VICTORIA TEEN NAMED MOST OUTSTANDING ARMY CADET IN CANADA
(Ottawa)- August 25, 2008 – The Army Cadet League of Canada and the Royal Canadian Legion are pleased to announce that Cadet Master Warrant Officer Shawn Claire from RCACC 2136 the Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's) in Victoria, BC, was named Canada’s most outstanding Army Cadet and the recipient of the 2008 General Walsh Memorial Sword.
The General Walsh Memorial Sword is the highest national prize for any Army Cadet. The award was created in 2004 by the Army Cadet League of Canada in partnership with Royal Canadian Legion, and named in honour of Lieutenant General Geoffrey Walsh CBE DSO CD, who dedicated much of his time to the Army Cadet Program. Recipients of the award are chosen based on their performance as Army cadets, community involvement and academic standings.
Cadet Claire, 18, is an active member of his community volunteering for many organizations such as his cadet corps, the Royal Canadian Legion, Easter Seals and a senior citizens’ nursing home. This second-year University of Victoria business major has achieved excellence in all facets of the Army Cadet program including music and physical fitness training and has been the recipient of the Lord Strathcona Cadet Medal and the 2006 Cadet Scholastic Award. Outside the cadet program, Cadet Claire is an above average student, an accomplished track and field athlete and musician.
As the winner of the Walsh Sword, Cadet Claire will travel to Ottawa, as the guest of the Royal Canadian Legion to attend the Remembrance Day ceremony at the National War Memorial as part of the Vice-Regal party and will meet both the Governor General and the Chief of the Defence Staff.
“Mr. Claire’s list of accomplishments is truly outstanding,” says Gilles Déry, President of the Army Cadet League of Canada. “Given his hard work, leadership and commitment, he is so deserving of this award and will serve as an excellent role model to young Canadians everywhere.”
The Royal Canadian Army Cadets is a program for young Canadians ages 12 to 18 sponsored by the Canadian Forces and the Army Cadet League that develops in youth attributes of leadership, good citizenship, and physical fitness, while stimulating interest in the activities of Canadian Forces. There are currently over 20,000 Army cadets with 446 cadet corps across the country.
The Army Cadet League of Canada is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the Royal Canadian Army Cadets. For over 30 years, the League has sponsored Army Cadets corps and solicited public interest for the program, all the while promoting the objectives of the Canadian Cadet Movement.
For more information on the Army Cadet League of Canada, please visit www.armycadetleague.ca.
