Stimpson takes command of 1RCHA
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/06/2018 (2850 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
CFB SHILO — The 1st Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery has a new man at the helm.
Lt.-Col. Ryan Stimpson assumed command of 1RCHA on Friday after a change of command ceremony was held at CFB Shilo.
Stimpson takes over for Lt.-Col. Stephen Haire, who has served as commanding officer since June 2016.
“In a way, it’s kind of like coming back home again,” said Stimpson, who was first stationed at CFB Shilo in 2004 and is now in his third posting at the base.
Although not much has changed since Stimpson was last in Shilo, the Regina native said he was extremely excited to be back as he gets ready for what he expects will be a busy year creating a “high readiness artillery regiment.”
“I’ve got a good crew of people here and exceptional soldiers, so I don’t envision any issues of getting ourselves up to that standard.”
Stimpson joined the Canadian Forces in 2001 as a direct entry officer. After completing his training in 2003, he was posted to 1RCHA and has served in a number of roles, including gun position officer, forward observation officer, operations officer and battery commander.
He has served with the 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group headquarters and the 5th Canadian Division headquarters, and has been deployed to Afghanistan three times.
Stimpson is a graduate of the joint Command and Staff Program and holds a master’s degree in defence studies from the Royal Military College of Canada.
He received the Chief of the Defence Staff Commendation in 2010 and again in 2014 for his tours in Afghanistan.
Stimpson has been married to his wife Carmen for four years. They have a three-year-old child named Simone.
The change of command ceremony included an inspection by Brig.-Gen. W.H. Fletcher, commander of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.
Speaking to those in attendance, Fletcher described outgoing commanding officer Haire’s compassion for his soldiers as “nothing short of inspiring.”
Haire, who will depart for Ottawa where he will serve in the administration branch of the Canadian Army, described the change of command as an emotional day for him and said it was an absolute honour to have been the commanding officer of 1RCHA.
“I will certainly miss this,” he said. “This is the best job that an artillery officer can ever have in his entire career. It’s the job where you get to interact with soldiers on a daily basis, you get to lead them in the field, you get to watch the guns fire, and everything that is encompassed with doing field training with our infantry and armoured brothers that make up the 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group.”
He said it will be a significant change for him and both he and his family will miss Shilo.
“It’s a great sense of community here, great service clubs, and the Brandon area, they all salute our military very much and we’re very, very happy to be a part of the Shilo community.”
» mlee@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @mtaylorlee