Ten years after it was revived in Prince George, the Rocky Mountain Rangers light infantry army reserve is still going strong - and so are Rob Pears and Eamon McArthur.
The two were among the nearly 40 recruits who made up the RMR's B Company when it was resurrected in 2011 after a more-than 40-year hiatus in the city.
Both had previous stints in the military, and jumped at the opportunity to get back into a vocation for which they still had a passion while still holding down civilian day jobs. Pears is a firefighter and McArthur a conservation officer.
"We started doing drill in the back of the ICBC building, in their parking lot in the back there," Pears remarked.
Within a year, the unit had been given the all-clear to move into the old Meadow elementary school on Dornbrier Crescent. To use a military term, the building was then "kitted out" to meet the unit's needs - from bunk rooms to offices to a laser-based indoor shooting range.
But it's what members of the Rangers have been able to do outside the compound that have kept Pears and McArthur coming back.
"I like doing army stuff. I like sneaking around in the bush, I like pushing myself, I like the challenge," Pears said. "When we go out in the bush, it's not just camping."
It's not just about crawling around in the mud. McArthur pointed to the camaraderie as part of the appeal.
"We're a team on and off the battle field," he said.
Being a member can open doors to experiences many probably otherwise would never have had, like going to France in 2019 to commemorate a First World War battle in which Canadian soldiers played a dominant role.
The Rangers, whose A company is based in Kamloops, has seen members serve in Kuwait, Latvia, Iraq and Ukraine in the last year alone largely to help with training of troops in those countries.
Closer to home, they have also become a routine presence for communities in need of help to deal with wildfires and floods.
Being a member can also be a great resume builder, particularly when it comes to developing leadership skills, and all on a paid-to-train basis with new recruits starting at $100 per day.
B Company in Prince George is currently at 60 members and would like to see it rise to 100.
The commitment starts with a boot camp and further training on a part-time basis spread over a year. From January to May, training occurs over two to three weekends a month while the infantry course is full-time during the summer.
After that, the commitment is a weekend once a month and training every Wednesday evening for three hours.
Not everyone makes it through the training but, by the same token, recruits are not set up to fail.
"It's challenging but it's designed to be achievable," said Captain Adam Davey.
Anyone interested in becoming a Rocky Mountain Ranger is welcome to email Sgt. Kevin Gaiesky at [email protected].
