Here we grow: 4 Wing Cold Lake Welcomes Four New Reserve Recruits

Magazine Article / March 11, 2021 / Project number: RCAF-Excelsior-Winter-2021-02B

By Major John Sullivan, 4 Wing Air Reserve Flight Commander

Word on the street in Cold Lake, Alberta is the RCAF is the place to work! On 11 December, 2020 ─at different times throughout the day due to COVID restrictions─ 4 Wing welcomed four brand new (what we call “ab initio”) recruits: Aviator (Avr) Kathleen Attwood, Avr Eleaine Bouffard, Avr Victoria Pearce and Officer Cadet (OCdt) Charlotte Jokela, who were enrolled in the RCAF Reserve. Given delays caused by the ongoing pandemic, it has been a lengthy process to say the least, but it was well worth the wait for them to realize their dream of joining the Canadian Armed Forces!

Avr Bouffard is 4 Wing’s second Cold Lake First Nations applicant enrolled in the prior five weeks. The three aviators will be going onto the Basic Military Qualification (BMQ) Course, while OCdt Jokela will attend the Basic Military Officer Qualification Course - all of this training is expected to occur sometime in 2021.

Upon successful completion of the BMQ, Avr Attwood will return to 4 Wing to complete her Air Operations Support Technician training, our first applicant enrolled into this new RCAF Reserve occupation. Avr Bouffard and Avr Pearce will go on to the Human Resource Administrator Course, and OCdt Jokela will commence her Logistics Officer training with a specialty in finance, at CFB Borden in Ontario.

More enrollments are to come at 4 Wing, with eight more applicants at various stages of processing at Canadian Forces Recruiting Centre Detachment in Edmonton, so be ready to welcome them as well.

Best of luck to all of our newest 4 Wing RCAF Reserve members!