Bonnyville Legion celebrates its 70th anniversary

For the Bonnyville Nouvelle.

Legion Branch President Dan Gates, Hall Manager Duane Hite, Mayor Gene Sobolewski, Lt. (N) Bob McRae, Ladies Auxiliary President Roberta Daniels and Ladies Auxiliary member Margow Matthews stand with a pair of memorial wreaths laid to remember the fallen.

Eric Bowling

While everyone in Bonnyville was out in full-force to celebrate Canada Day last Friday, a large number of people had an additional milestone to celebrate.

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 183 celebrated its 70th anniversary with an open house in Bonnyville on July 1 with a crowded hall of veterans, their families, friends and supporters.

“I’m amazed by the turnout, considering how little we got the word out,” joked Branch President Dan Gates.

A long-time pillar of the Town of Bonnyville, the legion was bestowed the honour of a municipal proclamation granting “Freedom of the Town,” essentially granting the legion the right to march through town in full battle dress, if they should choose to.

The actual anniversary of the legion was April 2, but the legion held off celebrations to be able to enjoy the nice July weather. The wanted to coincide with the Canada Day celebrations and to commemorate the Battle of the Somme, which began a century ago on July 1. The Battle of the Somme was one of the deadliest battles in history, where over a million people were killed.

“In the Battle of the Somme, the Newfoundland regiment was decimated,” explained Gates. “Newfoundland natives are such a large part of our community now that it seemed as good a day to celebrate our anniversary as any.”

While the memory of the fallen was fresh in everyone’s minds, that didn’t stop the legionnaires from celebrating their lives and memories with cheer.

“It means a lot to us to have a legion in the town. You can go to a lot of things and mix it up with friends,” said Bill McGregor, a 93-year-old veteran of the Second World War who served as a field medic on D-Day with the Essex Scottish. “The legion should be kept up – it’s a memorial to people who fought in the war.”

McGregor added he and his wife Lorane try to make it to the legion once a week.

Two wreaths were laid at the memorial to honour the fallen during the open house.

Former legion treasurer and current Mayor Gene Sobolewski mentioned the legion was an indispensable ally in the community.

“It’s incredibly important to us. They’re integral to providing a lot of services, particularly with the hospitals and veterans and seniors and things like that,” praised Sobolewski. “It’s a fantastic addition to the community.”

The legion has kept up to Sobolewski’s praises. Gates pointed out that the legion had recently donated $5,000 to STARS Air Ambulance, as well as $5,000 to Bonnyville Long-Term Care.

Gates expressed his hope that the celebration would help encourage younger veterans of more recent conflicts and their families to get involved in the organization.

“That’s a challenge for legions everywhere – trying to get new veterans to join branches. We’re working on it and hope to get more,” noted Gates.

McGregor commented that younger veterans are often busy with their families and post-military lives, and would find their way to the legion eventually.

“When you’re older you have a lot more free time to get involved and volunteer,” added McGregor. “The legions are a good thing; they should get involved.”

The Bonnyville branch of the legion was opened in 1946 with 39 veterans, seven of which were First World War veterans and two of which had seen both world wars. Currently the legion has 85 members, comprising of both veterans and civilians.

Canada Day Celebrations

Exercise Maple Flag 49 wraps up

For the Lakeland Regional.

 

The Royal Canadian Air Force wrapped up its international training mission Exercise Maple Flag 49 - a month-long gathering of air forces from Canada and several of its allies in #ColdLake, Alberta. The exercise is designed to prepare pilots and air crews for the realities of modern warfare and to ensure that forces for all nations involved are prepared in case they are needed.

Eric Bowling

A major military exercise conducted at CFB Cold Lake has wrapped up after 24 days of operations.

The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) concluded Exercise Maple Flag 49 at 4 Wing on June 24. The multi-national military training mission, which began on May 30, is a part of the Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) efforts to prepare both Canadian and international forces for future potential conflicts.

“The Royal Canadian Air Force is responsible to be prepared to deploy at any time,” said Air Force Tactical Training Centre Commanding Officer Maj. Chris “Chester” Horch. “No matter what the current state of world events it's our job to be prepared for and train for difficult scenarios like this.”

 

 A CF-18 passes over Cold Lake Air Weapons Range during a training mission June 23.

Eric Bowling

Over 1,300 CAF personnel and more than 400 allied personnel participated in the exercise. The training mission was held over two periods, from May 30 to June 10 and then from June 13 to 24. Two waves of training were held each day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

Horch explained, “The advantage of having this exercise in Cold Lake in June is that the days are very long here, so it gives our participants a chance to train after the last wave of the day.”

To be prepared for modern aerial combat, the airmen and women practiced a number of techniques, including air-to-air combat, air-to-surface combat, air-to-air refueling, surveillance and reconnaissance, and electronic warfare.

 

A french pilot looks directly at the camera after a refuelling mission in the skies above Cold Lake Air Weapons Range.

Eric Bowling

The scenario presented to the soldiers was a conflict between two fictitious nations. The nation of Lemgo had declared independence from the larger nation of Stromia. Stromia considered Lemgo a renegade province and had begun to mass troops and aircraft near the fledging Lemgoese nation earlier in the year. After Stromian forces entered Lemgoese territory, a coalition of nations lead by Canada deployed into Lemgo to protect their independence.

The part of the Stromian Air Force was played by pilots from Discovery Air Defence Services, aka “Top Aces.”

The scenario was developed in consultation between participating nations.

 

A CF-18 stops by a C-130 Hercules to get a refuelling in the skies over Cold Lake Air Weapons Range.

Eric Bowling

“It's basically the same scenario we've been running since the generation of Maple Flag. It's a state versus state scenario against an ever-evolving threat with very capable platforms and tactics. It provides the aircrew an opportunity to train in a non-permissive environment where they need to fight to gain air superiority so they can support troops on the ground,” noted Horch.

Training was conducted chiefly inside the Cold Lake Air Weapons Range (CLAWR). At 1.17 million hectares in size, CLAWR hosts over 640 potential targets for combat training, including military airfields, surface-to-air threats and military structures. As no live ammunition was used during the scenario, kills were tracked via precision lasers and GPS guided systems. However, pilots were able to train with live munitions at air-to-air and air-to-ground ranges that operated concurrently with the scenario.

Soldiers from a number of NATO nations participated in the fictitious conflict, including the Royal Air Force of Britain, the French Air Force, the German Army, the Belgian Army, and four separate wings of the United States military.

 

A French fighter pulls into the landing pad.

Eric Bowling

“They are what make the exercise, to be honest. Without our foreign participants, it doesn't really give the exercise the benefit we want it to have,” explained Horch. “The key here is not just for Canada to train its own tactics, but for Canada to train alongside coalition members so that when we see them in potential future conflicts we have an idea how to integrate together and can do so effectively from day one of conflict.”

In addition, 10 nations sent personnel as part of the International Observer Program during the second period of the exercise, including Australia, Chile, India, Israel, the Philippines, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and Saudi Arabia.

 

A french fighter fires off his afterburners in an early morning flight.

Eric Bowling

Maple Flag is the Canadian equivalent of the United States Air Force's Exercise Red Flag, which was started after the Vietnam War.

The need for regular tactical war simulations was determined after military planners noticed that aircrews with 10 or less combat missions were far more likely to go down in battle, and aircrews that survived more than 10 battles had a far greater chance of making their way back home to their families.

Lakeland Drifters take to the streets to fight cancer

For the Bonnyville Nouvelle.

The Lakeland Drifters ride out from La Corey for the Ride for Dad on June 18

Eric Bowling

The highways of the Lakeland were saturated with over a hundred road hogs out for a good cause this last weekend.

Members of the Lakeland Drifters gathered in La Corey to begin a day-long drive throughout the Lakeland region to help raise funds for prostate cancer research on June 18.

The rally was also intended to promote awareness about prostate cancer.

“They say that one in seven men will get diagnosed with prostate cancer,” said committee member Silke Skinner. “A lot of men are not very eager to get tested, so it’s important that every man talks to his doctor. The sooner they catch it the easier it is to cure.”

Starting in La Corey the bikers rode to Bonnyville, Glendon, then onward to Elk Point and back up through the Lakeland to Cold Lake, before finally returning to their starting point.

While the Drifters are primarily a motorcycle club, race bikes, street bikes, three-wheelers, ATVs and other forms of recreational vehicles were present for the ride.

“Any style of vehicle or bike is welcome,” commented Skinner.

During the ride, participants were also issued playing cards at each stop to assemble a poker hand. Upon arriving back in La Corey, the rider with the best hand won a small prize.

A total of 114 bikes were counted riding out of La Corey and over 150 people registered for the event. In total, the riders raised just over $20,000 for the cause, a slight decrease from the $30,000 they raised last year.

Skinner figured the economy was the culprit in the decrease in money raised.

“When the economy is down, it hurts everything,” she noted. “I’m happy we raised what we did.”
The ride is part of a multi-national movement. Rallies have been held across the country since the year 2000. In the 16 years of riding, the event has raised over $18 million for prostate cancer research. This is the second year the ride was held in Lakeland.

Skinner said she was overjoyed with how the weekend worked out and the Drifters are already working on plans for next year.

Should #Deadpool release a PG-13 version? #MacEwan students weigh in

Recently a petition was launched asking the producers of #Deadpool to release a PG-13 version of the movie so parents can take their children. I spoke with comic enthusiasts on-campus at #MacEwan University to get their take on the idea.

Cybernetic technology at the University of Alberta

This December I stopped in at the rehabilitation technology labs at the University of Alberta and spoke with Dr. Patrick Pilarski, a lead researcher in the field. He explained some of the exciting new developments in the field of smart prosthetics.

"Dammit, I'm not your mom!"

A dog named Muckluck attracts a confused group of ducklings while their mother sits more confused in the grass.