It wasn’t your average Sunday morning for the Princess of Wales regiment in Kingston. They took on the ‘basic military qualification’, a course designed to turn civilians, like Phong Nguyen-Ho, into soldiers.
“This is basically an introduction to all the skills that a soldier in the army would need to know,” he says.
To qualify for the reserve program you need to pass a medical and physical assessment. But if you do, you will be paid for participating in it. And it’s designed to accommodate recruits from a wide variety of backgrounds and age groups.
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“I almost didn’t join because I thought I was too old, but I’m really glad I did,” says 43 year old Solange Courteau. She has a full- job and a family, but says the program offers flexibility.
“It’s sort of like having a sports team or something. You go on Thursday evenings after work and then one weekend a month.”
According to training operations warrant officer, Payam Ahmad, diverse backgrounds are not just accepted but welcomed.
“A lot of people come from a lot of different backgrounds in the reserves and that’s a strength because they bring their professional skills and their experiences here.”
The program has attracted bank tellers, managers, and Nguyen-Ho, a full time cardiologist looking to fulfil a lifelong goal.
“I’ve always been interested in military throughout my whole life and now I have the opportunity to this and be a role model for my children.”
It runs for twenty three days, spread out from the end of October to the end of March. And when successfully completed, the new soldiers are officially a part of Canada’s military.