- I'm Corporal Matt Bergeron from Ottawa, Ontario,
a Weapons Technician posted to 2 Service Battalion at CFB Petawawa.
(narrator): Maintaining today's advanced weapons systems
is a job that requires intensive training,
total concentration, and zero tolerance for mistakes.
From handguns to howitzers, Weapons Techs ensure that Canadian soldiers
can rely on weapons that work, every time.
(Bergeron): The role of a Weapons Technician in the Canadian Armed Forces
is to maintain the combat effectiveness of all the units in which they support,
whether it be small arms, pistols, rifles,
machine guns all the way up to your armaments or howitzers,
tanks, light armoured vehicles.
There's a huge range of equipment that we're responsible for
and you can never get bored.
(narrator): Whether it's in garrison working in a shop,
or providing support on ranges or during combat operations,
Weapons Technicians are essential to the effectiveness of the combat arms.
(Bergeron): Once I deployed, I immediately realized that there's a much greater goal
than just what I was accomplishing, but how important my part in that goal was.
I got to sit down with the operators and build a rapport with them
and become a part of their team
and immediately see my impact on their day-to-day activities
with the work that I did.
In order to be a good Weapons Technician, you need to have the ability
to picture machinery in your head.
You need to be able to picture how a weapon works,
because once it breaks down, you don't always have the books,
you don't always have the manuals, especially out on ranges or on the frontlines.
You need to be able to picture in your head what's not working and why
and how the parts interact with each other
in order to effectively repair them as fast as possible.
The coolest part about being a Weapons Technician
is attending all the different ranges
and being able to see my direct contribution to my unit's readiness.
You get to see all these different weapons platforms be put to use
and be operated by the best of the best.
When the user comes to me with a broken weapon and I'm able to repair it immediately on the spot,
the gratitude you get from them is like none other.
You will not get a job satisfaction like this anywhere else.
(narrator): Once they complete their training,
Weapons Technicians are posted to one of the many Canadian Armed Forces bases
across the country where they'll be assigned to a combat arms unit or a service battalion.
There are also opportunities for Weapons Techs in the Primary Reserve,
serving part-time in their local community
while going to school or working at a civilian job.
Weapons Technicians are a critical part of the Corps of Royal Canadian
Electrical and Mechanical Engineers,
and they work closely with Electronic-Optronic Technicians,
Materials Technicians and Vehicle Technicians
to keep the Army's equipment in top shape.
- The most challenging part about being a Weapons Technician
is that you're figuring out these puzzles and you're under immense pressure the entire time.
But it's also the most rewarding once you get to return
that equipment to the users.
(narrator): Arte et Marte - "By Skill and by Fighting" -
is the motto of the RCEME Corps.
Weapons Technicians are soldiers first and foremost,
and they receive the same basic combat training as all other Army soldiers.
They need to be as mobile as the units they are supporting
and often work out of a mobile repair shop
or a temporary repair facility
when they are out on exercise or on missions overseas.
- Being in the Canadian Armed Forces is unlike any job I've ever had before.
It's more than just a 9 to 5. It's a lifestyle.
You could be working in an office one day
and then across the world the next.
Things change and you get to meet all sorts of different people.
And they're the best of the best every time.