Reprinted with permission of Trident Military Newspaper
HALIFAX: Chief Petty Officer Second Class (CPO2) (Retired) Bradley Browne has been honoured with the title of Royal Canadian Navy national “Coach of the Year” for 2018.
His passion for the Navy and the sport he loves so much quickly becomes evident when you speak with him.
While many sports in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) inspire both teamwork and personal fitness, CPO2 Browne says that shooting is the “only sport in the Canadian Armed Forces” that has a direct operational impact.
Every member of the CAF can be expected to “take a rifle and stand a post. Often times, the structures are in place to only support basic qualifications,” said CPO2 Browne. He believes that participating in shooting sports allows members to take their abilities to the next level.
CPO2 Browne’s interest in shooting sports began in the spring of 1993, when the Russian Navy came to Halifax. They hosted a competition at a local shooting range, which was Browne’s first experience with competitive shooting.
From that point on, when he wasn’t operationally deployed, CPO2 Browne set his sights on the local ranges. From March Break until competitions in September, his evenings and weekends were spent training. He made many new friends travelling across the country and the globe to national and international competitions.
Recently retired from the Royal Canadian Navy, Regular Force, CPO2 Browne has transferred to the Army Reserve serving with the Princess Louise Fusiliers as Company Sergeant Major for Bravo Company.
“Going to the range with their members for the first time was like going home,” he said. “I look for quick victories – the biggest thing that someone is doing wrong that will help them put more bullets on target.”
It is this dedication and love for the sport that earned him the RCN Coach of the Year.
A career sailor, he has visited 35 different countries during his career with the Navy.
“I’ve sailed as far north as Bodo, Norway, as far south as Cartagena, Columbia, as far east as the Straits of Hormuz, and as far west as Hawaii.”
Deployments during his career included NATO ’98, Op Augmentation 2001, NATO tasking in Gatineau 1995, NATO 2005 in Montreal, and Libya 2011 in Charlottetown.