Flag Lieutenant Nadia Shields
The women of Elgin County in military roles may not be as
obvious today as they were during the world wars of the twentieth
century; be assured however, there are many who continue to 'stand
on guard for thee' in the literal sense of that well known
phrase. A good example might be Flag Lieutenant Nadia
Shields. Today (2012), she is aide de camp to Royal
Canadian Navy Rear Admiral, Paul Maddison, the new Chief of
Maritime Staff - a challenging task no doubt.
Pirates and Terrorists
Challenges are no stranger to Nadia who after graduating from
the Royal Military College in Kingston, soon found herself on board
a frigate in the Gulf of Aden where the Royal Canadian Navy was on
duty patrolling the sector for anti terrorist activities and
helping to combat the rampant acts of piracy in the area off the
coast of Somalia.
Operation Unified Protector - Libya 2011
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Under the supervision of commanding officer (centre),
Commander Craig Skjerpen, the Canadian frigate HMCS Charlottetown
takes on fuel from an Italian Navy replenishment vessel off the
coast of Misrata, Libya. Navigation Officer Lt(N) Nadia Shields
(front) ensures that the frigate's course and speed are
checked.
NATO PHOTO
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For several months in 2011, Navigation Officer Lt. (N) Nadia
Shields helped to guide the 4,770 tonne, 135 metre-long frigate
HMCS Charlottetown through the waters of
the Mediterranean off the coast of Libya as part of Nato's
Operation Unified Protector. To prepare for
tasking as a navigator she had to pass the extremely demanding
certification training program in British Columbia where she
learned to be responsible for planning routes, calculating fuel
consumption and making alterations to the ship's course along the
way.
In an article in the St. Thomas Times Journal in October 2011,
Nadia speaks about her experience under fire.
"In Libya, we actually took fire from the shore and we fired
back and then NATO told us to clear the area but that was the first
time a ship had been fired at since the Gulf War," she recalls.
"It was neat ....I saw the French (naval) ship...she was ahead
of us and she fired -- this is night at about 2:30 in the morning
-- she was firing and you can see the little rounds as they come
out of the barrel so it's kind-of like fireworks at night."
The HMCS Charlottetown fired 50
calibre rounds at the shoreline and cleared the area. The ship's
crew sustained no injuries.
"It's an adrenaline rush and you aren't scared. It's exciting.
You're in the moment."
For more on the role of HMCS Charlottetown off the Libyan coast
click here.
In her new role in Ottawa, Nadia will have an opportunity to see
how the Navy functions at the other end of the stick. We look
forward to following her career.
Flag Lieutenant Nadia Shields was born and raised in St. Thomas,
Ontario and attended Central Elgin Collegiate graduating in 2002.
She continued her education at the Royal Military College in
Kingston achieving a degree in business/commerce in 2006 then
followed her brother and grandfather into a military career.