"Cdn. Army men, some have a white colored rope thingy that goes under their shoulder epaulet and then loops under their right armput and up to the epault again. Does anyone know what this white rope thing is called & what does it signify??"
Known as a lanyard, it was a decoration for Gunners (white being particular to the artillery...and NOT a symbol of cowardice as some would have it). Artillery "painted" their lanyards white because the natural fibre soon got dirty, and as any NCO worth his/her salt will tell you, dirt is not an option.
In some cases the lanyard was just attached to the pocket, or in other cases was attached to a compass or knife. In the past the lanyard was used to attach to the firing mechanism of older muzzle and some breech loaders to provide the gunner with some distance from the fire and smoke of the initiating charge.
Various colours were used by different units in the CA. Today, the lanyard may be found on the combat order of dress attached to the 9 mm pistol, a compass (prysmatic and otherwise).
check out our southern gunners website on the issue of lanyards.
http://livefiring.ashst.com/artiller...at/lanyard.htm
Cheers!