There’s a lot of moving parts when it comes to pushing out soldiers to do an operation. It takes time for the big green wheels to get spooled up and start moving [but] once it does, we’re going pretty fast.
Corporal Jonny Nixon grew up in Estevan, SK with a long-standing pull toward military service — a path he finally embraced at the age of 32 when he joined the Royal Regina Rifles as an infantry soldier. Now second in command of a section, Nixon is known for his commitment, regularly making the weekly drive to Regina and seizing every opportunity the Army offers.
In 2025, he deployed on Operation LENTUS during Saskatchewan’s devastating wildfire season, serving as a Type 3 firefighter on the ground near Beauval. Drawing on nearly a decade of civilian firefighting experience, he tackled hotspots, built fire guards, and worked alongside Regular Force units and international crews.
[Training] was a one-day course, kind of like a crash course. These are the tools you use. This is how you use them. Now practice using them, and now we’ll kick you out the door and you can go fight fires.
The high-risk nature of the job is nothing new for Nixon — or for his family, who trust that his training and judgement will always bring him home again.
They know that I’m trained, and they trust that I’ll make the right decisions … Yeah, obviously something could happen, but I’m going to do everything in my power to be able to come home.
As he begins a new civilian career with the Estevan Police Service, Nixon remains dedicated to the reserves, driven by a simple mission: to help people when they need it most.
I just like helping people in their darkest hour … [being] the person they rely on when you come to them. You really help them … more than just giving somebody five bucks.