The familiar verve and beats of marching boots have taken Vernon by storm, as over 400 cadets are in the midst of training at the Vernon Army Cadet Summer Training Centre (Vernon CTC). 

"We have 440 course cadets," said Captain George Kays, who is the public affairs representative for the camp. "We also have 147 staff cadets who are employed by us, but kind of help manage the younger cadets, along with 100 adult staff"

Vernon is one of two camps in the province, and one of 10 across the country. Cadets come specifically to Vernon for the variety and expansive facility, according to Kays.

"The training centre here is huge," Kays added. "So there's tons of offerings for the cadets."

The first cadets arrived on Monday, July 15, and there are a slew of options for courses. 

Expedition, survival, marksmanship, air rifle, drill and fitness courses are all offered throughout three time frames (July 15-26, July 29- Aug. 9 and Aug, 12-23), with the graduation parades scheduled between July 26 and Aug. 23. 

While Kays acknowledged that a lot of the cadets personal goals are to join the military, it is not pushed upon them.

"It's a plus that some of the cadets get that bug that they want to join the forces, but a lot of them go into uniform services such as RCMP, paramedics and fire."

Along with the hard skills learned that comes with being in camp, a plethora of soft skills are also taught and groomed for the cadets, who are between the ages of 12 and 18.

"You can't get the skills learned here from anywhere else," said Kays. "The leadership skills these cadets get is so good, as you give these people the confidence to stand in front of a group of strangers and say 'you need to do this because this is our goal' just doesn't happen anywhere else."

The current gender split is 49 per cent female and 51 per cent male, which has been a "natural" occurrence, according to Kays, as more and more females become interested in the program, as all the cadets have simple goals.

"Have fun, have an experience, build discipline and gain skills to bring back home," said Kays.

Marching and training at the Vernon Cadet Camp is a long-standing tradition, with thousands of youth who have graduated from the program.

This weekend marks a 75th anniversary cadet reunion in town.