Happy Friday, friend! I love chatting with people from different professions. The conversations with Kate Isenberg about being a cartoonist and Gary R Simonds, a neurosurgeon, were insightful for me. Today, I am chatting with Krista Pimpinella who used to be an army ranger. She combines her love for history and science in her Time Ranger series. Let’s welcome her and learn from her.
Hi Krista! Welcome to Armed with A Book. Please tell me and my readers a bit about yourself.
Having up with Star Wars, Star Trek and the original Battlestar Galactica, I love all things science fiction. Stargate and the Bioware game, Mass Effect, are two of my all time favourite franchises.
Some of my favourite sci-fi authors are; Isaac Asimov, Gareth L. Powell, Elizabeth Moon, and fellow Canadian science fiction author, Timothy S. Johnston, as well as Christopher Hopper. But I also read a lot outside my genre and love Jane Austen and Shakespeare.
Having studied history, english and space sciences at university, it helps to keep my science and history as real as possible. And time at NASA’s Adult Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama, helped me realize my dreams of going into space.
For a short time, I was also a Trooper with the reserve armoured reconnaissance regiment, The Queen’s York Rangers (1st American Regiment) which provided me with insight into writing soft-military novels. As one of the only female recce combat arms soldiers in the unit at the time, it was an interesting and challenging experience.
I also worked with GlobalMedic, a volunteer organization whose mandate is to ‘save lives by providing short-term, rapid response in the wake of disasters and crises, both at home and abroad,’ where I volunteered in both Thailand and Cambodia as a paramedic- of which I have worked as for the past 23 years.
I now lives in Uxbridge, ON. In my spare time I enjoy ice hockey, snowboarding, western horseback riding and spending time with my husband and two dogs, Dallas and Tonka.
When did you decide to become a ranger?
Pretty much the day I decided to officially join the Canadian Army. I’d always been fascinated by the military (at one point I was obsessed with Vietnam books), and I remember sitting on the couch and thinking … I should join the army. And the next day I went to the recruiting office in uptown Toronto.
I kind of did it backwards though. Apparently, to join the army, one signs up, takes the aptitude test to determine their MOC (military occupational career) and then can decide based on their scores which regiment is best for you. I read the pamphlet regarding the Queen’s York Rangers, and decided I wanted no other regiment. Reconnaissance, special forces … Rangers lead the way!
It was more of a feeling than any kind of logical reasoning that backed my final decision. So I approached the regiment first, and asked what I needed to do- which was to pass very specific elements of the aptitude test. I did, and the rest is history. I would like to point out, to the benefit of the Canadian Armed Forces, that at no time did I hear the words … but you’re a girl.
How does one become a ranger?
The Canadian Rangers are a light-armoured reconnaissance unit, meaning, they are mounted and fall under the umbrella of the armoured core. Within in the regiment there are many different jobs including; admin positions, medics, radio techs, weapon techs , etc. The actual ‘soldier’ with the MOC 011, is called a crewman. That was my position. Not all positions require the same training and specifications. It’s a matter of being able to qualify physically and mentally for each position. And of course, there being an actual opening for recruitment. During this time, there was no active recruitment for the senior armoured unit, the Dragoons, which is the reg force reconnaissance, so I opted for the reserve unit.
What kind of things do they teach you at ranger school? Did you have a favourite subject?
The actual combat training was awesome, and extremely hard work.Weapons handling, marksmanship, small unit tactics, and combat operations in different terrains and environments. This was probably my favourite, along with Land Navigation. Strangely, at the time I mostly disliked combat first aid and medical training. It’s strange because I ended up being a paramedic for 23 years. And of course, there were days when I thought I’d never make it through PT (physical training).
What kind of challenges do you face as a ranger?
Prejudice and stereotypes were what I expected to face. Female soldiers encounter stereotypes and prejudice from both their peers and superiors. Including doubts about their physical abilities, leadership potential, and suitability for combat roles. I can happily say that within the Canadian Rangers, I never faced this. I did what the men did, and I passed and failed just like the men did. At no time did I ever feel that being female was an issue. I trained with them, slept in the places with them, hung out with them and wasn’t given ‘lesser’ challenges. I’m proud to say that we were all treated equally, no matter our gender. That said, I was the only combat arms soldier in the regiment at the time.
What got you interested in writing stories? How does your time as a ranger influence your writing?
I’ve loved creating new worlds and scenarios since I was very young and first understood what a ‘story’ was. I think I’ve wanted to be a writer since grade one. And considering my first series is called the ‘Time Ranger Series’ I’d say having been a ranger influences my writing immensely. That being said, I’m over 20 years removed from my military experience, but my editor Randy Surles (www.randysurles.com) is a 28 year veteran of the US Army Rangers and Green Berets. He helps keep my military writing more up to date.
Together, we came up with the Ranger Creed that is used in book #1, Nexus Point. The original creed, infamous with basically all ranger units around the world, was expanded to include duties and responsibilities of a future ranger- specifically ones that time travels.
But for the most part, my writing is influenced more by drawing from thoughts and emotions experienced during my time in the forces, rather than the actual day to day stuff. A sort of … how did I feel when I was going through that? Which can also be said of my paramedic experiences as well. Unfortunately, I don’t need to imagine what certain, horrible experiences can look or feel like, I can just remember them from my own experiences. I like to think it gives a deeper understanding of situations behind my words. Maybe show a slightly different or new insight into how a lot of situations are depicted through Hollywood by writers and directors and whatnot, who haven’t actually experienced the real thing. Not to say a ‘consultant’ isn’t worth their weight in gold, but when the words come from the writer’s true experience, I think it makes a difference.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Most importantly, I would like to say that I never served with UN duty with the Rangers. I left the army before I could be deployed, to focus on university. It was around this time that I had decided to become an astronaut, and left the military to finish university and then return by way of the Air Force. Unfortunately, even the smallest medical issue can keep you from enlisting, and from being an actual astronaut. But, although those dreams were quashed, it allowed for my dreams of being a writer to flourish- and where I decided that it was science-fiction that I wanted to write.
Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me and sharing with my readers. 🙂
Thank you for reading to the end of the post. I hope you enjoyed this interview. Connect with Krista on X, Facebook and learn more about her work on her website. Check out Nexus Point, the first book in the Time Ranger series. I am looking forward to reading it!
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