Canadian James Shrubb said: “I was here in 2018. I was doing other duties at the time. A lot has changed here at Adazhi Military Base in the last five years. It’s really good to go back and see the changes. It’s gotten a lot bigger, here’s more people. It’s a bigger team and I’m very happy to be back.”
The Canadians have also arrived in Adaži with their military equipment. The Canadian contingent consists of men who are responsible for ensuring that military vehicles are in good working order and who, if necessary, rush to help if, for example, something breaks or gets stuck during military exercises.
Paul Boutin, a soldier from Canada, said: “I’m here to fix the heavy equipment. My main duty is to be one of the relief team members. I drive a big army tow truck. If something breaks, we pull back to fix it and we’re good to go back to the fight.”
Paul Boutins is in Latvia for the first time, and he likes it here. “We’ve been here since December. I like it here. It’s a sunny day, it’s good,” he admitted.
His colleague David Knight, who is also in charge of military equipment, agreed with his colleague. “It’s really nice here. I’m surprised how nice this country is. I’d like to come back here if I have the chance,” he said.
Paul is most happy about the nature here in Latvia. “I enjoy running. There are trails outside the base and I like to run on them. I like the nature here,” he stated.
Canadians have no problem getting used to Latvia’s climate.
“Honestly, the weather isn’t all that different from back home. It was cold in January, but we Canadians are at home. We adjusted as best we could. It’s hard for a soldier in the winter, no matter where you are. But it’s something we’re used to,” James Shrubb pointed out. He likes the people living here the most in Latvia.
“I have had the opportunity to meet and cooperate with so many friendly people – it doesn’t matter if it is in Ādaži, Riga or somewhere else. People in Latvia are kind and helpful,” he admitted.
In the fall, the number of Canadians at the Ādaži military base will increase significantly, forming a separate brigade.
“We’re going to go from 600 people that are here now to about 2,000 people that will be here at any given time,” James Shrubb said.
Along with the increase in the number of soldiers in Đāži, the number of Canadian military equipment units will also increase, significantly strengthening Latvia’s defense capabilities.
