March 2019 - Legion Magazine

31Mar 2019

By Sharon AdamsNo Comments

Military Health Matters

Bionic arms

Artificial limbs that perform like the real thing are moving from the realm of science fiction into real life, thanks to pioneering scientists and amputees—and a financial boost from the military “It’s amazing,” says Larry Hayes-Richards as he watches the fingers flex on his bionic arm, a feat he’s achieved by just thinking about it. The 72-year-old veteran from Sherwood Park, Alta., is a Canadian pioneer in the use of myoelectric arm prostheses. He is in the Bionic Limbs for Improved Natural Control (BLINC) Lab at the University of Alberta in Edmonton where prosthetist Mike Stobbe and physician Jacqueline Hebert are refitting the socket of his prosthetic arm. What’s amazing is how far the science has come since his right arm was amputated in 2005. He has moved from a pros...

27Mar 2019

By Stephen J. ThorneNo Comments

Front Lines

The VC heroes of Hill 70

The Canadian Oxford Dictionary defines the verb “brain”—as in to “brain” someone—as “dash out the brains of” or “strike hard on the head.” In a particularly graphic description of his Victoria Cross-earning feats on Hill 70, the London Gazette of Nov. 8, 1917, said Robert Hanna, a company sergeant-major in the 29th Battalion (British Columbia Regiment), bayonetted three Germans “and brained the fourth,” thus capturing a position and silencing a machine gun. All this took place under heavy fire during one of the least-recognized but most challenging Canadian operations of the First World War. The hill named for its elevation above sea level was located outside the French coal-mining town of Lens, just 10 kilometres from the ridge at Vimy where four months before the Canadians had...

27Mar 2019

By Legion MagazineNo Comments

Military Milestones

RCAF welcomes the Argus

The crew called them big birds. The 33 Argus long-range patrol aircraft, designed as submarine hunters, were bigger than the wartime planes they replaced beginning in March 1958. The plane, which had more sensors than any other at the time, was named after the hundred-eyed giant of Greek mythology. The sensors were needed to track the new Soviet submarines. The Argus had four huge engines and two big bomb bays that could handle torpedoes, bombs or depth charges. Missions often lasted 20 hours or more. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Argus crews flew six hours to their mid-Atlantic station, spent eight hours on patrol, then made the return flight. An Argus of 405 Maritime Patrol Squadron made history in October 1959 with a 7,355-kilometre non-stop flight from Hawaii to North Bay, Ont...

26Mar 2019

By Sharon AdamsNo Comments

Defence Today

Unfounded sexual assault cases reopened

As part of ongoing efforts to eradicate inappropriate sexual behaviour, the Canadian Armed Forces has established a team to conduct annual reviews of investigations of sexual assault complaints deemed unfounded by military police. In September, the CAF announced it was reopening nearly two dozen investigations after reviewing 179 cases of sexual assault reported in the 18 months ending in July 2018. That review followed an earlier finding that nearly a quarter of cases reported between 2010 and 2016 were labelled unfounded, compared to 19 per cent of civilian cases. The 2018 Auditor General’s report provided some context. Lack of support, untimely response and witnesses reporting before victims were ready to come forward, contribute to victims’ lack of confidence in the system, leadi...

Pilot project introduces new transition program

25Mar 2019

By Sharon Adams1 Comment

Our Veterans

Pilot project introduces new transition program

The Canadian Armed Forces has begun a program that will help its members make an easier transition to their life after service. The goal of the new Canadian Armed Forces Transition Group is to ensure that members leaving the service and their families receive the full range of support, compensation and benefits available. The transition group will “provide support to all members for the next mission in life,” said Chief of the Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance at a news conference. A pilot project at Canadian Forces Base Borden in Ontario will help develop personalized help along with standardized, professional services. It is estimated that it will take three to five years to develop the permanent program and roll it out across the country. As the permanent program is being devel...

Alan Doyle Narrates Military Moments | Battle of the Atlantic

22Mar 2019

By Legion MagazineNo Comments

News

Alan Doyle Narrates Military Moments | Battle of the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic was Canada’s longest campaign of the Second World War from September 3, 1939 to May 8, 1945. Legion Magazine and Canada’s Ultimate Story present Military Moments | Battle of the Atlantic. Narrated by Canadian musician and artist Alan Doyle of Great Big Sea, the video takes us back hours after Britain declared war on Germany on Sept. 3, 1939, when the German submarine U-30 sank the ocean liner SS Athenia. The Battle of the Atlantic raged for 68 months. Germany’s objective was to starve Britain into submission by cutting shipping supply lines. The Allies responded with escorted oceanic convoys and the Royal Canadian Navy played a critical role, protecting convoys from the Caribbean to the United Kingdom. By 1944, Canada had proven itself as one of the world...

Month: March 2019

Bionic arms

The VC heroes of Hill 70

RCAF welcomes the Argus

Unfounded sexual assault cases reopened

Pilot project introduces new transition program

Alan Doyle Narrates Military Moments | Battle of the Atlantic

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