Cadets from Trail/Grand Forks/Oliver have amazing Stateside experience
By Contributor
On June 5, cadets from 232 Oliver Bighorn, 531 City of Trail and 841 Grand Forks Boundary visited Fairchild Air Force Base near Spokane, Washington.
The tour began with a mission briefing from Col. Brian McDaniel, 92nd Air Refueling Wing commander, and continued with a tour of a KC-135 Stratotanker static display. Additionally, the cadets interacted with base firefighters, observing their mission firsthand.
“This is an amazing experience,” said Ryan Encina, a 15-year-old cadet from the 232 Bighorn RCAC Squadron from Oliver, B.C. “I have never seen anything like this before. This is what I want to go for in life.”
Both the crew members from the KC-135 and Airmen from the fire station understood the impression they could help to make on the foreign visitors.
“Community relations are a large part of our job and we always enjoy the chance to show people what we do and how we do it,” said Master Sgt. Bryan Webber, 92nd Civil Engineer Squadron fire and emergency services planning chief. “It’s not every day you get to give a tour and answer questions from (RCAC) cadets. It doesn’t matter how old they are or where they are from; getting to play around the fire trucks always makes a pretty good impression.”
The cadets have now completed their training for the year and will start a new training year in September. Over the summer, selected cadets will be attending training courses at Cadet Training Centres located in Vernon, Victoria and Comox, as well as other locations across the country.
The Royal Canadian Air Cadets, in partnership with the Air Cadet League of Canada and the Department of National Defence has been training youth in Canada for over 70 years. The Cadets are the largest government funded youth program in Canada with over 50,000 participants across Canada. The Royal Canadian Air Cadets accepts youth between the ages of 12-18 who have a desire to learn more about the air element of the Canadian Forces, wish to develop the attributes of leadership and good citizenship and who wish to promote physical fitness. While the program is military based, there is no obligation for a cadet to join the Canadian Armed Forces when he or she finishes their cadet career. Cadets are also encouraged to learn more about opportunities within Canada’s Aviation Industry.
For more information about 531 Trail Squadron, email kelly.hoglund@cadets.gc.ca
For more information about 841 Grand Forks Squadron, email randy.frank@cadets.gc.ca
For more information on the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, please visit www.cadets.ca
For more information about the Air Cadet League of Canada, please visit www.aircadetleague.com
