GALLERY: Air Force’s 100th anniversary flag unfurled at Civic Centre

The Royal Canadian Air Force 100th anniversary flag was raised at the Ronald A. Irwin Civic Centre Friday afternoon.

Air cadets from the 155 Borden Gray G.C. Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron of Sault Ste Marie, 432 (Algoma) Wing Royal Canadian Air Force Association members, veterans, dignitaries and members of the public were in attendance.

Cadets marched from Foster Drive to the front of the Civic Centre prior to the singing of O Canada and the raising of the RCAF 100th anniversary flag by Sault Mayor Matthew Shoemaker and 432 (Algoma) Wing Royal Canadian Air Force Association’s Steven Mullins. 

“For 100 years the Royal Canadian Air Force has protected skies all around the world and has contributed to the safety and security that we all get to enjoy here at home. We wish it 100 more years of success and beyond that,” Shoemaker said in a brief speech.

“In more recent years we have asked our air force to go to the most challenging of places to fight against terror, to provide humanitarian aid and to evacuate Canadians in times of need. As we raise the flag, I ask you to think of those who have gone before us, commend those who currently serve and not lose sight of those who have yet to serve,” said Mullins, who serves as 432 (Algoma) Wing Royal Canadian Air Force Association board chair.

The 432 (Algoma) Wing Royal Canadian Air Force Association is a not-for-profit group primarily dedicated to supporting the young people of the 155 Borden Gray G.C. Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron of Sault Ste. Marie.

The Canadian Air Force was formed in 1920 and, after receiving royal sanction by King George V, became known as the Royal Canadian Air Force April 1, 1924.

The RCAF played a major role in the Allied war effort in the Second World War.

By the end of the war, the RCAF had become the fourth largest Allied air force.

The RCAF supported the United Nations forces in the Korean War and has proven itself to be a key partner in NATO and NORAD throughout the Cold War years and to the present day.

The RCAF served in the Gulf War, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq and played a peacekeeping role in the Middle East, Central America, East Timor, Haiti, South Sudan and Mali. The RCAF has also been working to deliver approximately 16 million pounds of Ukraine-bound military aid.

Domestically, the RCAF helps Canadians with evacuations during natural disasters and in search and rescue roles as needed.

Many Sault and Algoma District aviators have served with distinction in the RCAF.

The local air cadet squadron was named in honour of Sault Ste. Marie’s Borden Gray.

Gray was an RCAF Flying Officer and served as the navigator of a bomber that spotted a German submarine in the Atlantic in August 1944. The bomber attacked the U-boat, but was shot down and crashed into the sea. Despite having a broken leg, Gray rescued two crewmates and brought them into a dinghy. The dinghy was overcrowded and Gray remained in the water clinging to it. By dawn, Gray had died of exposure. During the afternoon of August 28, 1944, the survivors were rescued.

Gray was 27 years old and was awarded the George Cross (GC) posthumously. 

The George Cross is granted in recognition of ‘acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger.'

In the modern age, Patrice Powis-Clement of Richards Landing went through the 696 Royal Canadian Air Cadets based in Blind River, graduated from Sault College’s aviation program and officially earned his wings with the RCAF in 2016 before becoming a member of the RCAF Snowbirds aerobatics team in 2020.

Several Sault men - including Joseph ‘Scotty’ Mullins, Dion Marson, Tyler Park and Caleb Robert - have reached their dreams of flying the CF-18 Hornet, Canada’s top fighter jet.

“Big dreams come from small places. Why wouldn’t you go out and do something big? I’d like to think it's a testament to the kind of people that come out of northern Ontario,” said Caleb Robert, discussing the contributions of Sault and area natives to the RCAF in a 2017 interview with SooToday.

In recent years the federal government has spent approximately $44 billion and signed agreements for approximately 140 new or refurbished aircraft for the RCAF.

That includes new fleets of F-35 fighter jets, Boeing P-8A Poseidon multi-mission aircraft, remotely piloted aircraft and strategic tanker transport aircraft. 

In June 2022, the government also announced an investment of over $38 billion to modernize Canada’s capabilities in protecting North America as a partner in NORAD.