Kit Return Day

 

It was with a heart made heavy by mixed emotions, and no small portion of anxiety for government bureaucracy, that I returned, fourteen years to the day, like a creature returning to its hatchery to spawn and die, to Clothing Stores to return my issued kit.

There my burdens, literal and administrative, were checked off, like a ledger of old sins being tallied up on Judgement Day.

• Belt, trousers 1
• Pack Assembly 1
• Shirt, combat 2
• Coat, cold weather, combat 1
• Coat, wet weather, combat 1

And on it went.

Each article, made intimate by long usage, named, checked on a computer, and tossed into a bin until this, my last duty to King and Country was complete. 

"That's it, sir. You're done." said the Stores Clerk.

Farewell to Trumpets

The salutes have been given. The parade has marched off to thunderous applause. The band has fallen silent and packed their instruments away. The Training Year is complete. 

Band, Alpha Flight and Flag Party being inspected by the Outgoing CO

I broke my usual monastic habit and went out for drinks after, but it being a work night I, I put some money towards the group tab and left after only a half pint. As I put my beret on and went out the door of the bar to walk to my car, it suddenly struck me, this would be my last time wearing my uniform. 

At last night's parade,  I watched the young lady who was just an OCdt when I assumed command of the Squadron, and who had kept me organized as my Admin O and confidante for three hectic years. I watched her perform the Rituals passing command to her successor after a very successful six year tour as CO, rebuilding from Covid. 

I sat with the other past COs, and enjoyed the Liturgy of a Cadet Squadron performing a Ceremonial Review, marveling at how good they'd gotten in the past year.

My Mustering Out was recognized and words were said, gifts were given, and hands were shook. After the dismissal, five of the senior cadets approached to each give me a last salute and say good bye. A few parents expressed their appreciation as well.

It's gratifying to know I made a positive impact.

All the departing staff were given pictures of appropriate aircraft, but as Samantha said, I got a picture with a plane on fire.

Also probably a nod to my constant efforts to inject RCAF history in general, and the Battle of Britain in particular, every chance I got.

An uncharacteristic hug from a woman I admire.

And because I like Old things, (but am not apparently "old"!), they gave me my favorite office chair, which was in the squadron offices for decades and  at my desk for the past six years. 

"What are you going to do on Tuesday nights now?"

"Well, I think I'm going to sit in my new chair and paint!"

It's time to go, but part of me is going to miss it.

The Last Sortie

 

As I dumped my gear by the door early Saturday morning, it struck me that this was the last time I'd be doing this.

My release date is a month away, and the training schedule is running out. So this would be the last time I packed my ruck for an outing with some cadets.

A little bittersweet, but making sure the youngsters got an opportunity to be in the air was important. I have been glad to be part of it these past 14 years. 

Stormy weather meant no gliding, so they got taken up in the tow plane. 

But it's time to leave with grace and dignity, instead of hanging around past my Best Before date and getting told to leave.

Getting Blinged Up

A milestone last night as I was presented with my Canada Decoration for 12 years service.

This is the least of all Armed Forces decorations, jokingly referred to as the award for "12 years undiscovered crime."

But for CIC officers it is 12 years of evenings, weekends, vacation time. Unlike Primary Reserve, we are expected to work more than our alloted 25 days pay per year. I always tell new officers that with prep time on lessons, and planning activities, they should expect to work twice that.

And when you see a bright young person flourish, and tell you what a positive influence you were on their life, it's worth it.

Capt Rabbitman Flying High

It was awfully nice of the RCAF to arrange a flight on a C130J Hercules for me on my birthday weekend. OK, there were about 1200 Air Cadets from all over the region in attendance too, but still, we know it was all about me.

As a way to get the "air" into Air Cadets after two years of no gliders, virtual training and restricted summer training, Regional HQ got a couple of C130Js from 436 Transport Squadron in Trenton to log some training hours flying cadets around. Public Affairs got some visibility for the program with press from local and national outlets covering the day as well.

Gratuitous breakfast shot. Starting the weekend right and fortifying myself for the day head.

It was a much different experience form the last familiarization flight I went on. Everything went much smoother. Bus left just after lunch. Our driver was an alumnus of the Squadron and remembered doing famil flights in C119 Flying Boxcars back in the 60s!. We arrived around 1330. Checked in with our manifests and then waited for maybe half an hour, got our safety briefing, then loaded onto the Herc.

The hold was much more crowded than the Globemaster, seats not as comfortable, but still OK. I think I'd be ok in them for a transatlantic flight if I had too. It was a lot noisier and much bumpier. One of my cadets had to use the motion sickness bags provided. As the Loadmaster said in his Safety Briefing: "this plane is designed to make you vomit. I've see big tough infantry guys lose their lunch." The takeoff and landing seemed much more aggressive than the Globemaster too.

After a 25 minute flight down to Port Stanley on Lake Ontario it was back on the bus and home by 1630, half an hour ahead of schedule!

Ready to go!

Flying with the ramp down

My 2i/c took this shot from the other end of the hold. You can see me way at the back near the door to the flight deck.

Only about 7 of the 18 cadets in my group were in the program for the Globemaster flight, so this will be a great engagement for the junior cadets who have only had 2 years of Google Classes and Zoom meetings.

March SITREP

We're a bit stuck at present

I've been a bit bogged down lately. 

The return to in person training at cadets and consequently planning for some day activities this spring has added some demands on my time.

I've also been planning Hot Lead for 18-20 March. www.hotlead.ca 

So far I've got 

• 2x virtual games
• 1x 15mm ADLG ancients tournament 
• 4x FRPG games
• 58x open participation games 
• 2x game system demo tables

Which is down from the planned list for the cancelled Hot Lead 2020, which had been shaping up to be our best year ever. A few game masters are staying away. The cancellation of the Bring and Buy will also depress attendance I'm sure. But it should still be a good time. 

After finishing the Bavarians, I started on some more Napoleonics three weeks ago; 12x Russian uhlans, 12x skirmishing Russian Jaegers and 16x Prussian musketeers. 

I've gotten this far on the uhlans:

I like having the infantry on nails for more comfortable holding during painting. The Mad Padre gave me a bag of wine corks which I'm going to try for cavalry. During priming and undercoating I found them very unstable so I added some bases for stability from water damaged art board.

So far, so good. Not that I've done any more brushwork to effectively determine how they work.

I've been reading though, doing some background research on the naval operations in the Solomon Islands to sort out a list of ships for the Mad Padre to print for me. I could buy a set of .stl files for the entire USN  for around USD$100, and another for the entire IJN, but I'm pretty certain I don't need all those carriers and battleships. I mostly need a dozen destroyers for each side and a selection of cruisers.

All that, plus added obsessive doomscrolling about events in Europe have really sucked up my time.

I'm hoping Hot Lead will reinvigorate my mojo.

Fall Renewal

I am recovering from the first Field Training Exercise with the cadets in two years.

Covid-19 restrictions and virtual training meant that last year cadets was entirely on line. Our experienced Senior Cadets all aged out without proper send offs and we've got a new cohort come up without the chance to develop properly. 

But increased vaccinations and easing restrictions has resulted in some limited Face To Face training again.  We were able to, on very short notice, put together a one day training scheme to teach some basic survival techniques, fire the air rifles and give the new Senior Cadets some important opportunities to practice leadership and instruction. 

My usual FTX look. Rain jacket over fleece sweater. Plus Covid mask.

Getting some range work 

Air to Ground signals and basic survival skills

Trying to make fires on a wet day

Improvised shelters

We had 21 cadets out who all had fun (they were all very excited to have MREs for lunch) and learned some new things and knocked the rust off some skills that had atrophied with the Senior Cadets. 

It was good to have my fleece sweater on again.

Remembrance Day 2019

His soul swooned softly as he heard the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead.

-James Joyce, The Dead

In Which Capt Rabbitman Relinquishes His Burdens

Three years ago  when I first took at look at what was to be my new command I found 20 cadets, a very serious, brand new OCdt and a small staff with an average age of 59 or so, and a Support Committee of 4. My objective for my tour of command was to rebuild and effect some cultural changes to revitalize the unit.

This past Saturday I handed over command of the Squadron to the same young lady, now a Lieutenant. After three years of anxiety, self-doubt and constantly thinking that I've messed up, I realized that I had achieved all of my strategic goals, and many tactical objectives too. The Squadron has now 39 cadets on strength, more, younger staff and an engaged enthusiastic Support Committee of 11 for fundraising.

As usual, the Squadron was well turned out and made me look good. 

Signing the official documents 

Handing the Squadron banner to the Area OC is the symbolic moment 

My successor takes the responsibility 

The Area Commander gave me this nice tangible recognition of a job well done.

From the cadets a nice picture of a Spitfire for me and a bouquet of Air Cadet blue and yellow flowers for the patiently supportive Mrs. Rabbitman .

I'm staying with the Squadron for at least a year. I'm just switching desks and hats to DCO and help train our young staff. Hopefully more time working directly with the cadets and less time in meetings will revitalize me too.

In Which Capt. Rabbitman Takes His Cadets to See the Big Zoomy Thing

A Warrent Officer working at HQ in London leveraged his connections in the Sr. NCM Mafia to bring a C17 Globemaster transport jet from 428 Squadron to London last Saturday for familiarization flights with the Air Cadets. It was a long weekend and only a month's notice, plus seats were limited, so I had a few stressful weeks getting names confirmed, and then removing names from the list up to the last day as cadets dropped out.

But we arrived in London to be told the aircraft was 7 hours late (mechanical issues, aircraft had to be rerouted) and a very harried Sergeant was working frantically to reconfigure the chalks.

However the giant aircraft arrived shortly after we did and our bus driver was OK with staying late. So we hung around and waited....

But at last we were organized into our chalk, put in our ear plugs and got loaded!

For a good part of our half hour flight the aircraft flew with the ramp down, which provided quite the view.

My friend Maj Steve Wilson (he's behind me in the above pic with white hair) has a very nice camera and took most of these pictures. My cell phone mostly got glare trying to shoot the open hatch. 

It was quite the view as the large, but nimble, jet swooped along the shore of L. Erie.

A much later day than planned, but enjoyed by all.