Selected cadets from 525, along with cadets from other local air and army cadet units, visited Exercise Paladin Response, an annual training exercise attended by reserve combat engineering units from across the country. The soldiers were training in bridging and gap crossing tasks over land and water, learning skills that combat engineers apply in support of domestic disaster response efforts. Training was conducted outdoors in DND training areas near Chilliwack. Despite the cold and wet weather, including light snow at higher elevations, the cadets remained in good spirits and came home with new knowledge on numerous pieces of military equipment. The cadets started their day with an introductory briefing at the Colonel Roger St John Armoury in Chilliwack, where they toured the exercise's command post. They then rotated through the various training sites, where they were introduced to the equipment used in building the Acrow and Medium Girder bridges, highly portable bridges that can be assembled primarily using human power. They also visited the field medical centre, and were able to learn about the equipment in a field ambulance with staff from 12 Field Ambulance, Vancouver's reserve field medical unit. The cadets finished the day on the water, at Maple Bay, where they donned their life jackets and hiked down to the beach. Cadets took in a short cruise on a Medium Raft/ Floating Bridge, or a Rigid Hull Inflatable boat operated by personnel from HMCS Discovery. Some cadets also enjoyed paddling the waters of Cultus Lake on the inflatable assault boats. A team of 9 525 cadets competed at the annual volleyball tournament, hosted by 111 Pegasus Squadron at Eric Hamber Secondary School, along with numerous other squadrons from around the Lower Mainland.
At this month's CO's Parade, numerous cadets were recognized, as the squadron handed out the fitness and marksmanship qualifications, promoted the successful candidates for level acceleration training, and swore in all the new recruits, who were presented with their 525 squadron patches. On Dec 1st, 525's range team traveled to Sidney, BC, and competed in their training year's first air rifle competition, hosted by 676 Kittyhawk Squadron. 525's team placed 12th out of the 18 teams present. With the venue being located adjacent to Victoria International Airport, the team also took the opportunity during a break in competition to visit the nearby British Columbia Aviation Museum. |
Author525 Pathfinder Squadron, West Vancouver BC Archives
February 2024
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Parade NightsMondays Nights - Resuming Sept 9, 2024
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