The lieutenant stood in front of us. He asked the advisor to step forward, shook his hand and thanked him for his participation. The advisor walked off to the left and entered a barrack. The lieutenant told us to stand easy and get out of our gear. When I took off my webbing, I noticed the lines where the shoulder straps had been were dark from sweat while the rest of the uniform was crusted in dust and sand. He told us to go inside and get cleaned up and be back for a debrief in thirty minutes.
I grabbed my loose webbing in one hand and my rifle in the other and walked to our barracks. Suddenly, I felt like I had just finished a gruelling workout. The adrenaline of the helicopter flights and the mission drained away, and I felt a deep fatigue envelop me. I walked faster to stay upright.
Once inside the cool, clean barracks, I dropped my gear and weapon on my bunk and took off my shirt. I grabbed a towel and face cloth and bar of soap and went to the sinks in between barracks. With no time for a shower, I washed off my upper body with cool water and dried myself. I poured handfuls of water on my hair and head and dried it too. I returned to my bunk and stowed my toiletries away and put on a fresh combat shirt.
Feeling somewhat refreshed I went out to start the debrief and the more mundane tasks that come after training. But I was confident that no matter what the officer might say in his assessment, we had done well with a new training experience.
I had a paralyzing fear of heights. Just getting on the chopper was an accomplishment. I had overcome my paranoia to complete our mission. It was not something I wanted to do again, but I was proud for having done it.
Use after Unification
The unification of the Canadian Forces on February 1, 1968, saw Camp Ipperwash remain with its current name, unlike many other CF facilities which were renamed Canadian Forces Base (CFB) or Canadian Forces Station (CFS). In 1972, Jean Chrétien, the then Minister of Indian Affairs, stated the land claim for the expropriation was valid, however DND still did not relinquish control.
Through the 1970s to 1993, Ipperwash saw use as a firing range training facility for the CFB London-based 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment (1 RCR), Primary Reserve units, local and provincial police and the Canadian Cadet Movement. Because of the occupation of portions of the camp during the summer of 1993, the cadet summer training centre eventually moved from Camp Ipperwash to CFB Borden in 1994 renamed Blackdown Cadet Summer Training Centre.
