Military

Bruce McGibbon describes a field trial he conducted with the Canadian Armed Forces in Shilo, Manitoba. One morning, three teams of fifteen men were given hearing tests. One group was given ear muffs and ear plugs, the second only ear plugs, and the third was given no protection and ordered not to cover their ears – the standard protocol of the day. After a four-hour barrage, the men were retested: the first group had no change but two of the fifteen in the third group had permanent hearing loss. The CAF subsequently changed their protocol!

Military engineer Bruce McGibbon describes his experiences as an engineer in, and consultant for, the Canadian Armed Forces. After pursuing military studies at College Militaire Royal de St Jean and Royal Military College, he was posted to One Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in Gagetown, NB. He took graduate courses in Computer Science at UNB and used these to develop programs to guide missile systems with Raytheon in El Paso Texas, and then in Shilo MB. His subsequent projects included: a field trial to determine the effect of hearing protection on artillerymen; the development of low-light rifle sights eventually manufactured by Ernst Leitz Canada Ltd; and the creation of Militia Training and Support Centres at Gagetown, Valcartier, Pembroke, Borden, and Edmonton. He led the project to procure (wheeled) Light Armoured Vehicles that were eventually constructed by the General Motors Diesel Division in London, Ontario. He also developed the program whereby officers are trained at the Department of Applied Military Science at Royal Military College, Kingston, instead of in the United Kingdom. He briefly describes his book "Inside DND – Procurements: The Hidden Story".