County residents should expect to hear a little warfare this weekend as troops at the Edmonton Garrison sharpen their skills.
About 20 to 40 troops from the Edmonton Garrison will storm a field south of 195th Avenue this Friday, Saturday and Sunday as part of a training exercise.
And it could get noisy: anyone who lives south of the garrison should expect to hear gunfire and explosions anytime between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. during the exercise.
These troops are in their last weeks of basic training, said garrison spokesperson Capt. Derrick Forsythe. They’ll spend this and the next two weekends in the field practicing all the basic skills of soldiering: navigation, survival, surveillance and combat.
In addition to shooting blanks from guns, Forsythe said, the troops will also be chucking mock grenades known as thunder-flashes — dynamite-like cardboard tubes that go ‘bang’ when they detonate.
Residents are more likely to hear the artillery simulators, Forsythe said.
“That has about a quarter of a stick of dynamite in it,” and resembles a big white can of tomatoes, he said. “You throw it, it lands on the ground, it makes a whistling sound and you have a pretty loud bang.”
Trainers will lob these in the general vicinity of the troops to train them to react to ambushes.
This exercise won’t involve any tanks or helicopters, Forsythe said, but will feature some trucks. “We’re not intending to start any fires,” he added, but they may set off some smoke grenades.
The exercises will take place on April 20 to 22, 27 to 29 and May 4 to 6. Any questions on the exercise should go to Forsythe at 780-973-4011 ext. 4149.
