Life in Latvia

Two Colchester County soldiers are now back from a six-month tour, working with NATO forces

Two local reservists have now returned from a deployment in Latvia, working with an international force to keep an eye on Russia.

For Cody Matthews, Latvia reminded him a lot of his North River home.

It was a land of tall forests and gentle farmland that slips by as he mans the machine gun atop a Canadian Army jeep.

“It’s less walking,” admits Matthews, a reserve master corporal with the Nova Scotia Highlanders. “We always carry lots of heavy stuff, so being able to get a lift was nice. As a reservist, I really enjoy working with the regular forces, it broadens my horizons.”

Matthews and Corporal Donnie McNutt, two local reservists, were among a contingent of Canadians deployed to Latvia to serve with soldiers from a number of other countries.

Matthews was in Latvia, January through July this year, with several hundred Canadian soldiers guarding the tiny Baltic nation against possible Russian invasion

When he first arrived the weather was frigid, the mercury plummeting to – 40 C. It forced soldiers on patrol in the wilderness to don goggles, thick jackets, shawls and gloves to ward off hypothermia.

Matthews spent many hours manning the C-6 light machine gun atop his army G-wagon, fully exposed to the elements, or walking through the forests and fields on countless foot patrols. One mission in southwestern Latvia had Canadian soldiers patrolling around an airbase that came under simulated enemy fire.

Often dismounting from their vehicles, soldiers had to carry their machine guns and other equipment, such as their personal C-7 assault rifles, through the bush.

However, Matthews enjoyed watching the landscape slowly come to life as winter gave way to spring and summer, which brought local Latvians out onto the streets, especially during the long June evenings.

His unit was deployed at the Adazi military base just outside the Latvian capital, Riga, allowing Matthews to see some of the nearby townships as well as the countryside.

Typically, local towns had humble dwellings reflecting the poverty of many Latvians, which Matthews described as “very Eastern Bloc,” reflecting the coun- try’s history of Soviet occupation until 1991.

“What I usually saw was run-down apartment buildings, but they always seemed to get out and enjoy themselves,” recalled Matthews. “We went to Riga every now and then; we often had to do airport runs so we’d stay for dinner. It was an old-fashioned city, the architecture was very fancy and old-looking, cobblestoned walkways and all that.”

While the Latvians knew how to enjoy themselves, Matthews noticed the host nation’s army took the possibility of Russian attack extremely seriously. The Canadians often acted as enemy soldiers for the Latvians to practise fighting off during exercises.

Helping the Latvians defend their country from Russia are NATO soldiers from the United Kingdom, United States, Italy, Spain and other European nations, as well as Canada. Latvia’s Baltic neighbours, Estonia and Lithuania, are receive similar help.

For Matthews, one of the biggest challenges was “probably working with all the different nationalities, there was a language barrier.”

None the less, Matthews enjoyed his time in Latvia, even though he missed his dog Zelda and girlfriend, who lives in downtown Truro.

Now back in Nova Scotia, Matthews works as an instructor in Aldershot near Kentville, teaching new recruits essential soldiering skills, such as shooting and camouflage in the field.

CORPORAL DONNIE MCNUTT

A reservist from Truro, Corporal Donnie Mcnutt was also posted to the Adazi base, where he practised urban combat techniques with his fellow soldiers. They stormed buildings and dashed from house to house or even room to room, in simulated battle conditions.

“There was one exercise where the idea was that black ops would fly us to a place, drop us off and then you’d go around dismounted, before they’d pick you up and take you back,” said Mcnutt.

Like Matthews, he welcomed the chance to ride in vehicles instead of walking with heavy equipment. Attached to the regular forces, Mcnutt rode in light armoured vehicles, the Canadian Army’s standard personnel carrier.

On a paved road, the eight-wheeled LAV can travel up to 100 km per hour, but McNutt was only able to drive it for about 200 metres during the training he received. Unlike some heavier vehicles like tanks, the LAV is controlled using a steering wheel.

“It drives more like a Honda Civic,” recalled Mcnutt.

When not riding in the LAVS or patrolling on foot, Mcnutt often found himself digging First World War-style long trenches on a live-fire range, a typical army defensive position.

“There’s times when you drop somewhere and dig in,” said Mcnutt.

He returned home to Nova Scotia at the same time as Matthews and took on an instructor’s job at Aldershot.

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY CODY MATTHEWS - FACEBOOK Master Corporal Cody Matthews, from North River, often conducted patrols in a Canadian Army Mercedes G-wagon jeep during his tour in Latvia. Luckily, another jeep was able to pull their vehicle out of a snowdrift, typical for a Latvian winter.

These tents were accommodations that Master Corporal Cody Matthews and the others in the deployment had while in the Latvian wilderness.

Soldiers discovered this abandoned Russian bunker, a legacy of Latvia’s time as a part of the Soviet Union before 1991. Empty vodka bottles were found inside.

Master Corporal Cody Matthews braved temperatures as low as - 40 C during his sixmonth deployment in Latvia this year. The snow did not stop him from patrolling with his Italian colleagues.

When he is not on duty, Master Corporal Cody Matthews enjoys spending time with his pitbull Zelda back in Nova Scotia.

As the Latvian weather finally warmed up, Master Corporal Cody Matthews and the others he was serving with could enjoy wearing lighter clothing while on exercise in the field.