Major Chris VanBuskirk completes third arctic deployment

With his parish and his family onboard, the Rev. Canon Major Chris VanBuskirk recently left Moncton for the Canadian Arctic, his third arctic deployment. The previous trips were in 2023 and 2024, with a much longer deployment to Kuwait and Iraq in 2018-19.

“It was pretty short and sweet,” said Chris. “It was classed as an operation, not an exercise.”

The 16-day operation, named Operation Nanook-Nunalivut, took him to Inuvik, NWT, from Feb. 22 to March 9, in his role as an army chaplain for the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves. At home, he is attached to the North Shore Regiment.

The purpose of the operation was to bolster the Canadian presence in the north, which has been under threat by nations such as Russia and China. Troops did a lot of equipment testing, to be ready for a just-in-case scenario, should an aggressor decide they want to move in on Canada’s arctic.

“This was part of a Canadian show of sovereignty in the north,” said Chris.

The operation had a lot of pieces, said Chris: an air task force, land task force, dive task force, special operations forces, the Canadian Rangers, and an international group of Belgians, Norwegians, Americans, Canadians and others. A scientific agency of the Canadian government was also present. 

“If we’re going to spend more time up there, we need to be looking at our equipment in arctic environments — everything from sleeping bags to dehydrated plasma,” said Chris. 

The entire operation was Reserves-led, which impressed Chris. 

One of the American initiatives involved the 109th Airlift Wing, headquartered in Scotia N.Y. and part of the New York Air National Guard.

“Their big thing was to land a Hercules on a freshwater lake, on skis,” said Chris, adding the regulation calls for 55 inches of ice on which to land, though they successfully landed on 40 inches of ice.

These lessons learned are what could redefine an arctic military operation — one with real intruders, should it come to that.

The dive force tested underwater drones in Tuktoyaktuk, NWT.

The land task force, to which Chris was attached, was tasked with checking early warning sites, which meant travelling 100 kilometers by snowmobile or being dropped by helicopter. 

“We had to go up the Mackenzie River by helicopter and come back by snowmobile,” said Chris, adding that was a full day. 

A large part of Chris’s role was to be with his soldiers, some of whom were from his own regiment. That included doing what they did and offering whatever support and spiritual guidance they needed from him. It also meant eating what they ate, and sleeping where they slept — in tents.

“It was in the minus 20s at night,” he said. “It had warmed up.”

The other part of his role was to meet with the local religious leaders.

“For the first week, I conducted religious leader engagement,” he said.

He also led worship services, including one on the last night of the operation. 

“By being with the troops, I hope to be able to gain their trust, and present to them the Lord Jesus Christ,” he said.

His 16 days were busy, and each day required him to twice report to and advise the commander.

While the Canadian Armed Forces learned valuable lessons on the operation, the community of Inuvik benefitted from 600 soldiers in their town — a test of their own infrastructure and a financial boost as well.  

Chris plans to retire from the Reserves this fall, but he has valued his time with soldiers and his role as a military chaplain. These deployments have been largely voluntary, so why does he go?

“I am blessed with good health to do it, and my family and parish (The Six Saints) are extremely supportive,” he said. “You always hope it really is what the Lord wants you to be doing.

“With the situation these days, I had the sense that if you have certain qualifications and you are able, you have to go,” he said. “I think we all need to do what we can do. We all need to do what we can for Canada.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS:
1.  The Rev. Canon Major Chris VanBuskirk at the Arctic Ocean in the Northwest Territories on a recent military operation.
2.  The snow vehicle for the Land Task Force used  during the recent operation.
3.  Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church in Inuvik (“The Igloo Church”). The Church of the Ascension (Anglican) is currently closed.
All photos courtesty of Chris VanBuskirk.