gopher gazette 2013

7/27/2019 Gopher Gazette 2013

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TheGopher Gazette20 13 edition

ACSTC Annual Newsletter

Shining moments at Sunsett was a highly anticipated evening atthe Penhold Air Cadet Summer

raining Centre as 232 cadets were set toerform in their annual Sunset Ceremony.he dimly lit dome lights in the Hanger 6ave the room a warm, yellow glow; theosest thing to sunlight the cadets wereoing to see on the rainy evening.

he ceremony went on as scheduled,nd with a few adaptations, the cadetserformed the ceremony representing hat was originally a tradition of theoyal Canadian Navy.

he PACSTC Sunset Ceremony is aombination of ve distinct ceremonies:

he Beating Retreat and Tattoo, Theeu De Joie, The March Past, Thevening Hymn, and Sunset. The themespeci cally Canadian, with the Nationalag of Canada and the ags of each

rovince and Territory being paradedgether.

ne of the audience winning momentsthe ceremony was the Feu De Joie. It

presents the tradition of the night guardho signaled soldiers to re their musketsensure they were in good working orderthe end of the day. Normally the Feu

e Joie re blanks, but the cadets dontave reable ri es so all that is heard ise trigger pull. The synchronization of eir movements was a stunning display.

he drumline and trumpet fanfare alsoenerated a loud applause from theudience of staff, friends, family andadets. The cadets, as young as 14, played

total synchronization as they marched

by Sara Wasiuta

to the front of the parade. The rows of General Training cadets in the crowd hadtheir eyes locked on the drum major as he

spun the mace (his ornamented metal staff)nearly awlessly.

The cadets performed a wellchoreographed ceremony with only a week of rehearsals. Captain Halas, squadroncommander of the Drill and CeremonialInstructor Course (DCIC) says that theceremony is a product of the cadets hard

work throughout their courses.

The elements for putting together a

ceremony like this are what the music and

DCIC cadets have been working on sthe beginning of summer. Its a highlof all their training.

Halas says he is very pleased with hocadets performed in the ceremony.

Overall it was well executed, said HWe were limited by what we could dbecause of the rain, the full ceremonymore marching and pageantry where band, guard and ags move around. Bran smoothly and they adapted very w

Cadet David Giroux, 14, from 742National Capitol squadron in Ottawa that the shortened ceremony was stillgreat experience.

There would have been a lot moremarching, but it was still a lot of fun.

Giroux is a DCIC cadet at PACSTC.DCIC is an advanced training coursethat focuses on drill instruction, effecdelivery of vocal commands, paradeprocedure, and various other skills.

I think ri e drill is the best part of DCIC. We dont do it back at home, s

a good experience here.Spontaneous tunes erupted near theHanger 6 after the of cial ceremony ended as Giroux and his fellow cadetsenjoyed the satisfaction of completinone of the few elaborate ceremonies may perform as cadets. They will enjbreak from the many rehearsals leadito the ceremony, but not for long, as tprepare for their nal graduation paramarking the end of their six week co

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s we look back over the pastsix weeks we can all take great

pride in the shared accomplishment of having provided 1150 young cadets withnew, fun and dynamic developmentalopportunities in a variety of skills.

Our two, three and six week coursesprovide unique experiences for theyoung cadets who attend here. Whether

it be their rst time from home andthey learn how to function as a teamand develop being independent, orfrom our more senior courses honing and developing their skills as musicians,marksmanship instructors or drill andceremonial instructors, they all learnhow to be better citizens.

This summer provided greatopportunities for the cadets to learnthe history of this base and its linksto the British Commonwealth AirTraining Plan as we had an interesting presentation from Vintage WingsCanada that showcased Canadas criticalrole as we became the Aerodromeof Democracy training pilots forthe allied cause in World War II. 54Cadets had the unique chance to takeight in a vintage Boeing Stearmanaircraft, the very aircraft that trainedpilots as part of the BCATP out of the

Elementary Flight Training School atBowden AB. They also had a chanceto stand up close and crawl over a P51Mustang ghter plane from World WarII. Unique opportunities that will formcherished memories and were providedto us by Vintage Wings of Canada.

Our Open House showcased the

commitment of the cadets in ourDrill and Ceremonial Course andMusic Courses, as their collectiveskills shone forth in the SunsetCeremony. Additionally the Air Ri eMarksmanship Instructor Course,Netook Gliding staff and other coursesshowcased through static displays theother great challenging opportunitiesthat we provide to develop young Canadians to become great citizens.

All of these great accomplishmentscould not take place if it were not forthe commitment and dedication of the adult staff and our staff cadets. Itis this cadre of people that bring thistraining centre to life by giving up theirsummers to come to Penhold andprovide their expertise, time and energy to help our young people grow to beour future leaders.

I thank you for your commitment tothe Youth of Canada, and to PenholdSummer Training Centre. It is yourenergy and talent that make PenholdCSTC a centre of excellence for youthtraining.

As we move ahead to our nalgrad, I ask that we all put forwardour collective best to wrap up in acrescendo of positive energy showing a small portion of what we have allaccomplished in a scant six weeks.

I thank you for a great summer, I wishyou all the best and safe travels as

we move off to our home bases andembark upon applying what we havelearned here.

I look forward to seeing you next yearat Penhold.

Cheers.

Allan

From the editor:COs closingremarks

A

Cadets, friends, family and staff,

I am pleased to share with you asmall taste of what I experiencedas the Public Affairs Rep at

PACSTC this summer. Penholdsimply wouldnt thrive withoutthe dedicated staff who run it,and the positive attitude thatour cadets come and leave

with. Telling the stories of thisinspiring collection of people isan honour and a joy.

Also many thanks to our friendsthe gophers who, despite abit of a battle, are still living prosperously in our elds.

Without you, dear gophers, we wouldnt be able to carry onthe tradition of naming ournewsletter the Gopher Gazette.

Thanks to their perseverance, weare bringing you another greatissue.

Enjoy this issue, and the rest of your summer.

Sara Wasiuta

Check out our photo site:

www.penholdcadets.smugmug.com

Follow us on Twitter:

www.twitter.com/penholdcadets

Like us on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/PenholdCade


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I dont have to y this thing,do I?

Excitement and nerves burstfrom Cadet Cheyenne Tetrault

as she climbs into the yellow glider made of fabric andsteel. She sits in the front of the engineless plane with thecontrols at arms reach. Thepilot behind her assures herthat all she has to do is sitback and have fun. And, of course, not to pull the shiny red winch eject knob.

Tetrault was one of 22

General Training Cadetsthat visited the Netook Gliding Centre on Tuesday,about 60 km South of thePenhold Air Cadet Summer

Training Centre. Part of theircourse includes familiarizing themselves with the gliding program by taking a ight inone of four gliders.

Ive never been ying at all,said Tetrault as she pacedaround the shaded tent withsome other cadets who hadalready own or were waiting

Time fies whenby Sara Wasiuta

youre having fun

for their turn. Tetraults name was called which meant that when the next glider landed,she was up next. Some of herfellow cadets gave her wordsof encouragement like if youre nervous, it will only befor a minute and its like afun roller coaster.

It wasnt long before thecadets were shouting glideron nal to bring in the gliderso that Tetrault could take off for the rst time.

Tetrault and the other cadetsew about 100 kilometres perhour in the two seated glider,about the speed of a car on ahighway. They ew over 350metres in the air, a height thatNetook Of cer in CommandLieutenant Rebecca Howardsays is relatively low.

Its hot and sinky today which makes it hard to get theglider up. Ideal conditions for

winching are about 20-30 km winds and a cooler day, saidHoward.

The gliders dont have any engine or way of propelling,so they are launched by amachine called a winch. A tow rope is attached to the gliderand the winch slingshots theglider into the air. Watching from the ground, the take off looks steep.

Taking off from the winch

gave me a jump, it was scary,said Cadet Tetrault.

Though the take off may frighten some, the result of a long day in the sun was 22smiling cadet faces.

I would go again, easily. If the rest of the days are liketoday, it would be perfect,said Cadet Tetrault after her

inaugural ight.


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O f the many polishedinstruments cycling through supply over thesummer, one horn standsout as a little more rusticlooking than the rest. TheMusic Training Wing cadetsknow this trumpet as the

Immunity Horn.As the legend goes, CadetEarl Jackson owned thehorn back in 1966 when theMusic Training Wing wasfounded. Earls ight wascalled Immunity ight, whichwas the only basic ight thatPenhold School of Music hadat the time. Immunity workedvery hard to achieve greatteamwork and musicianship.Since there was no awardfor top ight of the week (possibly because there wasonly one ight) CadetJackson generously donated his hornprovided such conditionsgo along with the horn:

The ight must protectthe horn from being taken at all times.

The ight must eat,sleep and praise thehorn as a ight.

The ight will begranted one day withoutuniform parade androom inspection.

47 years later, the horn is stillalive and well. Sort of.

The front part is squishedin like a crumpled up chipbag, explains Cadet ChavezMcGilvery from Bishopight. The mouthpiece is

pointed up and twisted, but

it still has its shine.

Bishop ight was selectedas the week four winners of Music Training Wing topight. Each Thursday, cadetsand staff perform in recitalsat the House of Music. At theend of the performances, theImmunity Horn is broughtout and presented to theight who performed bestthroughout the week.

We were so surprised, itsour rst week here, saidBishop percussionist Cadet

Victoria Watts.

Cadets in the Music Training Wing will play theirinstruments for about vehours a day. The learning

curve is so great

that by the end of three andsix week programs, the cadhave improved exponentiallfrom playing on their ownto playing with variousensembles.

It takes a strong ight toexcel in the rst week of

their course. Cadets in theadvanced band have beenplaying together since early

July. Bishop ights big winon week four was creditedto, among many things,a tremendously positiveattitude.

Bishop had great roommarks. Their attitude was aconstantly good and positivIts hard to believe theyveonly been here a week, theygelled together so well, saiLieutenant Dandurand, FSquadron Training Of cer.

Cadets work hard to earn thimmunity horn for a week.

We have to have clean rooevery day, plus above standuniforms and drill, saidCadet Watts.

Other than bragging rights,the Immunity Horn grantsthe ight a free pass frominspection for one day. Its acoveted prize, but the cadetstill maintain a competitiveedge.

The bad part about gettinga day off of inspection is wcant learn what were doin

wrong said Cadet Watts.

The Horn has spokenby Sara Wasiuta1

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On behalf of ESS support services, your food provider, under resident managerDan Cormier, chefs Nic & Homer, we all hope you had a wonderful summer, as

we have enjoyed serving you.

An army marches on its stomach - Napolean (1769-1821)

Messages from yoursupport staff

Penhold is full of dedicated staff who work day and night to make thecentre run smoothly. Here are just a few of the teams that helped make thesummer possible. To the staff not featured, thank you for all that you do!

We hope all of you will have a great summer and that youll stock your communitlocal squadrons with what you have learned this summer.

Every unit that is not supported is a defeated unit. -- Maurice de Saxe, Mes ReveXIII, 1732

o all the cadets and staff, it has been both uplifting and a joy to be of service to youuring your gloomy and sunny times. We hope that you will continue to march onveryday happy and smiling.

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what liesithin us. -Henry Stanley Haskins

Whether land, sea, or air, fear not, for well be there.

To keep the body in good health is a duty otherwise we shall not beble to keep our mind strong and clear. ~ Buddha

ome on and glide with us, lets glide, lets glide away.

After tough days of training, we are happy to have served you some well deservedrefreshments and treats.After a full belly, all is poetry. Frank McCourt

Flying might not be all plain sailing, but the fun of it is worth the price. Ameliaarhart


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Staff Cadets: Placing our future in youth

Sempe Paratus Alwalys Ready

Semper Vigilans Always Watching

by Sergeant Timothy Wun

rom the average six hours of sleep a night to the 16 hour work day ahead of them, the staff cadets of PACSTC havecertainly been busy. Every day is an action packed adventure

whether theyre gliding with GTs, marching with DCIs orshooting with ARMIC. Of course in between those fun lledhappenings are the complications.

Staff cadets are acclimated to situations ranging from homesickness to minor con icts, from personal hygiene to life skillsome of which taking place late into the night. For many staff cadets, its not just about the pay, but knowing that theyhave a chance to make a difference in a young persons life.Sometimes it gets really demanding , late nights doing lessoplans, early mornings, and keeping my uniform up to standaron my off time says Kevin Workman, a GT Sgt, But

watching your cadets graduate from their course and improvethemselves in some way is a gratifying experience and totally

worth it. Although staff cadets teach most of the coursematerial, they themselves are also being taught by the coursecadets. Mentoring the future leaders of Canada incorporates

virtues of patience, time management, leadership, andprofessionalism into everyday routines. Leadership is notsomething taught out of a textbook, it is taught through thetribulations of hands-on experience that staf ng has givenme, says PO2 Gideon Lazaro.

Throughout the day, the staff cadets teach, march, andsupervise the cadets in their many classes and activities. An aof unpredictability surrounds each day, whether it is a medicaemergency, injury, emotional trauma or problems at home, thstaff cadets are almost always rst to respond. In the eveningsstaff cadets are still attentive to all course cadets in thebarracks, ensuring that the standard for uniform and hygieneis met and that the younger cadets keep busy and entertained

Flight Commander 2Lt Schmidt says that without staff cadetSummer training would be impossible. They do much of thedirect work with the course cadets. They also transmit a lotof rst-hand experience and prior knowledge about summertraining life. Support staff cadets are equally as important.

They aid the day to day operations and training conductedat the centre, with some specializing in sports, survival ormedical assistance. Although we dont directly handle thesame cadets daily, we get to interact with a greater variety ofthem, doing all sorts of work says Stirling Rempel, a TC OpSgt.

Unheralded is the work of the staff cadets. Whether it is inthe forefront or the rear, a staff cadets work is never over, at

least not until the end of the summer!

F

Keep t and have fun. - -Hal Johnson and Joanne Mcleod, BodyBreak

hank you cadets for your enthusiasm and energy, it made sports a blast this year.


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When I was up in the plane, I gotthat point of view sort of feeling. My original thoughts about what it musthave been like for those pilots weremultiplied. Just being there, it meant somuch more to experience it.

Malinowski is one of 54 cadets that were selected from PACSTC to y in a Boeing Stearman aircraft fromthe Second World War, restored by a

program called Vintage Wings.Interested air cadets were encouragedto write a short essay explaining whatthe experience would mean to them.Malinowskis one page story inspiredhis Of cer Commanding, Major Smith,and it quickly made it to the COs desk as a deserving cadet for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Malinowski knew more about that

airplane than I did. He did his research,and was very keen. He came in andknew exactly what the controls were, areally cool cadet to y with, said pilot

Jeff Bell.

Malinowski and Bell ew for about 20minutes over Springbrook and Penhoin the two-seater Stearman. The vintaplane ies at approximately 90 mph,unless its doing ups and downs to adto the excitement of being in an opencockpit.

Ive never been on a rollercoaster

before, but thats what it felt like. It was exhilarating, amazing actually, sMalinowski.

Vintage Wings is a public charitableorganization that aims to commemorathe qualities of the young men and

women that served Canada during the Cold and Second World War.

Their Yellow Wings Youth LeadershiInitiative aims to y 500 air cadets thisummer in six different restored plane

Its the energy and enthusiasm towaran experience theyve never donethat always gets me. I love watching cadets open up and I get excited withthem. These youth in the cadets areso enthralled, so driven, and we justget to reinforce those values with thisprogram, said Krusti Whelan, Vintag

Wings pilot.

Malinowkis reaction to the ight wasone that crew members heard many times throughout the four days they

were at Penhold ying cadets,

The ight wasnt long enough, Id doagain in a heartbeat.

n a folded piece of loose leaf,penned in blue ink, is the story

of a cadet who is inspired by SecondWorld War pilots.

.

Cadet Rhoe Malinowski of 395

squadron in Edmonton had theopportunity to relive those pilotsexperiences in a vintage aircraft atthe Penhold Air Cadet SummerTraining Centre (PACSTC) this

summer.

...It simply blew me away tolearn that young men and women that were barely older than myself trained mere hours before being considered qualifed enough to send them into combat. This opened upa new window of thought for me, and enabled me to imagine the lifestyle and the desperation

people faced during the war.

Two years ago my family went for a tour with Yellow Wings at the Edmonton Municipal

Airport...

O

History takes fightat Penhold

by Sara Wasiuta

gopher gazette 2013

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