Whilst working as a section commander on a QL3 Inf course in Vernon in 1992, we had just deployed to the Winfield training area. The NCO's had gone out in advance of the troops with the Pl Comd. The training area is at the North end of the Kelowna Airport and is also used by the local population extensively.
Upon reaching the training area and unloading our rucks and webbing for the week, one of the NCO's asked who in the Pl was responsible for the Carl G and why had it been loaded on to our vehicle as opposed to carried by the weapons det. No one could answer him....it later dawned on us that the Carl G had been left in the embuss/debuss point from the Friday before, when we packed up and left in the dark! All weekend, civvies had been walking their dogs through the area and no one had made off with the 84.
That same summer when doing a serialized kit check (go figure) we came out with one 77 set over and above what we had been issued. A check on the serial # indicated that it had been reported lost the previous Summer by the Comms Reserve. When we had cleared out of one of our positions, one of the troops had picked it up as it was leaning against a tree and loaded on to the ML. It was no worse for wear other than a moldy cotton duck bag.
Upon reaching the training area and unloading our rucks and webbing for the week, one of the NCO's asked who in the Pl was responsible for the Carl G and why had it been loaded on to our vehicle as opposed to carried by the weapons det. No one could answer him....it later dawned on us that the Carl G had been left in the embuss/debuss point from the Friday before, when we packed up and left in the dark! All weekend, civvies had been walking their dogs through the area and no one had made off with the 84.
That same summer when doing a serialized kit check (go figure) we came out with one 77 set over and above what we had been issued. A check on the serial # indicated that it had been reported lost the previous Summer by the Comms Reserve. When we had cleared out of one of our positions, one of the troops had picked it up as it was leaning against a tree and loaded on to the ML. It was no worse for wear other than a moldy cotton duck bag.