Brandon’s 2520 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corp -71 Bty Royal Canadian Army Cadets celebrated the customary Christmas dinner held on the 14th of December 2011 at the Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans Unit 10. A custom peculiar to the Canadian military is the Christmas tradition of the reversal of roles between the Officers and those in lower rank.  This role-reversal stems from ancient Roman times and the celebration of the festival of Saturnalia where slaves and children traded duties for special privileges with their masters and parents.   At Christmas time, throughout the Canadian Forces, rules are bent in the spirit of good cheer, and the youngest member of the unit or ship trades places with the Commanding Officer by exchanging jackets and assuming the honour as Commander of the day.  Although the origins of this long-standing custom cannot be traced to any specific event or time period in Canadian history, it became a ‘standard’ practice in the British military from at least the 18th Century and was seen as a gesture of appreciation towards the junior ranks, boosting morale.  Officers, Warrant Officers and senior non-commissioned officers organize the dinner, as well as prepare and serve it to the junior ranks of their unit.  The officers’ task is not complete until the entire dining area and kitchen is cleaned up long after the junior ranks have gone home! In the spirit of esprit de corps eight officers of 2520 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps took to the kitchen and served the attending cadets their Christmas meal of turkey with all the trimmings! The evening meal began with the traditional piping in of the dignitaries with Piper Brent Lowrie of 26 Field Regiment leading the way to the head table.  Dignitaries included Lieutenant Colonel Brodeur (Commanding Officer Regional Cadet Support Unit Prairie),  Captain G Popovits ( Battery Commander 71 Battery RCA) , Officers from CFB Shilo, 26 Field Artillery Regiment, and President Dunham of Army, Navy & Air Force Veterans Unit 10. Following tradition, 2520 RCACC Commanding Officer Captain Lussier assumed a lower rank for the evening by promoting the youngest cadet, Princeton Wood, as Honourary Commanding Officer for the day.  Being one of the newest members to join Brandon’s army cadets, he was both surprised and delighted with the exchange of command.  When asked what he and Captain Lussier talked about over dinner, he responded, “I don’t even know.  I was just too excited to talk!” Both LCol Brodeur and Capt G Popovits addressed the cadets, encouraging them to stay in school, to continue to work hard and to start planning for their future; whether that be to consider attending upcoming summer training camps or to further their studies as they contemplate possible career choices.  All were reminded that these young people are our future and they deserve the best from us. Two Senior Cadets were awarded medals for their dedication to this corps. Warrant Officer Dustin Cotton and Sergeant Matthew Meeches received the Army Cadet Long Service Medal.  LCol Brodeur also awarded Master Bombardier William Cannon his Commanding Officers coin for outstanding leadership and dedication to Army Cadets.   It was a successful evening of officers and cadets together enjoying excellent food, tradition and ceremony. Throughout the year we welcome new recruits, aged 12 to 18, who are interested in a wide variety of fun, challenging and rewarding activities affiliated with the Canadian Forces by way of the Royal Canadian Sea, Army and Air Cadets programs.  Training and parade night for Sea, Army and Air (as well as the Navy League cadets aged 9-13) are held week nights at the Brandon Armoury, 1116 Victoria Ave, Brandon.   The 2520 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corp - 71 Field Battery RCA Cadets’ training nights are held Wednesday evening 6:30-9:00pm at the Brandon Armoury.  For more information please phone 728-2559 during Wednesday evenings.  To find out more about Cadets Canada visit the website at www.cadets.ca