Daniel Musseau (white ball cap), seen here practicing his target shooting Friday night at the Amherst Armouries, is in Trenton Ontario this week where he is taking a pre-paratrooper course.
“I’ve always talked about it and looked up to my older brother Jeff who said he was going to do it, but never did, so I’m taking this course to prove to him I’m worthy,” said Musseau with a laugh.
Musseau is currently at Canadian Forces Base Trenton, in Ontario, where he is taking a pre-paratrooper training course.
Musseau is a member of the 272 Amherst Army Cadets Corps, and is one of 30 cadets from across Canada selected to take the course, four of which come from Atlantic Canada.
He said he was speechless when he learned he was accepted.
“It felt like wow. I didn’t think I was actually going to get into it.”
Physical fitness is a big component of the selection process.
“I have to be able to run the mile in under seven minutes, do seven pull-ups with my knuckles facing me, and do 40 push ups and 40 sit ups,” he said.
He will not jump out of an airplane this week but hopes to do that this summer.
“We jump off a tower at pre-para, but once I pass my pre-paratrooper course I’ll be jumping out of an airplane, hopefully this summer.”
Being a cadet has helped Musseau grow as a person.
“It’s taught me how to be a good leader in the community, and it’s taught me skills I will need such as how to communicate and how to be respectful,” he said. “It’s also taught me athleticism and it’s taught me survival skills.”
He may not pursue a career in the military because he like to be close to family and friends.
“If I did take the military route I’d have to go overseas for months or years, so right now I’m thinking I’d like to be a paramedic,” said Musseau.
If he does choose a career in the military he said he’d like to take carpentry.
“There’s a school I can go to in Ontario to learn about carpentry,” he said.
