Written By: Brevo Fernando, OCdt
I joined the Air Cadet program shortly after turning 12, with my mom forcing me to. Although I always liked the army and all those action movies about it, I never really knew much about the Air Cadet program. It was a completely new world when I joined. For the first couple of months, I had no intention of staying in the program. Everyone was new, the way things had to be done was new. As a kid, nothing is worse than something new. Regardless, I had no choice; I had to go every week as I had committed to it. As I continued in the program, it slowly began to sink into me. I was learning a lot of history about Canada, a lot about aviation including how airplanes work, citizenship, leadership and much more.
As years went by, it was my mom trying to get me out of the program and I refusing to. I made tons of friends across the country from different summer camps, and really enjoyed the sense of family with the others at my own unit. Best part of it all? I got paid to do all the courses and didn’t spend a penny. The program also allows you to get a scholarship every summer to get your private pilots license…FOR FREE!
Being 19 years old now, the Cadet program has retired me. I left the program as a Warrant Office 1st Class, formally known as the Chief, which is the highest rank. I managed 120 cadets in terms of their training, uniform and deportment. Also I was responsible for organizing events, trips and training, including the drill team.
This past Wednesday, I was officially sworn in as an officer in the Canadian Forces. This milestone in my life was honourably done by our Detatchment Commander, a rare occurrence. It was a very exciting and unique moment for myself.
In addition to the big day, I was also provided another rare opportunity. Myself and a selected number of officers opened a brand new unit in Markham,ON named 883 Air Commodore Leonard Birchall Squadron. This event very rarely happens, and I was honoured to have been a part of it.
I currently hold the position of Administration Officer at the unit and look forward to many more experiences and opportunities from this amazing program. I give this program the majority of the credit for who I am today and the skills I pack with me.
