413 Squadron family, friends mark 25th anniversary of Lab 305 loss
The impact of a crash, the loss of six men and the tightening of bonds between family, friends and team members all tied to 413 (Transport and Rescue) Squadron were marked October 1.
All gathered on the 14 Wing Greenwood parade square to remember the 25th anniversary of the loss of Labrador 305 in Marsoui, Quebec, October 2, 1998. Pilots Captain Peter Musselman and Captain Darrin Vandenbilche, flight engineers Master Corporal David Gaetz and Master Corporal Glen Sinclair, and search and rescue technicians Sergeant Jean Roy and Master Corporal Darrell Cronin were killed after an on-board fuel leak, fire and explosion, an off-balance rotor catching the main body and then in-air break up and crash. They were coming home after a medical call, accompanied on the first leg by peers aboard a squadron Hercules: those same peers were the first to arrive at the heart-breaking scene.
In 1998, then-Lieutenant-Colonel Mike Dorey, commander of 413 Squadron, knew his members flew in extremely dangerous situations: “we thought we were prepared.
“The pain and loss we all felt that day – a horrific crash, the loss of our people – it was greater than imaginable. We were more than a squadron. We looked after each other, and that was a bond that helped us 25 years ago – and continues to help us to this day.”
Dorey thanked personnel from 12 Wing Shearwater who took on operations for five weeks after the crash, then-Wing Commander Colonel Brian Handley for support, and also reminded those attending of the “strength and experience” shared by then-Honorary Colonel Leonard Birchall, a Second World War prisoner-of-war and gallant Royal Canadian Air Force veteran of 52 years’ service.
“All of that was a great help, but the loss you (family) have all had to live with over the years is more than you should have had to endure.”
Chief Warrant Officer (retired) Keith Mitchell took the podium for a second time in “great honour” of “our friends on Tusker 305:” he spoke at the 1998 public service, and looked around on this day, seeing “many people whose life was changed by that fateful flight.
“At the very heart of search and rescue is selflessness and sacrifice, with not a thought to holidays or weather, that at O-dark-30, when families are asleep in their own beds, the dangerous and rewarding professionals are at the pointy end of things.”
Mitchell says, to this day, he often thinks of “the luck of the draw,” and how the lives of the six men lost “have rippled through the years, and our lives.
“Their sacrifice serves as a symbol of maintaining readiness, and compels us to ensure our personnel are properly equipped, trained and resources, ready to respond. That’s not a mere gesture, but a foundational cornerstone of our family, country and national resilience. And – they are not forgotten. We honour our fallen by living our best lives, with the colour of their lives.”
413 Squadron Commanding Officer Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Norris expressed gratefulness for all who were able to attend the 25th anniversary service.
“Grief knows no time limit, and our squadron stands with you. Representatives of our squadron 25 years ago ground us for the future, and we want to demonstrate to all of you these men will always be in our hearts.”
Norris had special remarks for the members of that Hercules crew, “always intertwined with this crash in your response.
“You did something none of us would ever wish to do, but you responded to our friends, in our family’s greatest hour of need.”
Norris pointed out the 413 Squadron Colours, its aircraft backstopping the parade square, and the on-going traditions and every-day squadron activities.
“The work binds us together. It goes to our strength as members of the Canadian Armed Forces. Twenty-five years from now, 413 Squadron members will bind themselves to us.”
