Bradford Air Cadets 37 Squadron hosted its annual parade on Thursday night with an awards ceremony at Bradford District High School, recognizing the hard work and dedication of its members.
Captain JP Johnson was the Master of Ceremonies evening.
The first award was presented by Bradford Legion President Tammy Paglia to Sgt. Charlotte Lotter for her best efforts in fundraising.
The Squadron Dedication and Spirit Award was presented by 2Lt. Chow to Sgt. Nathan Weir for his enthusiasm and goodwill towards fellow cadets.
The Most Proficient First Year Cadet award was presented to LAC Jocelyn Xia by Major Case. The award is given to a first-year cadet who has adapted to the Air Cadet program and has performed through attendance, commitment and effort to a standard well above the norm.
The Top Athletic Cadet Award was given to LAC Lucas Gomes, presented by Capt. Johnson. The award is based on the Canada Fitness Assessment and participation in Squadron activities.
Sgt. Noah Sellers was presented with the Leadership Award by Lt LaChance, given to the Cadet who best exemplifies leadership qualities at the rank of Sgt. or above. Presented to the Cadet who best exemplifies leadership qualities at the rank of Sgt or above.
The Volunteer Award is given to the most active volunteer, who donates time to initiatives like the Poppy Campaign, No Stone Left Alone, the tree planting on Earth Day and Spring Tag Days. There were two recipients of this award: Sgt. Charlotte Lotter and LAC Jocelyn Xia, presented by Mr. Ron Luck and Lt. Col. Mobbs.
LAC Jocelyn Xia was also presented with the Top Attendance Award by Captain Holowatyj. The award is given to a cadet who attends 95 per cent of the mandatory training. Xia attended 97 per cent of this year's training.
LAC Shaurya Arora also received the Top Attendance Award with 95 per cent attendance, presented by Captain Case.
The Cadets have an Effective Speaking program that provides an opportunity for members to increase their self-confidence and increase their ability to reason, organize and express ideas. Mrs. Mercado and Mr. Cranston worked with the cadets and prepared them for the Zone Competition in which two competed and advanced. Thanks were given to FSgt Trinity Evans for participating in this program.
Mrs. Mercado and Mr. Cranston presented the competition certificates and pins to Sgt Lotter and Sgt Sellers.
Each Cadet received a Commanding Officer's Award for Resilience for demonstrating determination, commitment and perseverance during the pandemic.
The following Cadets received their certificate recognizing their achievement:
Cdt Arora, Cdt Chaudhry, LAC Gomes, FCpl Jiang, LAC Kobalan, Sgt Lotter, FSgt McLaughlin, Sgt McLaughlin, LAC Pratt, FCpl Scott, Sgt Sellers, LAC Sia, FCpl Troke, Sgt Weir, LAC Xia, and FCpl Xu.
FSgt Repsina received three awards, which were presented to him on May 19, before relocating to Alberta with his family: Top Instructor Award, Commanding Officers Award, and the Lord Strathcona Medal. The medal is the highest award which can be bestowed upon a cadet in recognition of exemplary performance in physical and military training.
The following Cadets were promoted to a new rank:
Appointment to LAC: LAC Arora and LAC Choudhry.
Promotion to Cpl : Cpl Gomes, Cpl Sia, Cpl Kobalan, Cpl Pratt, and Cpl Xia.
Promotion to Sgt: Sgt Scott, Sgt Troke, Sgt Jiang, and Sgt Xu.
Promotion to FSgt: FSft Lotter, FSgt Sellers and FSgt Weird.
Later in the evening, 2Lt Chow was presented with his Canadian Armed Forces Commission Script. 2Lt Chow was a Cadet and enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces while at 778 Banshee Squadron. This was presented jointly by Major Schwarz, Commanding Officer of 778 Banshee Squadron and Captain Holowatyj.
The Commission Script is a formal and unique document that provides all commissioned officers with tangible evidence of a commission in the Canadian Forces granted by the Sovereign, on behalf of Queen Elizabeth the Second and the Governor General of Canada.
Captain Roseanne Case was presented with an engraved beer mug, presented by Major Evelyn, area environmental office, on behalf of Region Cadet support Unit Central. Captain Case is an Instructor and First Supply Officer of the newly formed 37 Squadron and was honoured for her dedication to the group.
Major Stephen Case, First Commanding Officer of 37 Squadron, was also presented with an engraved beer mug and a plaque, thanking him for his dedication, commitment and service to 37 Squardron.
Civilian Instructor Lynette Mercado who has been involved with the organization for the past 22 years, was recognized with her 20 year pin from the Air Cadet League of Canada by Mike Giovanetti, and Captain Holowatyj.
The Cadets have returned to in-person training and meet every Thursday night from 6:45 to 9:30 p.m. at the Bradford Legion. Cadets are supervised and trained by members of the Canadian Armed Forces, and civilian volunteers from the Bradford community. The Commanding Officer and his officer team have decades of experience at several of the top units in Ontario and are excited to bring their experience to the province’s newest cadet program.
To learn more about the Bradford Air Cadets, visit their website here.
