I'm Master Bombardier Kevin Brett from Windsor, Ontario.
I'm a Gunner currently posted at the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery School
in Gagetown, New Brunswick.
In the Canadian Army, the big guns are the responsibility of small teams of tightly focused,
expertly trained men and women.
Gunners are at the forefront of the battlespace in all Canadian Army missions.
They operate high-tech weapons that can detect the enemy,
and then engage them with stunning firepower from up to 40 kilometres away.
The role of the artillery - we provide indirect fire support and we put fire down on the enemy
to help our troops out front and make sure that we can keep moving forward.
Leveraging the shock and awe of the M-777 Howitzer,
Gunners provide the Canadian Army with a true ability to reach out and touch the enemy,
even when they're still beyond the horizon.
Whenever anyone needs a bullet on time, on target, they know when they call us,
they know that it's up in the air and they know that it's coming down right where they need it.
"Close enough" is not the name of the game - precision is the name of the game.
Gunners are part of the Combat Arms team, working with the Armoured Corps,
Infantry and Combat Engineers to accomplish the mission at hand.
Gunners have a wide range of skills on the battlefield.
They are technical and tactical experts, able to use a wide variety of world-class tools
to detect their enemies, and then strike them with devastating firepower
that can shake you to the core - day or night, regardless of the weather.
The best part about being a Gunner is getting a round up the spout of that Howitzer,
feeling that big "woomph" and knowing that that bomb is in the air, going down,
supporting the troops in front of you.
They serve in positions like forward observers, who call for fire,
in Surveillance and Target Acquisition, Air Defence, and on the gunline.
Beyond working on the gunline, Gunners leverage multiple systems, such as unmanned aircraft,
radars, sound ranging sensors
and other modern equipment in the course of their work.
The most fun I've ever had as a Gunner is being on your gun detachment
and you're with your ladies and gents and you're out there,
and you're grinding through the seasons, you're grinding through the weather,
you're grinding through the guns and long-fire missions,
and making sure that those bolts get up and you see that cohesion come together -
and after you haven't had sleep for 2 or 3 days, and you're still getting the job done,
and everyone's looking at each other in the rain, laughing and smiling,
and that's when you know that you have connected
and you know that you can get any job done that they're going to throw your way.
Once trade-qualified, Gunners are posted to one of the five
Artillery Regiments stationed across Canada.
Part-time reservists in this role will return to their home units.
In garrison, Gunners keep their equipment in top shape
and continually train to perfect their skills.
So when you become a gun det member, you're going to be assigned a position and action,
which is a number on a gun, and each position and action has a different job
and a different role, and you need to know it.
And not only do you need to know your job position and action,
but you need to know the next job position and action,
because you're not always going to be in the same spot.
You've got to know how to move, you've got to know how to communicate,
and you've got to know how to handle stressful situations and taking direction.
They regularly deploy across Canada and overseas as part of military operations.
Being in the Canadian Armed Forces allows you to step out of that comfort zone that you have,
and experience different things that are going to completely make you come out of your shell
and change you as a person. It's definitely a good thing.
The artillery are the kings of battle, and they're not going to be matched by anybody else.
And that's straight out of a textbook.
There's no other gunners on this planet like Canadian Forces gunners.
No other country measures up to us - our drive, our problem-solving
and the way we handle our business is second to none.