President's Message

With the upcoming 40^th Anniversary of the Regiment in 2008 in mind I have given much thought as to the responsibilities of our association. First and foremost, we are the voice of all the veterans who served in the regiment and the battle group. As President, I and my executive are here to uphold the values, integrity and legacy that characterises who we are as an association and who we were as part of the Canadian Airborne Regiment.

A part of those values is that we can never forget where we have come from and that our airborne family is held strong by 40 years of experiences, great moments of pride, long lasting feelings of comradery and friendships, and also knowing that no matter where we go in our lives that we were a part of a great regiment. Our regiment served, faithfully, the values of our forefathers in the FSSF and the 1 Can Para Bn. It is in tribute to their legacy that we will always be a last man standing association. For as long as we exist as an association they also continue to exist in the hearts and minds of our members. They deserve no less than to have our respect, our loyalty and our admiration.

With this promise in mind I and members of ARAC gave our support to the 61^st Annual FSSF Reunion which was held in Ottawa in August this year. For a period of five days we participated by driving veterans to and from the airport at all hours, guides to all events, and all around general support for the reunion. It was indeed a great pleasure to be able to listen to the stories and experiences of these men who helped to shape where the Canadian Airborne Regiment was eventually to follow.

Our association is also proud to present, each year, a challenge coin to the graduating class of the Cadet Basic Parachutist Course. Our association is fully aware that we have an obligation to continue the legacy that we have been given and to pass it on to future generations to ensure also that the memory of our regiment is not forgotten.

Where should ARAC go in the future? It is our continuing goal to bring members together at association functions, to continue our legacy by supporting cadets, by wearing our maroon berets with pride and participating in parades on UN Day and Peacekeeping Day, and to show our respects each Remembrance Day at the National Military Cemetery in Ottawa. In 2008 we will be celebrating our 40^th birthday and we expect to also have our 2^nd Annual Airborne Memorial Ceremony. This coming November 24^th, 2007 will be our Annual General Meeting and Christmas Dinner. All are welcome to attend the meeting and the dinner which will be held at the WO’s and Sgt’s Mess on the Queen Elizabeth Driveway in Ottawa. Information on these events can be found on our website. Members can also ask to be put on our information bulletin e-mail list to get important news and general information of interest.

In 2004 our association asked our members for donations to support the rising costs of producing the Maroon Beret magazine. We would like to call upon the generosity of our members to help us continue to bring you a quality magazine and also to help our association by supporting and attending planned events which will go along way to keep the memory of our regiment alive.

I would like to make a further call-to-arms to former members of the regiment to take an active part in the association by contacting the ARAC HQ if they have an interest in joining the executive committee or in forming new chapters of the regimental association in their areas.

Since becoming involved in ARAC several years ago I have looked with envy at the FSSF and 1 Can Para associations as relates to their strength and longevity. ARAC is a an active and strong Regimental Association with a solid membership base. To state the obvious, ARAC is the Regiment. It is the official voice and face of the Canadian Airborne Regiment and its veterans. I believe that all former CAR members have a desire to belong to the Regimental Association that represents the Regiment in which they so proudly served. We are strong, active and vital to the preservation of all things CAR in Canada. Our executive and membership can be seen at all manner of military and civilian functions in the Central Region. I believe it is time to carry the Regimental insignia, spirit and strength to all parts of the country. What we need are people with strength of character, who have a desire to preserve the history of what we know was a great and special Regiment, to step forward and take up the cause. ARAC supports the brotherhood but promotes the Regimental Association. It is my goal to leave ARAC stronger than I found it.

Christmas has always been a time for family and friends. With that thought in mind I would like to wish all of you and your families a safe holiday season and a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the Peace and Love of the season follow you throughout your lives.

I would like to welcome you to the ARAC website. As you navigate through the web pages you will discover that the Canadian Airborne Regiment lives on in the hearts and minds of the members of this Association.

On the 25^th of November, 2006 I had the honour of being chosen to become the President of this association. It is a distinct pleasure for me to become the President of an association which is the official voice of all members of the Canadian Forces who served with the Canadian Airborne Regiment between the years of 1968 and 1995.

The year of 2006 has been filled with events of which the members of this association can be proud. As always we start our year with the Annual Birthday Dinner in April and the Wegner Point Annual Memorial Service, Petawawa, Ontario in May. We were extremely pleased to have had an excellent turn out for both events.

We continued our year by presenting Cadet Para challenge coins to the Cadets who successfully completed their basic para course in Trenton, Ontario. It has always been rewarding for our association to encourage these young new paras in the hope that they will become the paras of the future in the Canadian Forces.

Our association had the privilege and honour of participating in a family day BBQ at the Rideau-Perley Veterans' Health Centre in Ottawa, Ontario to which we donated $1000.00 for the food, children’s prizes and other related expenses. It was the least we could do to help support our veterans because they deserve it.

Members of the association always take pride in being present at the annual United Nations Day and the Peacekeeping Day parades at the National Peacekeeping Monument in Ottawa. We also proudly attend the annual Remembrance Day parade held at the National Military Cemetery which is in Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa.

The Canadian Airborne Regiment was given a unique honour this year in Edmonton, Alberta. The City of Edmonton, in its appreciation of the special friendship it has held with the Canadian Airborne Regiment in the past, held an unveiling ceremony on the 10^th of September of this year. Members of the Regiment were on hand to witness the unveiling of new names for city streets, a park and a shopping plaza.

- Perron-Berger Park, named after Gilbert Perron and Jean-Claude Berger who were killed in Cyprus in 1974

- Streets named were Rochester Ave, Topham Street, Stan Waters Ave and Pegasus Boulevard.

We closed our year with the Annual General Meeting and a dinner and dance. The attendance was excellent and we had as our guest speaker Col. Dave Barr, Commander of the new Canadian Special Operations Regiment (CSOR).

All of us in the Association look forward to the year 2007. It is our goal to grow as an association, to foster closer ties to all the members of the airborne brotherhood and to be of service to the members of our association and all former members of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. I also want to take this opportunity to encourage all former members of the Regiment to join the association and show their support to the Regiment and to the battle group in which they served.

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Airborne Regiment Association of Canada

President's Message

Airborne Regiment
Association of Canada