The Guns Of War Are Silent

 Army Run weekend takes place in Ottawa in September. It consists of a 5K, 10K, and half-marathon through the streets of Ottawa and Gatineau, organized by the military, with fundraising going to organizations that work with soldiers and their families, particularly after military service. Thousands take part in the runs, and it's the second largest such event in the capital after the May Ottawa Race Weekend. At City Hall, it is tradition for military equipment to be on display for the weekend. Here at one entrance is a formidable weapon, the M777 Howitzer, pointed across the street towards Confederation Park. All of this equipment would likely have come down for the weekend from CFB Petawawa, which is a couple of hours drive up the valley from the city.

This is the vehicle that tows that Howitzer.

I noticed this trailer. It was adorned with the faces of deceased Canadian servicemen and women, most of them young, and from the dates, most of them from the Afghan War.

Across from it, this medical truck. St. John Ambulance is an international first aid/ medical organization that among other things offers first aid training. My last course on emergency first aid was from a really good instructor with them, and it's time to get that renewed. You never know when you might need it.

At one of the tents, this display from the Canadian Forces. This is a UAV.

Big trucks were parked in the shade of City Hall.

One of them, as it turns out, was a mobile workshop. The tools and work tables were left at home, a soldier told me, but these are meant for repairs that are part of military operations in the field.

Another big truck along the way.

And armoured transport.

This is another armoured transport, in front of Cartier Square Drill Hall, a legacy of the days of Canadian cities building armories at the end of the 19th century and into the early 20th century. It is a neighbour to City Hall. This LAV was open at the back, and I took a look inside. No bit of space is wasted in one of these.