WEBVTT

00:00:04.963 --> 00:00:07.883 line:-1
- I'm Corporal Matt Bergeron from Ottawa, Ontario,

00:00:07.925 --> 00:00:11.803 line:0
a Weapons Technician posted
to 2 Service Battalion at CFB Petawawa.

00:00:21.605 --> 00:00:23.565 line:-2
(narrator): Maintaining today's
advanced weapons systems

00:00:23.607 --> 00:00:26.151 line:-1
is a job that requires intensive training,

00:00:26.193 --> 00:00:29.780 line:-2
total concentration,
and zero tolerance for mistakes.

00:00:29.821 --> 00:00:33.659 line:-2
From handguns to howitzers,
Weapons Techs ensure that Canadian soldiers

00:00:33.700 --> 00:00:36.119 line:-1
can rely on weapons that work, every time.

00:00:36.954 --> 00:00:39.706 line:-2
(Bergeron): The role of a Weapons Technician
in the Canadian Armed Forces

00:00:39.748 --> 00:00:43.710 line:-2
is to maintain the combat effectiveness
of all the units in which they support,

00:00:43.752 --> 00:00:47.130 line:-1
whether it be small arms, pistols, rifles,

00:00:47.172 --> 00:00:50.717 line:-2
machine guns all the way up to your armaments
or howitzers,

00:00:50.759 --> 00:00:52.719 line:-1
tanks, light armoured vehicles.

00:00:52.761 --> 00:00:55.472 line:-2
There's a huge range of equipment
that we're responsible for

00:00:55.514 --> 00:00:57.307 line:-1
and you can never get bored.

00:00:57.850 --> 00:01:00.352 line:-2
(narrator): Whether it's in garrison
working in a shop,

00:01:00.394 --> 00:01:03.897 line:-2
or providing support on ranges
or during combat operations,

00:01:03.939 --> 00:01:08.694 line:-2
Weapons Technicians are essential
to the effectiveness of the combat arms.

00:01:08.735 --> 00:01:12.406 line:-2
(Bergeron): Once I deployed, I immediately
realized that there's a much greater goal

00:01:12.447 --> 00:01:15.826 line:-2
than just what I was accomplishing,
but how important my part in that goal was.

00:01:15.868 --> 00:01:18.871 line:-2
I got to sit down with the operators
and build a rapport with them

00:01:18.912 --> 00:01:20.289 line:-1
and become a part of their team

00:01:20.330 --> 00:01:22.875 line:-2
and immediately see my impact
on their day-to-day activities

00:01:22.916 --> 00:01:24.251 line:-1
with the work that I did.

00:01:26.461 --> 00:01:28.714 line:-2
In order to be a good Weapons Technician,
you need to have the ability

00:01:28.755 --> 00:01:31.175 line:-1
to picture machinery in your head.

00:01:31.216 --> 00:01:33.927 line:-2
You need to be able to picture
how a weapon works,

00:01:33.969 --> 00:01:36.013 line:-2
because once it breaks down,
you don't always have the books,

00:01:36.054 --> 00:01:39.683 line:-2
you don't always have the manuals,
especially out on ranges or on the frontlines.

00:01:39.725 --> 00:01:43.604 line:-2
You need to be able to picture in your head
what's not working and why

00:01:43.645 --> 00:01:45.314 line:-1
and how the parts interact with each other

00:01:45.355 --> 00:01:48.400 line:-2
in order to effectively repair them
as fast as possible.

00:01:55.240 --> 00:01:57.117 line:-2
The coolest part about being
a Weapons Technician

00:01:57.159 --> 00:01:58.827 line:-1
is attending all the different ranges

00:01:58.869 --> 00:02:02.664 line:-2
and being able to see my direct contribution
to my unit's readiness.

00:02:02.706 --> 00:02:07.002 line:-2
You get to see all these different
weapons platforms be put to use

00:02:07.044 --> 00:02:09.254 line:-1
and be operated by the best of the best.

00:02:11.048 --> 00:02:15.177 line:-2
When the user comes to me with a broken weapon
and I'm able to repair it immediately on the spot,

00:02:15.219 --> 00:02:17.513 line:-2
the gratitude you get from them
is like none other.

00:02:17.554 --> 00:02:20.933 line:-2
You will not get a job satisfaction
like this anywhere else.

00:02:30.025 --> 00:02:31.610 line:-1
(narrator): Once they complete their training,

00:02:31.652 --> 00:02:35.322 line:-2
Weapons Technicians are posted
to one of the many Canadian Armed Forces bases

00:02:35.364 --> 00:02:40.369 line:-2
across the country where they'll be assigned
to a combat arms unit or a service battalion.

00:02:40.410 --> 00:02:44.248 line:-2
There are also opportunities for Weapons Techs
in the Primary Reserve,

00:02:44.289 --> 00:02:46.208 line:-1
serving part-time in their local community

00:02:46.250 --> 00:02:49.127 line:-2
while going to school
or working at a civilian job.

00:02:49.169 --> 00:02:52.840 line:-2
Weapons Technicians are a critical part
of the Corps of Royal Canadian

00:02:52.881 --> 00:02:54.800 line:-1
Electrical and Mechanical Engineers,

00:02:54.842 --> 00:02:58.178 line:-2
and they work closely
with Electronic-Optronic Technicians,

00:02:58.220 --> 00:03:01.056 line:-1
Materials Technicians and Vehicle Technicians

00:03:01.098 --> 00:03:03.767 line:-1
to keep the Army's equipment in top shape.

00:03:03.809 --> 00:03:06.186 line:-2
- The most challenging part
about being a Weapons Technician

00:03:06.228 --> 00:03:10.524 line:-2
is that you're figuring out these puzzles
and you're under immense pressure the entire time.

00:03:10.566 --> 00:03:13.151 line:-2
But it's also the most rewarding
once you get to return

00:03:13.193 --> 00:03:14.570 line:-1
that equipment to the users.

00:03:14.611 --> 00:03:17.322 line:-2
(narrator): Arte et Marte
- "By Skill and by Fighting" -

00:03:17.364 --> 00:03:19.241 line:-1
is the motto of the RCEME Corps.

00:03:19.283 --> 00:03:22.286 line:-2
Weapons Technicians are soldiers
first and foremost,

00:03:22.327 --> 00:03:26.498 line:-2
and they receive the same
basic combat training as all other Army soldiers.

00:03:26.540 --> 00:03:29.585 line:-2
They need to be as mobile as the units
they are supporting

00:03:29.626 --> 00:03:31.753 line:-1
and often work out of a mobile repair shop

00:03:31.795 --> 00:03:33.630 line:-1
or a temporary repair facility

00:03:33.672 --> 00:03:36.258 line:-2
when they are out on exercise
or on missions overseas.

00:03:45.225 --> 00:03:49.313 line:-2
- Being in the Canadian Armed Forces
is unlike any job I've ever had before.

00:03:49.354 --> 00:03:52.399 line:-2
It's more than just a 9 to 5.
It's a lifestyle.

00:03:52.441 --> 00:03:54.776 line:-1
You could be working in an office one day

00:03:54.818 --> 00:03:56.528 line:-1
and then across the world the next.

00:03:56.570 --> 00:03:59.698 line:-2
Things change and you get to meet
all sorts of different people.

00:03:59.740 --> 00:04:01.825 line:-1
And they're the best of the best every time.