SPRINGBROOK – As the 7 Penhold Royal Canadian Air Cadets hosted their 77th Annual Ceremonial Review Parade they were treated with the company of a cherished veteran .
Elmo Johnson, 91, was invited as one of the first cadets with the squadron in 1942.
“I was going to school in Benalto at that time. They used to have a bus that started out of Rocky Mountain House and stopped at all the little towns and we came in here to cadet camp,” said Johnson. “This was an RAF (Royal Air Force) camp.”
He was 14 years old when he joined the 7 Penhold air cadets in 1942 and shared some memories of his time back then.
“If I remember correctly there were 3,000 air cadets in this area. That was a lot of cadets,” he said. “They came from Red Deer, Lacombe, Innisfail and west all the way to Rocky Mountain House.
“There was a little guy from Rocky Mountain House, his name was Gordie Becker. When you went to camp, you had to get to size and him and I were the shortest people in the squadron. We always got pushed down to the end,” said Johnson with a chuckle.
He is happy to see the squadron continue for 77 years.
“I’m glad to see the squadron still running. It’s been a great success,” Johnson added.
The annual review parade took place at the Sky Wings Aviation Hangar 13 in Springbrook on June 17.
A total of 37 cadets, between the ages of 12 and 18, were on parade in Springbrook.
The event wraps up the cadet training year, although several cadets will participate in summer camp training across Canada.
"It's a progressive program so as they move through the program they gain more responsibility,” said Capt. Neil Oxner, deputy commanding officer.
Awards were also given out during the ceremony.
"We present our top awards for our senior and junior leaders and our citizenship awards,” said Oxner. “We also present a medal to one of the cadets, for the Legion Medal of Excellence, which is awarded annually."
The outdoor event included special guests and dignitaries such as Mike Yargeau, the mayor of Penhold, representatives from the Innisfail Royal Canadian Legion and reviewing officer Nicole Goehring, Canadian Forces Liaison with the Government of Alberta.
She said it was good to see Albertans support their future leaders.
“It’s such an honour to be reviewing officer and to be able to show appreciation for these young, future leaders,” said Goehring.
Oxner said it was a successful season for the cadets.
"It’s been a really productive year and we're looking forward to moving forward to next year and being just as productive," Oxner concluded.
