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DELINE/FORT FRANKLIN
For the first time, a team of Deline residents donned the distinctive red caps and hooded sweatshirts of the Canadian Rangers late last month.

Ranger Bruce Kenny prepares to load a round in the chamber of a Lee Enfield .303 rifle as Leroy Andre and Miranda Baton fire at targets during basic Ranger training in Deline. The military issue bolt action, magazine-fed rifle holds up to 30 rounds and weighs four kg. - photo courtesy of Capt. Steve Watton, 1 Canadian Ranger Patrol Group

Maj. Jeff Allen of the 1st Canadian Ranger Patrol Group presented the 19 newly trained recruits with their caps during a graduation parade ceremony in the community hall on Sept. 30. An audience of about 200 family, friends, students, and community leaders, including Sahtu MLA Norman Yakeleya, applauded and cheered.

"The community congratulated us," said new Ranger Sgt. Aaron Mackeinzo. "It felt good after a long seven days of training."

Mackeinzo, who was elected sergeant by his peers following the week-long basic training, also earned the marksmanship award.

"Aaron was a really good student with good skills in the field," said Capt. Steve Watton.

"He showed good confidence. The other Rangers saw in him a good candidate to become the first Ranger sergeant in Deline."

Using the military issue Lee Enfield .303 rifle, Mackeinzo consistently landed his shots near the centre of the two-foot by two-foot target. The recruits also fired the C7 automatic rifle used by Canadian Forces.

Outside of the Rangers, Mackeinzo works as a third-year apprentice heavy duty mechanic.

The Rangers also elected Leroy Andre, a renewable resources officer with the GNWT, as Master Corporal, and heavy equipment operator Gary Taniton and RCMP officer Kirk Hughes as corporals.

The recruits experienced a week of classroom theory and hands-on training on the land around Deline. They learned survival skills, search and rescue techniques, emergency first aid, two-way radio communication, mapping, as well as how to read a compass and Global Positioning System.

Ranger Verna Firth earned the top candidate award.

"Verna was amazing," said Warrant Officer Karl Fugere, one of two Canadian Forces instructors who led the training. "She was judged to be the best overall Ranger on the course. She is really, really clever. She listened, she learned, and she applied what she learned. There was a logic to everything she did. I have to say the candidates from Deline were really serious and professional. They were a great reflection of the rest of the community."

The Rangers in Deline are the 59th Ranger Patrol across Canada's three territories and the 22nd Ranger Patrol in the NWT. The team will be responsible for patrolling portions of a 300-km radius around Deline each year.

"We will send in a Ranger instructor who will come in and do additional training with them before the end of this year or early next year," Capt. Watton said. "They will become familiar with all their area. They're looking for anything unusual or strange that they can report back with.

"They are the Canadian Forces' eyes and ears in the North. The Rangers are Canadian Forces representatives of the North and guardians of the North and they provide support to the Canadian Forces troops when they conduct training and operations up here."

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