Yk Mountie awarded by military
RCMP staff sergeant helped co-ordinate Tsiigehtchic exercise in 2012
Daniel Campbell
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, May 7, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
For a police officer, Staff Sgt. Major Al McCambridge certainly has spent quite a bit of time working with the military.
Staff Sgt. Major Al McCambridge, centre, receives his commendation from the military on Friday, flanked by Ron Smith, left, commander of RCMP in the NWT, and Lieutenant-General Stuart Beare. - photo courtesy of RCMP |
On Friday, McCambridge was awarded a Chief of Defence Staff commendation by the military for helping co-ordinate a military exercise held in Tsiigehtchic in August 2012.
Major Conrad Schubert, with Joint Task Force (North), said the award is significant, because it denotes recognition from the military's top general.
Normally awarded to Canadian Armed Forces members, the commendation is bestowed upon those who go "above and beyond the normal demand of duty," according to the Department of National Defence's Directorate of Honours and Recognition.
McCambridge deployed to Tsiigehtchic for three weeks in August 2012, living in a camp set up by the military and working closely with not only the military, but representatives from the territorial and federal governments.
It wasn't the first time McCambridge had been in a military camp, either.
In 2006, McCambridge deployed to Kandahar City, Afghanistan, for a year. He worked with the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) based out of Camp Nathan Smith, in the heart of the city. The PRT was designed as a whole-of-government team, utilizing military, RCMP and federal government resources to assist in reconstruction efforts during the Afghan war. RCMP were deployed as part of the team to mentor and train Afghan National Police, among other duties.
"I've seen it overseas, where you get thrown into a Team Canada concept, where there's lots of other agencies having to work together in austere conditions," said McCambridge.
Having served with the RCMP for 33 years - including many years around the Northwest Territories and Yellowknife - McCambridge said his time with the military made it easy to transition into the job in Tsiigehtchic.
"It was extremely rewarding to see individuals come from JTF(N) (Joint Task Force North) and southern Canada - the level of professionalism just reinforced what I'd seen in Afghanistan," he said.
The exercise, dubbed Operation Nanook by the military, included 46 RCMP officers from all three territories and was designed to test the government's ability to respond to incidents in remote communities.
McCambridge said although he's been exposed to harsh conditions before, the exercise served as a wake-up call for what the Mounties might experience when called out to remote areas.
"It's familiar ground, but it was challenging to all elements," said McCambridge.
"My members hadn't been exposed to military culture and some of the austere conditions they were living in."
Under McCambridge's command, the Mounties endured. Acting as a link between the various government departments, McCambridge was "essential to operational success and helped forge strong bonds between the RCMP and the Canadian Armed Forces," an RCMP press release stated.
McCambridge said he was surprised to learn he'd been nominated for the commendation, adding he was part of a team of hundreds who were involved.
"It was an extremely humbling to receive it and I am extremely honoured," he said.
