Mountie Makers: Putting the Canadian in Rcmp, 2nd Edition

There are a lot of books written by retired members of the RCMP. I'm currently working my way through two shelves worth of them. All of these authors have something worth hearing. Teather has the added skill to tell his stories extremely well using humor along with insight to completely involve the reader. Police officers in general are asked to solve problems we wouldn't even try to approach and to daily enter into situations that are our worst nightmares. Yet the only difference between these chosen guardians of our peace and ourselves, the public they have sworn to serve and protect, is the training they receive in order to accomplish this monumental task. Mountie Makers gives us an insider's view of the training process employed to instill the qualities we've come to expect in a RCMP member - strength, bravery, dedication, honor, unrealistic invincibility tempered with compassion and sensitivity. In other words, we demand of them something no human could ever truly attain. But they come as close to it as you can. But the author allows us so much more than just facts and details. He introduces us to the individuals who volunteer to tackle such an impossible challenge. He gives us the extremely generous gift of allowing us to know himself and his fellow recruits of Troop 18 on an intimate basis, invites us to become involved in their struggles and their lives. Through the strength of his words a bond is formed. You honestly care for these young men, cheer their victories, feel your heart twist for their pain, sorry for any defeat, and even feel a loyalty to them. They stay with you long after the book is finished and you wonder about how life treated them after graduation. The names may have been changed to protect their privacy, but they are not fictional characters. These men do exist in our real world and I wish all the best for them. I highly recommend this book and its author, Robert Gordon Teather. He has written two other books that follow his experiences in later years on the job, Scarlet Tunic and Scarlet Tunic, Volume 2. I've read the first and am about to start the second. I recommend them as well. I have something I would love to ask the author if able. Are the cards still in service? Upon retirement, did you find someone worthy to pass them to? Perhaps Scarlet Tunic 2 will provide the answer. Thank you for sharing your stories.

"Mountie Makers" is, quite simply, one of the greatest books, of any type, that I have ever read. Expecting a lot of boring, cliche' RCMP training horror stories, I began reading. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I instantly became interested and quickly became attached to the characters. All of them have that "Hey- I know a guy just like that" kind of quality to them. It wasn't long before I was turning the last page. The characters, the descriptions...everything about this book is well- done and unique and tells the awesome tale of the training process of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer. Sad, happy, uplifting, and often hilarious, "Mountie Makers" made me proud to be Canadian. Heck, it might even inspire you to join the RCMP. Even if you don't particularly like biographies or RCMP stories, buy this book anyway. If I HAD to give criticism, it would be that it all ended too soon (only 160 pages.) Still-you won't be disappointed-- I guarantee it.