On Friday night cadets from the 605 Tarry squadron kicked off Remembrance Day by standing guard of the cenotaph.

Captain Jeff Kurtz, the commanding officer of the 605 Tarry squadron, talked about why cadets come out and stand guard.

"It's a ceremonial guard," he said. "The cadets have been doing this for at least 20 years here in Swift Current. It's symbolic in the way that it's the youth carrying on the act of remembrance. For the kids to come out here and spend the night to this important for them and our past soldiers."

The 18 cadets who ranged from ages 12 to 19 stood guard through temperatures close to -20 from 10:00 on Friday night to 10:00 Saturday morning.

Kurtz said that it is important for the cadets to stand guard because it's part of the squadrons core training.

"It falls into being a good Canadian citizen," he said. "Part of our core training is citizenship, leadership, and physical fitness and this falls under citizenship. I think it gives the kids an appreciation for maybe what many of the sacrifices that soldiers and airman in the past made."

Kurtz said this gives the cadets a chance to look back and know that they did their part to remember and showed their respects to the fallen and still fighting soldiers.