Gen. Wayne Eyre, Canada's chief of the Defence Staff, inspects the 2313 South Alberta Light Horse Kiwanis Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps at the annual ceremonial review at Patterson Armoury on June 19, 2023.

By Chris Brown

Canada’s top military commander returns to Medicine Hat for cadet inspection and parade

Jun 19, 2023 | 7:12 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The cadet class of 2023 had a special guest in its midst for its annual ceremonial review on Monday at Patterson Armoury.

Gen. Wayne Eyre, Canada’s chief of the defence staff, led the reviewing party inspecting the 2313 South Alberta Light Horse (Kiwanis) Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps at the ceremony. It was a homecoming for him, as he was a member of this very corps from 1980-1984.

He says his time in cadets was instrumental in his life. It’s there he learned many of the skills and values that helped him rise to the position of Canada’s top military commander.

“It’s the self-confidence, it’s the ability to get up in front of a group of people and talk, it’s the leadership, it’s the ability to face a challenge and expand your limits. And so many of those lessons, they just kept going on and on and on as the limits became farther and farther and expanded and expanded,” Eyre says. “It’s the values of teamwork, of trust, of working together, of service, of being part of something bigger that I think our country continues to need.”

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Following the inspection and parade, there was a demonstration by the drill team and awards were presented to the top cadets of this year’s class.

Eyre then addressed the cadets, saying it’s fantastic to see what the program delivers year after year. He says it’s the best youth program in the country and if he could do it all over again he certainly would.

“It takes anybody. It’s free. In fact, cadets often get paid for it for summer camp. It’s a great equalizer when you put the uniform on and so everybody regardless of background is treated the same,” he says. “And it’s the opportunity to progress, to learn those valuable leadership skills, the value of citizenship and many life skills which will serve them tremendously later on.”

There are 48 members of the local 2022-23 army cadet corps.