WILLKOMMEN ZUM DEUTSCHLAND!

by MWO Matthew Greenland
September 1999

This year for my summer camp I was one of twenty-two lucky Cadets from all across Canada privileged to go to Germany. It was an experience of a lifetime. Not only did I get to go overseas for free, I also got paid to go! I experienced things that I shall remember for the rest of my life. The week by week itinerary I kept will give you a basic feeling for what I and twenty-one other seniors lived.

WEEK 1

We arrived in Ottawa and settled in to our mods at Connaught. It wasn’t much different than Borden, only bigger, less sand, and more French. We hit the ground running and were put through German school, basic training, range exercises, German school, tornado survival X 3, German school and more German school. By the time I was to leave I was quite capable of identifying an apple and whether they spoke English because I didn’t speak Deutsch!

WEEK 2

Touchdown in Germany and 38 hours without any sleep. Delirium took over and when I woke up the next day I realized the skies over Deutschland really weren’t full of lots of pretty colours. Our first real day was spent with lots of R&R and shopping in Donnauvit. We were stationed with the German Reg Force guys and we were going to train and compete for the same medals that they get. The next day training starts and we get a familiarization of the P1, G3 and the MG3. COOL! after this we shoot for our Marksman medals. (I got Bronze, which isn’t bad considering some of the German soldiers didn’t even qualify) This was followed by a 20 km Hike and Orienteering course. Our officer got us lost and we did an extra 10 km but still did it in record time. Not bad, eh? This weekend we were adopted out to a Host family. After entertaining three of us for three days they said good bye to their sixteen year old daughter as she was on her way to Borden on a two week Exchange. We had a great time and made a lot of friends. PS- Simona, my host sister thought I would look good in orange hair again so I felt it would be inhospitable to disappoint her. Don’t let Capt. Butson know! It was only temporary anyway, well mostly temporary. My 2ic doesn’t have much of a sense of humour, either but at least mine was a real colour! You should have seen my friend Powers, his was PINK! A lot of good friends were made that weekend and I hope to keep in touch with them all.

WEEK 3

Back on the bus and on our way to Sonnhoeven, the Hitler Youth School in Bavaria. We went exploring and discovered it consisted of two floors above ground and four underground. It was kind of weird to think of what these bunkers were used for. On our way we stopped off at Neuschwanstein Castle, the one that usually has Tinkerbell flying around it with her pixy dust. If you haven’t figured it out, it’s the one Disney uses. PSS- Didn’t see M.M. The next day had us on mountain bikes for a 40 km trek up into the Alps. The next day we set out bright and early - too bright and early- to climb the Nebelhorn. This is the second largest mountain of the Alps. It took nine and a half hours and the officers kept sending me and my buddy to the back because "we were going to fast". What can I say, I’m just a trend-setter, but I really didn’t mind taking the Tram Car back down. Then back on the bikes and we were doing an 80 km tour of Bavaria. This was followed by a well earned and needed NAP back on the bus and back to our Base in Donnauvit. ZZZZZzzzzz

WEEK 4

Berlin and the good life (2 man officer quarters with full bathroom and shower and hot and cold water!)This week was full of lots of Historical touring of Berlin, and places like Munich and Mannheim etc. fitted in on the weekends. By the end we were overwhelmed by the History but well informed. PSSS - Saw the Berlin Wall - It’s broken! We also toured Dachau. Dachau was the first SS Concentration Camp - a very sobering experience. We also qualified for our Sports Medals this week. I kicked ---!!! PSSSS - Got Gold!

WEEK 5

Back home! - well to Donnauvit at least, and right back on the bus to the Alps again and Ronig. This week was all military! We played with the Shooting Sims, Tank Sims, Leopard Tank Live Fire, Forest Range Shooting, Scuba School - basically ALL the "REALLY BIG COOL TOYS KNOWN TO MAN" 2LT Curzi would just die for! Not that I would rub it in but the stuff had laser sights and everything! We ran through the courses and shot at pop-up targets and drove tanks into trees and crashed things and blew up things and chased things and even played in the water in assault boats - AKA boat wars - and played frogman and got dirty and made more noises like BOOM!!! and ... well you get the picture: HARD CORE!

WEEK 5 1/2

Lots of good byes. Simona was back from Canada so we got to say farewell to her and her family PSSSSS - Her father was the town’s Burgermeister (Mayor). We had a lot of parties and exchanged lots of swag with our new found friends. I came away with some good deals!

WEEK 6

Winging our way home: 16 - 20 hours with lay-overs to pick up the kids from the British Exchanges. Back in Connaught and down-time. Grad practice, Parade, Awards, yadda, yadda, yadda and then ...

HOME! This time HOME HOME!!!

Sleep, sleep and more sleep.

When I think how great this trip was I wonder why more Cadets don’t put in for them. I have seen and done more things than I could have even hoped to do. If you paid for a trip to Germany you still wouldn’t be able to do some of the things I’ve done. It was a great time and will be a part of me forever.

AUF WIEDERSEHEN, MWO Matthew Greenland