Latest news with #cadets
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Whitby air cadets face closure without new volunteers
An RAF air cadet squadron could be forced to close if it cannot recruit more volunteers to help run 740 Squadron currently has three instructors and about 15 cadets, but is set to lose one member of staff due to other work the unit closed, cadets would have to travel to join squadrons in Scarborough or Teesside, removing an "important" youth group from the coastal town, according to Sqn Ldr Alan Taylor."We get [cadets] out in the field, doing practical activities and teaching life skills and I think every town should have the kind of organisations that offer these opportunities," he said. The cadet programme is open to young people aged from 12 to 18 and runs twice-weekly sessions and weekend activities. These include flying, fieldcraft, shooting and academic to current staffing, the squadron can only run one parade night a week, where cadets undergo training such as uniform inspections and cadet numbers drop, they can become 'detached flights' connected to a larger squadron, but no increase in volunteers could force the squadron to close entirely. The unit is holding an open evening on Thursday 19 June where prospective cadets and volunteers can find out instructors aren't required to have a military background or commit to a set amount of hours per week, Sqn Ldr Taylor are also a number of roles available, from administrative duties to directly working with young people."The most fulfilling thing is a cadet arrive at the unit at 12 or 13 years old and seeing them leave at 17, 18, with a clear path of what they want to do with self-confidence, looking forward to being a good citizen," Sqn Ldr Taylor added. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
20 high school graduates preparing to head to military academies after send-ff ceremony at MacDill
The Brief Twenty high school graduates are deploying into their next chapter as they head to their chosen military academy. Congresswoman Kathy Castor and Laurel Lee held a special send-off ceremony at MacDill. Each cadet had to get a nomination from their congressperson to gain acceptance. TAMPA, Fla. - Twenty Bay Area high school graduates will soon head to their military academies. Congresswomen Kathy Castor and Laurel Lee held a special ceremony Tuesday night at MacDill to officially send them off. What they're saying "I want to commission as a United States Naval pilot. That'd be awesome," Cadet Gregory Murashkin said. Follow FOX 13 on YouTube They've made the ultimate decision to serve their country, which is no small feat. "I'm thinking of being a pilot, either F-15 or the PAVE Hawk for the Air Force," Cadet Anthony Murashkin said. Each received a nomination from their Congressperson, granting them admission to their chosen military academy. READ: Memorial Day marks first American Legion Post 273 ceremony since reopening after hurricanes "I'd like to get my helicopter pilot's license and hopefully serve in either the Coast Guard or maybe the Navy," Cadet Ava Booker said. Big picture view Tuesday night, U.S. Representatives Kathy Castor and Laura Lee hosted a special ceremony and send-off with their families at MacDill Air Force Base to congratulate them on their acceptance. Local perspective "It's definitely nervous, but it's the excitement. It's that anticipation. Everybody here has volunteered, raised their right hand, and chosen to serve the United States of America and the Constitution. And I think that's really impressive," U.S. Air Force Major Kaitlin Butler said. Major Butler knows exactly what it's like for these cadets, because 10 years ago today she was at her cadet send-off ceremony before heading to the Air Force Academy. MORE: Bay Area fallen hero's legacy lives on in his hometown "It's a really hard place to be at. It's tough, it's challenging, it is meant to be that way, but it's really a great place to be from. The amount of pride you have when you graduate is really second to none," Butler said. Identical twin brothers, Anthony and Gregory Murashkin, are first generation Americans. "Both my parents are from Ukraine. They grew up in the Soviet Union and kind of seeing what life was like in a dictatorship really wasn't pretty," Gregory said. They said their parents story inspired them both to serve their country. "I'm really proud of them, and I'm really happy that they've gotten the opportunity to live here," Anthony said. READ: At 101, Dunedin World War II veteran reflects on service during 'Victory in Europe Day' Ava Booker is following in the footsteps of her dad, who served in the Army, and her grandpa, who served in the Air Force. "My dad encouraged me to try out the service academy, and I worked really hard for it, and now I'm here," Booker said. Major Butler message to the cadets as they head to academy: "Stick it out, stick with it. It's worth it in the end." The Source FOX 13's Jordan Bowen gathered the information in this story from MacDill Air Force Base. WATCH FOX 13 NEWS: STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA: Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV Download FOX Local mobile app:Apple |Android Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines Download the SkyTower Radar app Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Geek Tyrant
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY Cast Says the Series Isn't Just YA - It's "Young Adults Going Through Some Real Sh*t" — GeekTyrant
We've been hearing some interesting things about the upcoming series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , including the fact that Star Trek alum Jonathan Frakes said the series is for the hardcore fans, and the fact that the show has already been renewed for a second season ahead of its first season release. The series is set in the 32nd century and follows a class of cadets as they train to uphold Starfleet's legacy. Unlike most Star Trek shows, this one is primarily set on Earth, offering a fresh perspective on the franchise. While the story has been billed as 'Young Adult,' the cast has offered up a little correction on that thought. Stars Kerrice Brooks and Bella Shepard recently spoke to about Starfleet Academy , and specifically touched on whether it was a series geared toward young adults. Shepard said it's more of an "everything" show and added it's "young adults going through some real shit," while Brooks went on to add: 'Yeah. To be honest, it doesn't feel super YA. I don't think things are like simplified or just like life brings you to a level, that's what the show feels like it's doing to the cadets. It feels like it is bringing us to a level instead of coming down to a YA, not that it's a negative thing. But instead of coming to us, we're like joining a Federation, so we've got to come up.' The series looks like it will be an exciting new take on the franchise, weaving established characters with fresh faces, including Voyager 's Robert Picardo reprising his role as The Doctor, Discovery alum Oded Fehr returning as Admiral Charles Vance, and Tig Notaro back as Jett Reno. Holly Hunter is stepping into the franchise as the Academy's chancellor, while Paul Giamatti joins as a recurring villain. Although filming wrapped in February 2025, Paramount+ has yet to announce a release date. Stay tuned for updates on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy .
CBC
27-05-2025
- General
- CBC
Wreath-bearer to the Queen: The story of Warrant Officer Olivia Vernelli
Two nights before the most important salute of her cadet career, Warrant Officer Olivia Vernelli walked the ground at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, rehearsing each step and every turn with precision and dedication. The 16-year-old member of the 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian Regiment (3RCR) - 2642 Army Cadet Corps served as escort on Tuesday for Queen Camilla and as the wreath-bearer for the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier alongside King Charles. In many respects, she is her father's daughter. Master Cpl. Scott Vernelli was precise and meticulous, a soldier's soldier. There's a seriousness and maturity about Olivia that's way beyond her years and it shows in the multiple cadet awards she has won. She was a little more than six months old when her father died alongside another soldier, Cpl. Tyler Crooks, in an insidious improvised explosive device attack during a combat mission in western Kandahar province in March 2009. She never really knew him. Her mother, Marcie Lane, a Silver Cross widow and Olivia's biggest cheerleader, has worked hard along with family and friends to keep her husband's memory alive. Olivia, however, said the sense of connection is strongest when she puts on her cadet uniform and walks through the doors of the drill hall. "When I go into the military buildings for parade night, I see a picture of him in the hallway. And many of my cadet instructors knew my father and they tell me many amazing stories about him," Olivia said in an interview with CBC News, prior to escorting the royals. "Since my father passed away when I was very young, I didn't get the opportunity to hear his stories and what he did in the military. Joining the cadet program made me really connect with my father as I wear the same [3RCR] cap badge as him." Olivia said she is considering making a career in the military and possibly applying to the Royal Military College, extending a long line of family service. Both of her parents served, along with other relatives, dating back to the Korean War. She said she was "very excited" to escort the Queen and deliver the salute. While she only got to say hello to the royals — true to her nature — she was prepared to answer questions and her father's memory and legacy of service is top of mind. "One thing that I would like people to remember about my dad is that he was very kind, and he always stuck up for others and he did not put up with bullying," Olivia said, adding that he died on his third tour of Afghanistan. "I like to remember that he went because he knew that the children there and that people needed to be saved, and that just shows that he's a really great person. Even though he had a baby and a family back at home, he still went back to fight for other people." Echoes of that call to service were heard in Tuesday's speech from the throne. The King invoked memories of shared sacrifice with allies, including the U.K., in two world wars in his address to Parliament and remarked on how he saw representatives of every corner of Canada. "I see the guardians of the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed in the Canadian Charter and, as King, I thank you for your service to your fellow Canadians, across the length and breadth of this vast and great nation," the King said. For a young woman who has grown up without a father, Olivia has a deeper understanding and appreciation of service and sacrifice, more than most people. As the years go on, she said, the challenge for her is to stay attached to the man she hardly knew. "I stay connected doing the things that he enjoyed. So, playing sports. He loved playing sports, especially hockey," Olivia said, noting that he cheered for the Boston Bruins and growing up she would often dress in a Bruins jersey and watch the hockey game. "Overall, I just want people to know that, I think, that if he was still here today, he would be an amazing father."
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
'We are putting America first': 5 takeaways from Trump's West Point commencement speech
Sporting a "Make America Great Again" hat, President Donald Trump emphasized the need for the country to put its priorities above all else during his commencement addresses at West Point on Saturday. "Gone are the days where defending every nation but our own was the primary thought," he aid. "We are putting America first. We have to rebuild and defend our nation." This was Trump's second address to cadets at the upstate New York academy, where the nation's next generation of army leaders are educated. The last time he spoke there was at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, which saw a more subdued ceremony of cadets sitting several feet apart. The president told the military graduates during a roughly hourlong speech that they are joining elite and storied ranks. "You came for excellence. You came for duty. You came to serve your country and you came to show yourselves, your family and the world that you are among the smartest, toughest (and) most lethal warriors ever to walk on this planet," he said. Attending graduation ceremonies at one of the nation's five military academies is a common ritual for every commander-in-chief, and gives them a chance to flex their larger defense strategy. The 2025 West Point graduation speech comes at a pivotal moment for Trump, as he seeks to install his populist-fueled agenda in the military's apparatuses and policies while seeking to reshape previous alliances and negotiate an end to the Ukraine-Russia war. Here are the key takeaways from Saturday's graduation. Trump didn't hold back in justifying his "America First" worldview in terms of how the U.S. military should operate, whether at home or abroad. "The job of the U.S. armed forces is not to host drag shows, to transform foreign cultures (and) spread democracy to everybody around the world at the point of a gun," he said. "The military's job is to dominate any foe and annihilate any threat to America, anywhere, anytime and any place." At various moments during the keynote address, Trump called out what he described as "divisive and demeaning political trainings" at the academy, which has been ordered to ditch talk of systemic inequity in its syllabi and forced student affinity clubs for women and racial minorities to disband. He has signed a number of executive orders in January, for instance, aimed at shaping the country's armed forces such as calling for the creation of an anti-missile defense shield to defend the U.S. against aerial attacks. He also has ordered the shuttering of diversity offices and programs in the Defense Department as well as banning transgender Americans from serving, infuriating liberal critics. The president did briefly mention his plan of investing $25 billion toward building a massive anti-missile defense shield that seeks to cover the country with three layers of aerial protection, according to military officials. "We're building the Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect our homeland and to protect West Point from attack, and it will be completed before I leave office," Trump said. One bone Trump consistently picks when talking about America's military might is the U.S. relationship with foreign allies, and how little credit he feels the country gets for helping its friends. During the speech, for example, the president grumbled about how European nations have major celebrations about winning World War II when the U.S. does not. He told West Point graduates about a recent conversation he had with Emmanuel Macron, the president of France. "He said, 'Sir, we're celebrating our victory over WWII.' I said, whoa, whoa, what have we here," Trump said. "We helped them a lot." Trump told the cadets he wants America to have its own V-Day celebration. The president's love of military celebrations is well known, as the army is gearing up for a parade through the streets of Washington DC, something he tried unsuccessfully to hold during his first term that is now billed as commemorating the force's 250th birthday. The June 14 date also happens to be the president's 79th birthday. As Trump outlined his defense agenda and showered cadets with praise, the president was met with a pair of demonstrations including a small flotilla of boats in the Hudson River in sight of the graduation ceremonies. Protesters began to assemble outside the military academy's event hours before the president arrived, with many holding signs reading "Go Army, Defend Democracy" as guests and dignitaries arrived. Joining Forces, a grassroots organization that organized the protests, said it objected to Trump's appearance "at the very site where our democracy was forged — where George Washington and his troops resisted tyranny and broke free from a king — represents a profound insult to American patriots." "We are pretty concerned about the destruction of our democracy, particularly in the Hudson Highlands where our nation was formed," Alex Dubroff, a protest organizer, said. The roughly 1,000 graduating cadets heard Trump boast about a coming "golden age" for the country now that he pinned largely upon parting ways with his predecessors. "For at least two decades, political leaders from both parties have dragged our military into missions never meant to be," Trump said. "People would say, why are we doing this? Why are we wasting our time, money and souls? In some case, they sent our warriors on nation building crusades to nations that wanted nothing to do with us, led by leaders that didn't have a clue in distant lands." Trump didn't mention any former president by name, but the pointed remarks underscore his more isolationist perspective compared to Republican and Democratic predecessors. "My preference always will be to make peace and seek partnership, even with countries with which our differences may be profound," he said. One thing that didn't come up much was a progress report on ending the Ukraine-Russia war, which is one of Trump's top foreign affairs goals. The president had a a two-hour call with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week, saying peace talks would begin "immediately." It is unclear if those talks will included Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had a tense exchange with Trump inside the Oval Office in February. Trump mentioned Putin only a handful of times and in passing, such as at the end of his speech when he told cadets he was, "going back now to deal with Russia." "You won two world wars and plenty of other things, but you want to think of it, we don't want to have a third world war," he said. Contributing: Mike Randall This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump eschews diversity, touts 'Golden Dome' at West Point speech
