A new commander is heading up the BC Dragoons following a ceremony in Vernon earlier this month, and he has his sights set on continuing to grow the regiment.
The BC Dragoons held a Change of Command parade at Sicily Parade Square on 15th Avenue May 3, which marked the official passing of command of the regiment from Lt. Col. Trevor Waaga to Lt. Col. Wade Peters.
Brigade commander Col. Paul Lindsay presided over the change of command. Waaga took charge of the parade first, doing one final march with his regiment before documents were signed to transfer authority to Peters, who then led the parade.
"It still feels a little surreal," Peters told The Morning Star a few days after becoming the commanding officer. "It's certainly a tremendous honour and a tremendous responsibility."
Peters will be in charge of overseeing the training of the regiment, caring for soldiers' well-being and making sure they're prepared "for whatever may come," he said. He'll be assisting seven soldiers deployed in Latvia who will be coming home in the next month.
There are also equipment, resources and buildings Peters will be responsible for — "especially for the Dragoons, because we are an armoured regiment, so we do have vehicles that you have to make sure are in proper working order at all times."
The BC Dragoons — part of the 3rd Canadian Division's 39 Canadian Brigade Group — is a regiment that started out in Vernon and has since added a squadron in Kelowna and now covers the entire Okanagan Valley. Its soldiers come from everywhere from Salmon Arm to Oliver.
Commanding officers typically hold their position for a term of two to three years. Asked what he'd like to accomplish in that time, Peters said he wants to keep growing the regiment.
He said when Waaga took over the regiment, its numbers were quite low as it was during the COVID-19 mandates, so "some dropped out, which is their choice."
"But under Trevor's tenure, the regiment has really grown the last few years, and I want to keep that going."
Peters grew up in the North Okanagan, where his father was a longtime member of the RCMP. He joined the regular force in 1999 and completed his infantry officer training in 2003, at which time he was posted to the 1st Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in Edmonton and was employed as a platoon commander for two years.
After serving in a number of other positions, he left the regular force in 2013 to return to his Okanagan roots and transferred in the primary reserve to join the BC Dragoons, where he has remained since. During his time with the Dragoons, Peters has gradually worked his way up to becoming commanding officer, having served as squadron second-in-command, squadron commander, regimental operations major and regimental second-in-command.
Peters was deployed to Afghanistan on a 10-month rotation in 2009. In 2017 he was deployed to Juba, South Sudan, as the deputy commander for the Canadian peacekeeping contingent there.
Peters' full-time work is as a deputy sheriff. He currently lives in Lake Country with his wife and four children.
