In a world where life seems increasingly complicated and challenging - from the demands of our high-paced culture to concerns over global tensions - it is all the more important to take time to pause at Thanksgiving and reflect on things that do bring us joy, even if we don't remember how precious these are on a daily basis.  I would like to reflect on the impact of my Dad and how my interest and involvement in aviation history comes from him. 

By the time I was born, my Dad had already been a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) for more than a decade, so I grew up in an air force family. My Dad shared his interests in aviation and military history with me at a young age. Movies about the Second World War just happened to be on in my house, and my Dad usually had a history book in his hands, often about various air forces during the war. I picked up an interest in these movies and books as I shared time with him. My Dad also took me to air shows and aviation museums. I don't remember how old I was, but I do have a vivid memory, as a young child, of standing inside the belly of a Lockheed CC-130 Hercules and being in awe of how big it was and how small I felt. 

My Dad happened to grow up around the former British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) base that served as No. 5 Bombing and Gunnery School (No. 5 BGS) at Dafoe, Saskatchewan. I remember him telling me stories about riding his bike up and down the old runways. I got to see the remains of the former base when I was in my late teens, but I only really started to comprehend what the base was for and what went on there when I wrote my Bachelors history degree thesis on training accidents that occurred at No. 5 BGS. It was fun to visit the base again as an adult, with my Dad, and talk to him about the remaining hangar, the deteriorating runways and aprons, the gunnery butte, the remains of the control tower building, where the swimming pool was, and what Boom Town (the civilian enclave just outside the base's gates) looked like in its prime. It was the family connection - through my Dad - that got me interested in knowing more about the BCATP, which later resulted in my writing my Masters history degree thesis on BCATP base selection. (By the way, I provide links to my two research works so you can see more details about their contents; the prices are too expensive to encourage purchases. While I can order with a 15% discount, shipping from overseas will probably nullify any savings.)

I continue to research about the RCAF's past, as well as future challenges such as recruiting and retention. I credit my Dad for my being introduced to military, aviation, and RCAF history. Thanks for your 25 years of military service with the RCAF and a further 26 years of civilian service with the Department of National Defence. Thanks also for sharing your interests in aviation and military history, which has now turned into my own passion and career. Love you, Dad!"