Canadian Forces Base Shilo saw Lieutenant-Colonel Chelsea Braybrook assume the Commanding Officer’s Role at 2PPCLI on June 25. (Photo: K-J Millar/Shilo Stag Media)

K-J Millar
Shilo Stag Media

The camaraderie is undeniable. The trust is indescribable. The mutual respect is incalculable. They have each other’s backs and have since 2008 when they first met on deployment in Afghanistan. Their professional relationship is as it should be in the Canadian Armed Forces – a tightly woven banner through numerous operations and missions.

Newly appointed Commanding Officer (CO) of 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI) Lieutenant-Colonel (LCol) Chelsea Braybrook and outgoing CO LCol Jesse van Eijk are best friends. This was clear when the commanding duo sat down with Shilo Stag Media and fed off each other’s sentences with resounding energy and humour during our meeting.

Being the “same flavour of weirdos,” is how LCol Braybrook described their professional rapport, stressing they are both interested in “doing things right.”

LCol van Eijk said as the conversation commenced that leaving Canadian Forces Base Shilo as the CO for the past three years of 2 PPCLI is an “unpleasant inevitability.”

“I’m leaving, but the new guard is here. It has to happen. I told Chelsea it’s a bit sad. But knowing that I am handing it over to her and Mr. (CWO) Barter – it helps. It’s really great for the Battalion.”

On June 25, in a Change of Command and Change of Appointment Ceremony in the CFB Shilo training area, under the rising Manitoba sun, with the sounds of ammunition rounds in the background, LCol Braybrook accepted the role of CO alongside Chief Warrant Officer Tobias (Toby) Barter assuming the role as Regimental Sergeant Major.

LCol Braybrook’s command of 2 PPCLI is a new dawning for CFB Shilo and the Patricia’s.

Change is good, Van Eijk said.

“I think it’s great for the unit. I’d love to stay here forever, but is that really good for everybody? Not really. The place needs change. It needs new blood. It needs new ideas. It needs people who have seen different things, or it will get stale.”

He said part of the beauty of the Battalion is the non-commissioned officers (NCOs) who have remained for a duration.

“They are the soul of it. They keep the traditions and corporate knowledge. But, officers and other people, we cycle through bring different perspectives. [Change] will be good for the unit. I love it here immensely, but I will find fun where I need to,” the LCol said, adding fun will be at his new posting in Ottawa, where he has already relocated.

On her second round at CFB Shilo, Braybrook started off in the Reserves in 2000, making her way through the Training Entry Plan and Royal Military College.

The commanding officers first met while serving in the Middle East on Operation ATHENA, Task Force 1-08. She said she met “all the team,” including incoming RSM CWO Barter and outgoing RSM CWO Pete Dunwoody there, and was “convinced” 2 PPCLI was the place to be. In 2008, she was posted to the Battalion until 2011.

Her career was highlighted in the Change of Command ceremonial program.

“Lieutenant-Colonel Chelsea Braybrook attended Royal Military College from 2000-2006, earning an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering and a master’s in applied science for chemistry and materials. She completed a Master’s in Defence Studies in 2019 and a doctorate in Social Science in 2022. She completed infantry officer training in 2004 and was a member of the reserves with the Princess of Wales’ Own Regiment and The Calgary Highlanders until she transferred to the regular force in 2009, joining Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). She served in the 1st and 2nd PPCLI Battalions, the Canadian Army Advanced Warfare Centre, the 1st Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group, Canadian Army Headquarters and the Canadian Joint Operations Command before being deployed in 2023 with Task Force Middle East as the Chief of Staff. She deployed to Afghanistan Op ATHENA 2007-2008, Op PODIUM 2010, Op LENTUS 2011 Manitoba flood response, Op LENTUS 2015 Northern Saskatchewan fires response, Latvia Op REASSURANCE 2017-2018, supported the pandemic response through Ops LASER and VECTOR in 2020-2021, and just completed a one-year deployment supporting CAF operations throughout the Middle East.”

What the program doesn’t mention, and LCol Braybrook has made clear she doesn’t want to be the focus of her new charge, is that she is the first female commanding officer of 2 PPCLI, pivoting the all-male lineage of direction forward into a new day.

She said every Regiment has an important history, and it’s easy to see the past just by walking down the hallways, seeing the portraits in frames, or looking at museum displays.

However, the new 2 PPCLI commanding officer is looking ahead.

LCol Braybrook said she is looking forward to and is excited about the next two years. She is grateful for the opportunity PPCLI has given her. She is thankful for all the hard work already invested to make 2 PPCLI the best.

In closing, LCol Braybrook shared a thought she has carried with her.

“One thing I’ve thought interesting over the years and that we talk about is, what is the regiment?”

“The Regiment is a lot of things … if there are not young soldiers standing on our parade squares doing the job – they are the Regiment. They are the future. It is a privilege to be trusted to take a big part of our future and shepherd them through the next year.”

“Every Regiment has a history,” she told Shilo Stag Media, “But there is a living, breathing component to support every day. All the peripherals are important. Young soldiers are the beating heart of the Regiment.”

Canadian Forces Base Shilo said goodbye to outgoing 2 PPCLI Commanding Officer Lieutenant-Colonel Jesse van Eijk on June 25.  (Photo: K-J Millar/Shilo Stag Media)

CFB Shilo saw changes to the command team of 2 PPCLI on June 25 with the departure of RSM CWO Pete Dunwoody and the arrival of incoming RSM CWO Tobias Barter on June 25. (Photo: K-J Millar/Shilo Stag Media)

 Lieutenant-Colonel Chelsea Braybrook stands in the field with troops from 2 PPCLI behind her as she assumes the Commanding Officer’s role for the Battalion on June 25. (Photo: K-J Millar/Shilo Stag Media)