After the old facility hit capacity last year, a new air cadet squadron has opened in northwest Calgary.
About 130 cadets paraded through Good Shepherd Church on Saturday to celebrate the creation of the 918 Griffon Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron. The special ceremony recognized the accomplishments of the cadets, parents, volunteers and officers.
Officials said that during the 2017-18 training year, 781 Calgary Squadron’s enrollment reached 300 cadets, and without another facility in the city’s north, they decided to work out the logistics of developing a new one.
Cadets who marked the milestone said it was an honour.
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“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Warrant Officer 1st Class Dyllon Wong.
“It’s very rare that you get to even see this sort of a standup parade. Squadrons don’t get built or created very often, so what that means is that this is the only chance we’re ever going to be a part of one of these things. Not every cadet gets the opportunity to do this.”
Wong has been with the cadets since he was 12, saying it was a place where he belonged and an escape from bullies.
“I got made fun of because of the stuff I was wearing, and luckily, here we all wear uniforms so we don’t really have to worry about that,” he said.
“It also helped me to develop a lot of interpersonal skills,” Wong added. “I was really shy, really antisocial, but now it’s really helped me and created this environment where I can be myself, I can be open with people. It’s helped me become the person I am today.”
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