Capt. Christopher Inglis, formerly of Riverview, made a special visit to Moncton to thank the 101 Moncton Air Cadets for their support

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by Anna Travers
This Week Staff

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Last fall, as a citizenship project, the 101 Moncton Air Cadets decided to adopt a soldier in Afghanistan by sending a care parcel.

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Anna Travers/This Week

Anna Travers/This Week

Capt. Christopher Inglis, who grew up in Riverview, speaks to Nick Petley, a cadet with the 101 Moncton Air Cadet Squadron who heard about Capt. Inglis's experiences in Afghanistan.

Anna Travers/This Week

Capt. Inglis (centre) with the 101 Moncton Air Cadets. He met the cadets on Friday night after corresponding with them during his deployment in Afghanistan.Capt. Inglis answered questions concerning troops’ daily lives. He told the group that “slowly but surely we are helping the Afghan people rebuild.”

The project gained personal relevance to the cadets when they learned that a former 101 Moncton Air Cadet, Captain Christopher Inglis of Riverview, was currently stationed in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

Capt. Inglis was with the cadets from 1992 to 1998 and was a squadron deputy commander when he graduated.

He was deployed from July 2007 to May 2008 and served as an aide de camp to Brigadier General Guy Laroche.

The care parcel included coupons for Tim Horton's coffee which were placed inside four Thank You cards signed by the present-day cadets, officers and parents, a copy of the squadron's 2007 yearbook and a crest of the 101 Moncton Air Cadet's new logo.

"I was pleasantly surprised and warmed by the gift," Capt. Inglis said of being on the receiving end of the project.

He was able to share the coffee with visitors such as the Minister of National Defence Peter McKay and Tim Horton's cofounder Ron Joice and to share the yearbook and crest with other soldiers.

On Friday, Capt. Inglis was able to thank the cadets in person by giving them a presentation on his experiences in Afghanistan.

The presentation began with a brief introduction to Afghan history and culture and then focused on the daily lives of the Canadian soldiers who are helping to rebuild in Afghanistan.

He also discussed his experiences at the Kandahar Air Field.

"It's good to be in a base with Americans because they bring everything - but we had Tim Horton's," he said.

He also talked to them about working 'outside the wire' at forward operating bases, patrol substations and check points.

The cadets were most interested in how Afghan schools and the lives of school children, especially those of girls, have been affected by the recent changes in their country.

"It really feels good to be part of helping many more kids be able to go to school," Capt. Inglis said, but added that many families who send their children to school receive threatening night letters. "They have the necessary resources there, but they need our help."

The cadets were also very interested in Capt. Inglis's experiences, like checking his sleeping bag for camel spiders. After the presentation, Capt. Inglis was available to talk to cadets and answer questions.

"If you want to join the military it's big decision," commented Flight Corporal Jesse Doyle of Riverview. "I think it was really nice of him to visit and show us his experiences while he was over there."