Mr. Speaker, it is my honour today to rise and speak of the courage, professionalism and honour of the soldiers of our search and rescue personnel.
Newfoundland and Labrador is proud of its own squadron, and that is 103 Search and Rescue in Gander. Its motto is “Seek and Save”.
Recently, I attended the change of command where Major Stephen Reid had this to say about the troops and support staff of search and rescue: “Rarely is it the case that mother nature gives us a break. It must be recognized that we, too, are human. We are deeply affected when a mission proves unsuccessful, but we soldier on knowing that every Canadian is counting on us to bring necessary closure sometimes during the worst imaginable circumstances”.
The nickname for those of 103 Search and Rescue is the “Outcasts”. That may sound negative to most of us, but in our province, the “Outcasts” are truly our heroes.