Royal Canadian Air Cadets Griffin Squadron 340 recently held its 47th annual Review at Southampton Coliseum with family and friends looking on as the cadets went through drill marching routines and received awards.
Several special guests also attended including, Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson, Pat O’Conner, Constituency Manager for MP Ben Lobb, Port Elgin Legion Branch 340 Secretary Norma Dudgeon, Southampton Legion Branch 155 Charles Schmalz Sgt. Major & Pres. Derek Johnston and many Cadet family members and friends.
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Under the leadership since 2022 of Captain Bruce Schoettler, Squadron Commanding Officer, Griffin Squadron has increased in number to more than 45 cadets. At the Review, Capt. Schoettler welcomed Cadet families, friends and guests, and special Reviewing Officer Jackie Book.
Book is a former Royal Canadian Air Force instruction pilot (ret’d), a C-130 tactical airlift pilot and Director of the RCAF Multi-Engine School. Globally, she flew in support of the International Security Assistance Force and the Canadian Military. As one of Canada’s leading Women in combat for her time in Afghanistan, she is recognized in a permanent exhibit at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. Today, she flies the Boeing 737 for
Westjet and serves on numerous boards supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in
Canadian and international aviation.
Among her many credentials, she is most recently known for designing and developing one of Canada’s leading pilot training programs – Commercial Fight and Aviation Leadership. She is also a Director, Commercial Aviation Management and is leading the YXU Aerospace Educational Hub at Western University. In addition, she is the Canadian Ambassador for Women in Aviation International.
Several annual Awards were also handed out that included Best Jr. Cadet, Best dressed Uniform, Most Improved Cadet, Marksmanship, Excellent Attendance and many more. A special award this year was the Capt. Robert (Rob) Herborth CD Memorial award for Marksmanship.
One of the most memorable awards was presented by Cpt. Bruce Schoettler to Cadet WO1 Tyler Little for Best Senior Cadet as he ‘ages out’ of cadets at the age of 19.
Guest speaker Capt. Book stressed the importance of life lessons that youth learn as a cadet.
“What i have seen here today – the uniforms, the discipline, the drills and the teamwork are expressions of the teamwork you have put in every year. This however, is something much bigger than marching, uniforms and lecturing. It is about determination and grit. One of the biggest lessons I learned in my military career is that leadership is built long before it is ever needed. You become a leader through the habits you build every day … showing up on time, doing what you said you would do, taking responsibility for your mistakes, looking after your team mates and holding yourself to a higher standard and that average is not acceptable. These are things that create leaders.”
She said that, during her three tours to Afghanistan, she often had the honour and heartbreak of bringing Canadian soldiers home to their families. “Those experiences taught me that character matters. When life gets difficult, people cannot suddenly develop discipline, grit, resilience or leadership, they rely on the habits they have built over many years and that’s exactly what you (cadets) are learning here today. One thing I can say is … you can always tell when someone was a cadet. They show up on time, they know how to shake someone’s hand, how to look someone in the eye, how to present themselves professionally, how to treat someone with respect, how to work as part of a team and you know how to be part of a team and lead when required. You also carry yourself with confidence, integrity and pride. Those skills will help you whether you become a pilot, a teacher, a doctor, a trades person, a business owner, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces or anything else that you choose to pursue.”
Book says there are two things every person should learn in life – leadership and how to conduct yourself professionally. “Everyone is responsible for your own future. You are building a reputation everyday, you are building trust every day. The choices that you make today will shape the opportunities that you are given in the future. You are on a path that will serve you for the rest of your life. Never underestimate what you are learning here.”
“I have flown around the world, I have served i combat zones, and I have worked alongside remarkable members of the Canadian Armed Forces, I have worked with airline executives and industry leaders and university presidents and I can tell you that the people who succeed are rarely the smartest in the room. They are the ones that show up, you can depend on and are the people who do the right thing even when nobody is watching. They are the ones who lead with integrity and keep going when things get difficult. They are the ones with discipline, character, grit and leadership.” … Captain Jackie Book
During the past year, the Griffin Cadets have had the opportunity to experience a wide variety of events including: London Air Show, Zone Shooting Competition, Introduction to Curling, Barrie Snowirds Airshow, Field Training and more.
While training activities are important to the Squadron, they also give back to the community by participating in events such as the Legion Poppy Drive, Remembrance Day Parade, Santa Claus Parade Port Elgin and annual ‘clean-up day’.
The Royal Canadian Air Cadets is a national organization for Canadian youth between the ages of 12 and 19 and is a result of a partnership between the Department of National Defence (DND), the Canadian Forces and the Air Cadet League of Canada.
The local Squadron meets for regular training weekly from 6:30 p.m. – 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday evening at “The Griffin” at Northport Public School and will be starting up again in September. In addition, in July and August, many summer training activities are available to cadets at no cost.
