Photo: Wayne Emde

Click here to view the gallery

More than 200 Army cadets are in Vernon this weekend for a variety of training exercises.

Cadets came from as far away as the Kootenays and 70 Mile House and every stop in between.

And while they were at the Vernon military camp, they had the opportunity to get an up-close look at the Canadian military Cormorant search and rescue helicopter.

The big yellow bird landed in a field near where the cadets were training.

The cadets were then divided into groups to take a guided tour of the helicopter and meet the flight crew and maintenance personnel.

Cpt. Sherri Shaw said it was a way to introduce teenage cadets to another side of the Canadian military.

“The three goals of the cadet program are to promote physical fitness, develop leadership and citizenship, and stimulate interest in the Canadian Armed Forces,” Shaw said Saturday.

“The Cormorant came out this weekend to teach the kids what they do in the Canadian Forces. »

The arrival of the Cormorant gave cadets from small rural communities the opportunity to experience a side of the Canadian Armed Forces that they might not have been able to experience otherwise.

While in town, the cadets also participated in other activities including marksmanship, confidence course, classroom lessons and abseiling from the rappel tower.

Vernon is a city rich in cadet history, with thousands of cadets from all branches of the military attending the Vernon Cadet Summer Training Center, in operation since the 1950s.

For more information on the National Cadet Program, Click here.