ERIN – David Crook, age 17, became the most recent cadet at 242 Ross Ferguson Squadron in Erin to earn the highest rank possible in the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Program.
Squadron Commanding Officer, Captain Eugene Sidlar, promoted Crook to the rank of Warrant Officer First Class (WO1) by issuing him new uniform badges depicting the Canadian Coat of Arms.
The Warrant Officer First Class rank is also sometimes referred to as ‘Chief Warrant Officer’ or CWO. WO1 Crook will also now assume the appointment of Squadron Warrant Officer at 242 Squadron.
Crook has had a very busy and exciting time lately, and his recent promotion is the culmination of many years of hard work and dedication.
In June last year, Crook was part of a group of cadets and military staff from Erin who traveled to England and France to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion at Juno Beach.
After returning, he helped to lead the Squadron through its Annual Ceremonial Review and was awarded the Royal Canadian Legion Cadet Medal of Excellence for outstanding leadership, citizenship and comradeship for his activities within the unit.
During the summer of 2019, Crook received one of the coveted flying scholarships awarded by the Air Cadet League of Canada.
Valued at approximately $15,000, the scholarship paid for him to be trained to become a fully qualified private pilot.
He spent seven weeks at Diamond Flight Centre in London, Ontario, studying and completing practical flight tests to earn his Transport Canada license.
Crook is the seventh qualified pilot from the Erin squadron since 2007.
Warrant Officer First Class Crook is excited to take on the new challenges of leading the cadets of 242 Squadron in all of their training activities for 2019-2020.
He will be working closely with 242 Squadron’s adult staff as well as cadets and staff from other local units to help deliver an exciting program including training for the flying scholarships, competitive marksmanship, winter biathlon, outdoor adventure training, effective speaking, precision drill team and band activities.
