.
My favourite part of my job would have to be going to the live ranges...
[Gun blasts]
[Gun blasts continue]
That, right there! That is it.
That is the favourite part!
Being on a live range, and being able to call out the targets,
having your gunner do his piece, engage the targets, and knowing the satisfaction
that all is said and done in a good fashion, in a timely manner,
it's just a good time all around.
Once fully trained, Armoured Soldiers are assigned
to one of three historic armoured regiments in the Regular Force:
the Lord Strathcona's Horse (Royal Canadians) in Edmonton,
the 12e Régiment blindé du Canada in Valcartier, Québec;
or the Royal Canadian Dragoons, based in Petawawa, Ontario.
There are also 18 Reserve armoured regiments across Canada.
In their first posting, soldiers will master the skills of an armoured vehicle driver.
They are mentored by more experienced drivers on how to handle and maintain armoured vehicles.
Soldiers start out as drivers, learning the machines inside and out,
then move on to become surveillance operators and gunners,
who bring firepower and target acquisition to the battlespace.
When I was a brand-new trooper at the Regiment, we went to a live-fire range and I was a driver.
And you literally have the smoke from the gun coming into your driver's hatch,
you're driving down range, they're traversing, you're listening to their gun drills -
it's an awesome time.
Armoured soldiers are masters at multitasking and working closely within a crew.
They have the opportunity to advance their careers and be in charge
of multiple vehicles and troops, receive and issue orders, and bring the fight to the enemy.
Armoured Soldiers regularly deploy across Canada and overseas on military operations.
Last year, I was deployed to the Ukraine for 3 months.
It was a great experience, I got to meet a lot of people and work with some of the Americans
and meet a whole bunch of Ukrainians and see the beautiful city of Lviv
on some of our downtime that we had, as well as experience what's going on over there.
At home, they may be called upon to help during natural disasters like fire or flood relief.
It definitely is a tough job at times.
It's a gut-check - you have to stay awake for long hours, you're physically pushing yourself -
but in the end, once you've completed it all, it's some of the best times of your life.