CWO Retires & S3M 2025 Part 1

The day had finally arrived for the cadet Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) of 3045 Army Cadets.  Their last day to be exact.  As I mentioned before, the Canadian Cadet Program is for youth aged 12 – 18.  You retire - “age out” - on your 19^th birthday.  It was time for the CWO to hang up his uniform for the last time.

At the end of the regular training night, the cadets honoured & thanked the CWO’s time & achievements by doing a March Past.  He stood tall & proud as the cadets marched passed him.  The cadet Master Warrant Officer (MWO) led the parade.  I stood on the sidelines taking photographs.  The MWO gave the CWO the opportunity to say a few words to the cadets.  The CWO thanked the cadets for supporting him and encouraged them to keep going in the program.  He dismissed the cadets for the last time.  I shook his hand & congratulated him for making it to the end.        

I received a March Past when I aged out as an MWO many, many years ago.  To be honest, I didn’t expect it, but I was honoured.        

The following day, 3045’s Marksmanship Team departed for Winnipeg to compete in the Stage 3 Regional Marksmanship Competition.  I was granted leave from my civilian job to attend as their escort officer & coach.  We spent the previous weekend packing air rifles, shooting jackets, safety glasses, tools, and our personal kit.  We were excited.

The plane took off from Arctic Bay in the afternoon, and we successfully landed in Iqaluit.  We proceeded through security, waited a few hours, and then boarded the Canadian North plane bound for Ottawa.  I enjoyed the chicken Tuscan dinner meal.  We landed in Ottawa just after midnight, picked up our luggage, and took the free shuttle to the hotel.  We slept well in our hotel rooms.

The cadets enjoyed breakfast on the ground floor of the hotel.  Our flight to Winnipeg wasn’t until the early evening so we had time to spare in Canada’s capital.  I suggested we take the newly built light-rail trainline to a nearby Wal-Mart to shop.  The cadets happily agreed.  The cadets & I spent an hour at Wal-Mart.  We then enjoyed lunch at Montana’s.  I ordered steak.  We then returned to the hotel.

We boarded an Air Canada jet in the late afternoon and flew to Winnipeg.  The flight was uneventful.  We picked up our luggage in the Arrivals Area and were greeted by a former 3045 army cadet who happened to be in Winnipeg on personal business.  He took a group photo of us sitting in front of the large YWG sign.  (YWG is the code for the Winnipeg Airport).  We were picked up by an officer who drove us to CFB Winnipeg.  He dropped us off at a barracks building where all the other out-of-town cadet teams would be staying.  My cadets & I were assigned rooms.  I had a room to myself.  The benefits of being a CIC military officer.

Lights out was at 11:00pm.  Everyone was told to get a good night’s rest because the weekend was going to be busy & competitive.

To Be Continued . . .