A trip across Europe next year will bring Cochrane’s cadets a little closer to one of the world’s most brutal times in history.
The Cadet Corps of the King's Own Calgary Regiment will be travelling to England, France, Germany, Poland and the Netherlands in April 2017.
One specific stop the expedition will be making is at Vimy Ridge in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.
The Battle of Vimy Ridge took place from April 9 to 12, 1917, during the First World War when the Canadian Corps overtook the German Sixth Army. The battle was the first time all four divisions of the Canadian Corps fought together and thus became a nationalistic symbol of achievement and sacrifice.
“We’ve gotten a few books at home for Vimy and we want to read over them and learn some stuff about it. But we’re definitely excited for the trip,” said trooper Angellana Patterson with the cadets.
Both Patterson and trooper Austin Camacho think schools should cover Canada’s military history sooner in their curriculums. The subject of Canada’s involvement in the world wars is taught in Grade 11 in Alberta.
“I think schools should be teaching us that sooner because you want to know how your country was developed and its history,” Camacho said.
According to Sgt. Kieran Hughes, being in the cadets allows youth to learn from past role models.
“When kids join cadets, if someday they want to be like the people that sacrificed their lives, they can. It gives them the opportunity to be like them and learn from them,” Hughes said.
Cochrane’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch 15 hosted the 99th anniversary of The Battle of Vimy Ridge on April 10. In attendance were various legion members and veterans, the army cadets, the air cadets, and Banff-Airdrie MP Blake Richards.
“I think that it’s a really important day and time in our country’s history – many people say it’s sort of when we were forged as a nation,” Richards explained.
He was a guest speaker at the event and encouraged those in attendance to take an interest in Canada’s history and instil that in our country’s youth.
“Especially now that all the veterans from the First World War have passed on, it’s all the more important that we remember and make sure that our young people know. I’m really glad so many cadets attended (the Vimy Ridge Day event).”
With roughly a year to wait until their trip, the Cadets are busy fundraising. The group considers it an important endeavour that aligns with their values.
“Our history makes us who we are, so it eventually builds up to what we will become,” Patterson explained.
According to its website, the aim of Cadets throughout Canada is to teach leadership and citizenship as well as give a basic understanding of the Canadian Armed Forces and Reserves.
For more information about the Cochrane Army Cadets, visit www.kocr.ca.
