254 Cadets Memorialize a Veteran

In September of 2019, King’s-Edgehill School was called upon to provide a cadet guard to travel to the Netherlands and observe the anniversary of the liberation of the town of Oss. The trip was a tremendous success, and everyone had some fantastic experiences.

Prior to departing for the Netherlands, we had the pleasure of meeting with Mr. Paul Wile. Mr. Wile was a veteran of the Italian campaign and the liberation of Holland in 1945. Mr. Wile was enamored with our cadets. He had some great memories and told some very interesting anecdotes. We were quite taken by the way his voice would crack whenever he spoke about the Dutch children.

Sadly, Mr. Wile passed away in February of this year. At the request of his widow, the 254 agreed to provide an honour guard at his funeral. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this became impossible to complete.

Never to leave a task undone, the cadets who participated in the Netherlands trip gathered on the evening of September 21 to pay the final salute to a fallen comrade. Under the command of our Drill Sergeant Major (DSM), Master Warrant Officer Greg Otto, the honour guard, in full highland dress lined each side of his grave. The DSM gave the general salute and the guard, armed with swords, carried out the drill flawlessly. Our Training Sergeant Major, Master Warrant Officer Thane Morgan gave a great rendition of the poem I am a Canadian and our Company Quartermaster Sergeant of Alpha Company, Warrant Officer Taylor Cole recited the Act of Remembrance.  Our own Mr. DJ DeCoste performed last Post and Reveille and Pipe Warrant Officer Sean Hurley played the Lament on the bagpipes. Greg gave the final general salute, and the ceremony came to a close.

A fitting send-off for a distinguished veteran and a great day to be a cadet in the 254.