RapidFireWeb

Artillery preserved in the USA: Vermont: Middlebury, Montpelier, Morrisville, Orwell, Mount Independence, St. Albans, St. Johnsbury, Stowe, West Rutland, Woodstock

Artillery in Vermont Middlebury, Montpelier, Morrisville, Orwell, Mount Independence, St. Albans, St. Johnsbury, Stowe, West Rutland, Woodstock Middlebury (Santee1821 Photos) A10-Inch Rodman, Pattern 1861, Reg. No. 128, weight 15,140 lbs, mounted on a large stone pedestal in Middlebury, Vermont.  It was manufactured for the US Army by Cyrus Alger and Company in 1866. The pedestal … Read more

Artillery: Victor Hugo: A Fight with a Cannon

A fight with a cannon French Téméraire-class ship of the line Mont-Blanc off Marseille, 1791.  Painting by Antoine Roux. The Mont-Blanc was armed with 28 X 36-pounder cannon, 30 X 18-pounder cannon and 16 X 8-pounder cannon.  If one of the cannon broke loose during heavy seas or a battle, it could doom the ship. … Read more

Artillery: Why Cannon need to be proved: King James II, 1460

King James II, and why Cannon need to be proved In the 15th century, King James the II of Scotland held an extensive collection of artillery in his arsenals.  He had married Mary of Gueldres, a princess from Burgundy.  At that time, Burgundy was one of the most advanced European nations in military technology.  Heavy … Read more

Artwork by the Author

A few paintings I have done over the years… Northern Lights, Orion, now with Lincoln Elementary School, New Brunswick. (0394/295) View of Earth from space. (0402/303) Seascape near Musgrave Harbour, Newfoundland. Now with Joyce Curtis and family, Meductic. (0128/015) Burin Peninsula, island at sunset. First acrylic painting, 1971. (0143/018) Sunrise on the Crow River, Algonquin … Read more

Author’s Military Service in Afghanistan, Kabul Multinational Brigade (KMNB), International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), 18 Jan-30 July 2004

Kabul Multinational Brigade (KMNB), International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), Camp Warehouse, Kabul, Afghanistan Major (Retired) Harold A. Skaarup, 18 Jan to 30 July 2004. Map of Afghanistan in 2004. More than 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces members served in the Afghanistan theatre of operations between 2001 and 2014.  It was my privilege to have been one … Read more

Author’s Military Service in Bosnia-Herzegovina, SFOR, CO CANIC, Sarajevo, 21 June to 30 Dec 1997

Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1997 SFOR, CANIC Notes from my tour of duty as Commanding Officer of the Canadian National Intelligence Centre (CANIC) with the Canadian Contingent of the NATO led Peace Stabilization Force (CC SFOR) in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina from 21 June to 30 December 1997. Coat of Arms Bosnia and Herzegovina, abbreviated BiH or B&H, sometimes … Read more

Author’s Military Service in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Aug 1986 – Feb 1987

Canadian Contingent UNFICYP, Nicosia, Cyprus, 1986-1987 (NASA Photo) Satellite image of Cyprus. During my 40 years service in the Canadian Forces (1971 – 2011), I served as the Regimental Intelligence Officer for the Canadian Airborne Regiment (CAR), 1986-1989.  In my first year with the Regiment when it was based at CFB Petawawa, Ontario, I was … Read more

Author’s Military Service in Germany 1981-1983, and 1989-1992

The author served on two military tours in Germany as a Canadian Forces Intelligence Officer. The first was from 1981 to 1983 with Headquarters, Canadian Forces Europe (HQ CFE), and the second was from 1989 to 1992 with 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (4 CMBG). For those interested in the history of 4 CMBG, there … Read more

Author’s Military Service with North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), Colorado

Author’s Military Service, North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), Colorado Springs, Colorado (USAF Photo) NORAD Command Center, Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado. I was serving with North American Aerospace Defence (NORAD) HQ, at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station, Colorado Springs, Colorado, (from 1999 to 2003), when the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon … Read more