Before his squadron on December 2, Troy Rogowski, commanding officer of the 606 Preeceville Harvard squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, was promoted to the rank of captain.

Captain Rhonda Notschaele of Regina made the presentation on December 2. She also inspected the squadron following the parade. She acknowledged the hard work and dedication of the squadron and spoke briefly on the accomplishments of Cpt. Rogowski.

He started his cadet career at the age of 12 when he joined the program, Notschaele said. He graduated from the program in 2000, took a short break, and came back to the program as a civilian officer is 2003. In 2006, he was promoted from an officer cadet to a first officer. He continued upgrading himself and in March of 2008, he was promoted to a second lieutenant, followed by a promotion to lieutenant in January of 2012.

To earn his promotion to captain, Rogowski had to enrol in and complete a basic officer qualification course, followed by an air environment course, range safety officer training for air rifles, and the intermediate officer training course, which he completed in October. He also took a course so that he could qualify as a range safety officer for small bore/biathlon.

“This promotion has opened the doors for me and the squadron,” said Rogowski. “It is a personal achievement for me that I am very proud of. Cadets has been a huge part of my live and I am proud to be able to give other cadets the same opportunity that I had.”

Squadron busy

The Preeceville squadron has been busy with events such as the fall exercise at Sask Cadet with Melville and Indian Head squadrons. Cadets sold poppies for Remembrance Day and efforts are being made to arrange for a shooting day. A movie nightand pizza party are being planned for the Christmas wind-up.

In February, the squadron will be traveling to Sask Cadet for a winter exercise, this time with squadrons from Melville, Indian head and Oxbow.

Cadets is a free program supported by National Defence, the Air Cadet League of Canada and with local support.

The national cadet program is meant to develop in youth the attributes of leadership, develop engaged and active citizenship, and enhance physical fitness, all within in a safe environment that stimulates an interest in the Canadian Forces.