Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) -Get out and Ruck

By Bombardier Alexander Beattie, Army Public Affairs

Ottawa, Ontario — Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) – Get out and Ruck originally started as a Facebook group to promote fitness within 33 Service Battalion. Created by Corporal Dan Lebel, a Supply Technician at the unit, and with the support of his chain of command and members from other units, Private Dave Jone, Master Warrant Officer Kris Carter, and Major Rob Baker, the group quickly grew to 1,700 service members across the country. The group has soldiers and veterans from all walks of life, be it a regular force member in Gagetown or a reservist in Vancouver. CAF – Get out and Ruck is bringing the military community together through fitness.

Created for the purpose of providing soldiers and veterans a forum where they can share fitness accomplishments, CAF – Get out and Ruck aims at providing support and advice to their fellow colleagues. Each week, the Facebook group hosts an official event (virtual) on Saturday morning at 7AM, in which soldiers have a minimum distance of 5 Km to cover with weight in their bags (how much you carry is up to you, however it is encouraged that is increased each week).

While other fitness activities are supported on the page (walking, running, paddling, etc), rucking is the primary focus. When we asked Cpl Lebel why rucking, he replied,“As my rucking teammate and friend Sergeant Adrian Woeldike explained to me when I first joined, being able to be self-reliant by carrying everything…