CANORA, SASK- “Showing what cadets actually do.”
The Oct. 14 open house hosted by the Canora Air Cadets Squadron attracted a number of curious young people and their families. As part of his welcome, Captain Darren Paul, Commanding Officer, explained the various stations set up in the Canora Composite School auditorium to give everyone a hands-on idea of what’s involved in being a cadet.
F/Sgt. Max Paul, one of the 14 active cadets before the open house, shared his thoughts about what it’s like to be part of the program with visitors, including prospective recruits.
“But I'm not here to talk about myself tonight,” said Paul. “I'm here to talk about what the air cadet program really is. I could spend hours talking about what the program is, but to save everyone some time, I'll simply explain the three main things you will learn about as a cadet
“The first, is leadership. When you think of leadership your mind often wanders to giving orders, especially in cadets. But it's so much more than that. It alone is a topic I could discuss for a long time. But there is one major rule about leadership I've learned, that I always keep in mind. Being a leader is not about making followers, it's making new leaders.
“The second, is discipline. Discipline is exactly what you think it is, but at the same time, it is not. Knowing how to stand still in drill is one thing, knowing how to control impulsive behaviour is another; something that the cadet program will teach.
“And finally, the third is responsibility. If you're wondering, no I'm not talking about taking your dog for a walk. Responsibility is something that, if you learn it right, will continue with you into adulthood. Responsibility is a massive part of leadership. For a good leader, when your team succeeds you give them the credit. But when the team fails, you don't blame them- you take ownership. There is no such thing as a bad student, only a bad teacher.
“Thank you for listening, and I hope you consider joining the cadet program,” said Paul.
The stations set up for the open house included:
- Flight simulator
- MREs (Meals ready to eat)
- Differing uniforms
- Sports
- Tour of the cadet supply office
- Slide show of past exercises and activities
The flight simulator is popular with numerous cadets, especially those interested in aviation.
It gives cadets a pretty accurate experience of what it’s like to fly a plane, and how a plane reacts to the pilot. They can do actual checks and it simulates a lot of different Saskatchewan and Canadian airports.
And if the cadets mess up on the simulator, they will even learn what it’s like to crash and burn.
When the cadets go on various excursions, they usually eat MREs (Meals Ready to Eat), the same thing eaten by professional soldiers when in the field. The meals are focussed mainly on providing the necessary nutrition for soldiers to perform their duties, and not especially well known for their exceptional taste.
Visitors learned that physical fitness is a big part of being cadet, including taking part in a variety of sports.
Anyone interested in the history of cadets could check out a couple of earlier uniforms. The original blue uniform was worn by cadets from the 1940s until the 1990s. But the phasing out of the original blues began in 1976, when the more modern green cadet uniforms were implemented. The green uniforms were worn until 1994.
Prospective new cadets and their families also had the opportunity to watch a slide show which featured previous cadet events and activities, including: survival weekend, maps and compass use, flight simulator, rocket building and air skills development, marksmanship and ceremonial drill.
Captain Paul reminds Canora and area residents that young people between the ages of 12 and 18 are eligible to join cadets, which can be done by visiting cadets.ca.
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