Greenwood, Nova Scotia, Wednesday, May 14, 2014

This is a great day for everyone with the 405 Squadron here at 14 Wing Greenwood, and a wonderful day for Canada.

I am delighted to be a part of the latest chapter in the remarkable history of this squadron. The presentation and consecration of your new standard is a proud moment for all of us.

When you enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces, you were likely driven by the ideals of justice and freedom, as well as the desire to serve your principles. This drive has no doubt sustained you throughout your careers.

This standard is a bold representation of your desire to serve. It symbolizes your honour and your sense of duty to Canada, and to a fairer, more just world.

This sense of duty has led you—as well as your families and loved ones—to accept the demands of service: the long hours, the difficult and relentless training regimen, and the constant need for flexibility and self-discipline.

As commander-in-chief of Canada, I am grateful for all that you have done—and continue to do—for our country.

More than 40 years ago, my predecessor, the Right Honourable Roland Michener, presented the 405 Squadron with its first standard, to commemorate 25 years of active service.

His personal motto was: “Freedom with Order.” When paired with my own motto, “To envisage a better world,” and applied to the history of the squadron, it is quite fitting for this occasion.

This squadron has done a great deal to bring freedom to those who were yearning for it. And they have done so with the knowledge—indeed, with the certainty—that a better, more peaceful world is an attainable goal, one worth the sacrifice.

And let us not forget your own motto: DUCIMUS—“We Lead”—because this speaks volumes of the important role you play within the Royal Canadian Air Force, and within the Canadian Armed Forces as a whole.

I know that you will continue to serve with pride and to lead by example, using your skills to protect Canadians and our ideals, at home and overseas. Your devotion to duty is an example to us all.

Through it all, this standard will remain, reminding us of your squadron’s great deeds.

And so it is with great pride and pleasure that I present this standard to the 405 Long Range Patrol Squadron.

Long may it be a symbol of the depth of Canada’s commitment to the common good.

Thank you.