Veteran's Week 2012

 

On Sunday, November 4^th, I had the opportunity to join citizens of Waterloo Region as they took time to remember and honour our Veterans at a memorial ceremony at Veteran’s Green Park in Waterloo. Represented were veterans from the army, navy and air force as well as the Cadets from our area.   Veterans' Week is a time when Canadians honour those who have sacrificed to defend Canada's values of freedom and democracy and is a time to remember all Canadian Veterans and honour those who serve today. We commemorate the sacrifices and achievements of our brave Canadians whose legacy is the peace and security we continue to enjoy as Canadians.

Today's event included an assembly at the memorial, a traditional Veteran’s Day service ministered by Rev. Paul Ellingham, Last Post and Revelle by Lt Chris Patterson, and a wreath-laying ceremony. The sound of the bagpipes resonated throughout the area of the Lament as Adam Annandale approached the flag that sadly waved at half mast. 

This upcoming Veterans' Week (November 5^th-11^th), take time to remember by attending a Remembrance Day ceremony, visiting a local cenotaph or monument, sharing your thoughts of remembrance online, or wearing a poppy with pride. Learn more and find remembrance events and activities in your area at veterans.gc.ca.

Canadian Forces Snowbirds Announce 2008 Season

News from: 15 WING, MOOSE JAW, SASKATCHEWAN

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds were delighted to announce their 2008 show season schedule December11 in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America, during the International Council of Air Shows Convention."We are looking forward to a fantastic 2008 Season and to flying Canada's colours across North America," said Major Robert Mitchell, Commanding Officer, Canadian Forces Snowbirds. "Both in the air and on the ground, we remain committed to strive and represent the best of the Canadian Forces and to preserve our tradition of excellence."During the 2008 Season, the Snowbirds are scheduled to participate in 65 air shows in 43 locations, proudly telling the Canadian Forces story through their inspirational flying and engaging team members. The team is also scheduled to conduct fly pasts of the following significant Canadian events: Canada Day, Calgary Stampede, The Formula 1 and Edmonton Grand Prix.As ambassadors of the Canadian Forces and Canada, the team will travel as far North as Yellowknife, N.W.T., as far South as Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as far West as Victoria, B.C. and as far East as Halifax, N.S. The team is also looking forward to celebrating the 400th anniversary of Quebec City, Que., 14 and 15 June and to performing in their hometown of Moose Jaw, Sask., 23 August.During the team's 38-year history, the Snowbirds have performed in about 2,100 air shows, before more than 125 million spectators.The Canadian Forces Snowbirds' mission is to represent the professionalism, skill and teamwork of the Canadian Forces and to inspire Canadians to consider an exciting career in Canada's military.For a complete list of the Canadian Forces Snowbirds' show sites, please visit the team's website at http://www.snowbirds.forces.gc.ca/ or http://www.snowbirds.forces.gc.ca/site/airshows/schedule_e.asp

If you ever get a chance to see the Canadian Snowbirds.. do so! It's an exasperating experience watching the precise and difficult synchronized manoevers of the pilots of this team. I can't wait.. See you at the Air Show! ~ m.m.

Historic Flypast for Battle of Britain Parade

Once-in-a-lifetime formation of four WWII vintage aircraft to honour Canadian war dead.

Canada's Air Force, in association with the Air Force Association of Canada, invites you to witness a flypast involving Second World War aircraft commemorating the:

67th Anniversary

of the

Battle of Britain

Sunday, September 16th, 2007

Btwn 10:15 and 11:30 a.m.

at

The Canada Aviation Museum

Ottawa

The event will also feature fly-pasts by current Canadian Forces aircraft including CF-18 fighter jets and CH-146 Griffon helicopters. Second World War veterans will march alongside serving members of Canada's Air Force and Air Cadets, and the Air Command pipes and drums will provide musical accompaniment."I am honoured to have the opportunity to show my respects to these Canadian and Allied heroes. We owe each and everyone of them our deepest gratitude," said Lieutenant-General Angus Watt, Chief of the Air Staff and Commander of Air Command.Ottawa entrepreneur and founder of Vintage Wings of Canada, Michael Potter, has agreed to provide a Spitfire, a Hawker Hurricane and a P-51 Mustang for the event. An Avro Lancaster from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario, will also take part in the flypast.One hundred and three Canadians flew in the Battle of Britain between July and October 1940. Twenty-three Canadians lost their lives during the Battle of Britain. Historians have described the Battle, which involved a total of almost 3,000-Allied aircrew, as the turning point of the Second World War. The victory, described by Sir Winston Churchill as Britain's "finest hour" gave hope to a demoralized Britain and northern Europe. It was the first battle to be won purely by air power.

PARKING:- Museum parking is restricted to veterans. Free public parking is available at CFB Rockcliffe on Codd's Road, north of Montreal Road. Continuous shuttles to and from the Canada Aviation Museum will run from 9:15 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

ADMISSION AND SEATING:- Admission to the Canada Aviation Museum will be free from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. A limited number of seats are available to the general public on a first-come-first-serve basis. The public should be seated by 10:15 a.m. The Museum is located at the intersection of Rockcliffe and Aviation Parkway.

WEATHER- Weather permitting, the ceremony will proceed as planned with fly-passes and displays. Should it rain, the ceremony will be held inside the Museum without fly-passes or displays.

Arrival of Canada's First CC-177 in Trenton

Air Force Arrival Ceremony Marking Arrival of CC-177

Where: Home base at 8 Wing / CFB Trenton

Time: 12:30 p.m. EDT

Date: Sunday, August 12, 2007

The Arrival Ceremony will include speeches from Lieutenant-General Angus Watt, Chief of the Air Staff and Colonel Michael Hood, 8 Wing Commander.After the ceremony, Lt.-Gen. Watt and Col. Hood will conduct a 20-minute media availability, along with aircrew and members of 429 (Transport) Squadron - the CC-177 squadron.
Photo identification will be required to gain base access.

On February 1, 2007 the Canadian government awarded the contract for four C-17s for delivery beginning in August 2007. Similar to Australia, Canada will be granted airframes originally slated for the U.S. Air Force, to accelerate delivery. To reduce costs, the Canadian government is purchasing the airframes from Boeing, while purchasing all the Pratt & Whitney engines from a USAF supply. This emulates the USAF approach developed in recent years to split the purchase in order to reduce costs from integrating the engines with the airframe.

Manufacturer: Boeing Crew/

Passengers: Crew: 2 pilots, 1 loadmasterCapcity: 102 troops or 36 litters and 54 ambulator patients

Payload: 74, 785 kg (164,900 lb) distributed over 18 463L master pallets or a mix of pattetized cargo and vehicles

Power Plant: 4× Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofans, 40,440 lbf (180 kN)

Performance: Max Speed: 830 km/h (520 mph),

Cruise Speed: 720 km/h (450 mph)

Range: 4,400 km (2,800 mi)

Sevice Ceiling: 13,700 m (45,000 ft)

Weights: Gross: 152,616 lb (69,226 kg)

Cargo Load: 70,547 lb (32,000 kg)

Dimensions: Wing Span: 169.8 ft (51.75 m) Length: 174 ft (53 m) Height: 55.1 ft (16.8 m) Wing Area: 3,800 ft² (353 m²)

Armament: None

TUAV Flight- Roto 2

Corporal Aaron Dycke recently returned to 19 Wing Comox after a six-month tour as a Safety Systems Technician packing parachutes for Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (TUAV) in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Here is a story Cpl Dycke wrote for the "Totem Times" about his experience. Welcome Home Cpl Dycke.

A TUAV launches from its platform

at Kandahar Air Field last November.

CREDIT: MCPL YVES GEMUS

Our tour in Kandahar has been a time I shall never forget. I had the distinct pleasure of serving with the Tactical Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle (TUAV) flight as a part of the Battle Group of Op Athena, Task Force 3-06 at Kandahar Air Field (KAF) in Afghanistan.
The flights are comprised of CF members from all three elements with the most current flight, roto three, being made up of members from 403 Helicopter Operational Training Squadron and the 4th Air Defence Regiment both from CFB Gagetown. I volunteered for the job because of my experience and qualifications packing parachutes.
Our job was to maintain visual surveillance for the troops on the ground with a large remote control aircraft. Most of us had trained together a year before our tour started and developed a strong friendship before even landing in this theater of operations. Air Force, Army, Navy, French and English, men and women, with such a diverse group we have worked together as a seamless team with very few faults or problems.
At first I was a little nervous but mostly excited about coming here. But as soon as we got off of the aircraft there was a small party of people to welcome and help us into the KAF routine. When I first volunteered for this tour I didn't really realize how important Canada's role here was until that first welcome speech given to us by an American General. He stated that "Having a Canadian face on this conflict will make the rest of the world realize just how vital it is to secure this country and establish their new government. Because the world recognizes your ethical and moral values and that you won't enter or be pushed into a conflict unless you truly believe in its goal." Hearing this from a General from another country emphasized this statement even more.

Cpl Dycke's TUAV Flight served in Afghanistan

between August 2006 and February 2007.

CREDIT: SUBMITTED

We started our training in September of 2005 and spent some time at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright, then CFB Suffield and then more training at CFB Edmonton. That was when I started to grow fond of the "field life" that I had missed out on at an Air Force base. Most of our TUAV Flight is from CFB Edmonton and I think that is where I learned the most. Not only the pre-deployment training which taught soldiering skills relevant to the mission, but also taught us about our team members. Spending time with them we had some dinners and barbeques and got to know each others' families. It takes a certain kind of person to be a military spouse. Strong and supportive doesn't even begin to describe them. We all had to spend a lot of time away from our families - some of our guys have been in KAF for nine months!
I can't speak for everyone but from my perspective, (and I'm sure not everyone will be able to understand this) but it brought my wife and I even closer, and made me realize the things I have to change about myself to be a better father and husband. I also realized, (which I'm sure thousands did before me) that it's not easy being a husband, father, and a soldier. But we just keep reminding ourselves that what we do here protects them at home. Having a wife that grew up as a "base brat" helped since she already had a firm understanding of the military life since her father and grandfather were both in the military. Knowing there is a strong support network at home for your family also helps alleviate the separation anxieties.
Now I'm not going to throw tales at you that we lived in holes in the ground and ate bugs and stuff like that. We stayed in semi-permanent shelters, rarely left the base but lived by the pager waiting to be called to work. We lived with the Battle Group and watched them come and go. Now that is a hard life which I can't even begin imagine! These men and women go out on the front lines for around a month at a time. They have bottles of water for their showers, eat field rations, and then they come back for a day or two, have a hot shower, do their laundry, have a warm meal and then go back out.
Corporal Aaron Dycke receiving the General Campaign Star from Brigadier-General Timothy Grant at Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan in February 2007. CREDIT: DND
Listening to them talk you have to admire their courage and bravery. I remember hearing one saying to his buddy in passing "man, I didn't think I was coming home from this one." Personally I felt that I wasn't doing enough to help them but whenever I mentioned I was with TUAV I always got a big "thank you!" from them. When I heard that because we where there, watching, flying over head they could sleep easier at night just hearing the sound of our engines knowing someone was watching out for them and they knew they weren't alone it made me feel like my little contribution was worth it.
I'll admit there where some times when we first came here when we got rocketed or mortared that I worried for my mortality but after a month we became desensitized to them. And they became more of a nuisance than anything. We'd hear the explosion, have to stop work, get our gear on go to the bunkers and sign in and wait for the all clear and then go back to work. But it's these protocols that keep us alive. Frustrated at times with the crazy hours of operations or trying to order parts and living on mess food we all developed an odd sense of humor that was unique in our own. One has to have a dark sense of humor to keep their sanity in check in a place like this.
All in all it was an amazing experience that I wouldn't have traded for anything. I learned a lot about myself and my fellow man, got a new found respect for life, deepened my love of our country, and I know this may sound cheesy to some but after years of absence at my own fault I even found God again. I also had some amazing instructions in patience and tolerance and feel that I have matured a great deal. This... is the military life.

Change of Command for Canada's Air Force - July 26th

July 25, 2007 -

Command of Canada's Air Force will officially change during a ceremony to be held at: The Canada Aviation Museum
Thursday, July 26, 2007 at 11:30 a.m.

Shown Here: Lieutenant-General Angus Watt
http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca

Lieutenant-General Angus Watt will succeed Lieutenant-General Steve Lucas as the Commander of Air Command and Chief of the Air Staff. LGen Lucas has held this appointment since May 16, 2005, and is retiring after almost 38 years of distinguished service to Canada.

General Rick Hillier, Chief of the Defence Staff, will preside over the transfer of leadership.

A 50-person Honour Guard and Colour Party will be provided by 8 Wing Trenton, with music from the Canadian Forces Central Band and the Air Command Pipes and Drums.

New Vision Standards For CF Aircrew Candidates

July 25, 2007
Just in...a change in history..
Canada's Air Force has recently approved updated vision standards for aircrew candidates.

Under the new standards, applicants who wear glasses or contact lenses to provide modest correction to their vision are now eligible for consideration, whereas previously, applicants required uncorrected vision. The decision to adjust the minimum vision standard is based on the findings of a scientific review by a third party contractor with oversight from Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC).

"The updated standards are based on scientific measurements that more accurately reflect the reality of operator requirements," said Chief of Air Staff Medical Advisor, Captain (Navy) Cyd Courchesne. "This is good news for the Canadian Forces as well as for many aircrew candidates, who in the past did not quite meet the previous vision standards."

The previous standards were based on a Second World War-era policy that uncorrected vision was necessary to fly combat aircraft, however, this policy was not substantiated by scientific research. It was decided that the vision standard for aircrew candidates should be based on modern scientific testing in order to be as fair and as inclusive as possible to all those desiring to become Canadian Forces aircrew.

Within the aircrew occupations, the new vision standards have the most impact for prospective pilots. There will be no change in the expected flying performance of pilots because of the adjusted standards.

Applicants who have had corrective (laser) eye surgery are not eligible for entry into the pilot occupation.

The Canadian Forces has not had any difficulty attracting pilot applicants in the past several years. In the future, the new vision standard will result in a larger pool of applicants and a more competitive selection process.