CFOT.ca

Were you aware every session of cadets that enters the training college has their own sessional flag?  Flags are symbols used for rallying the troops.  The imfamous picture of American troops raising the flag on Iwo Jima during the Pacific campaign in World War II is an iconic representation of such an ideal.  The sessional flag for cadets serves as the banner under which they fight the salvation war during their training.  Our symbol is trinitarian as it reminds onlookers of the triune nature of God; the purity of God the Father, the shed blood of God the Son, and the animating fire of God the Holy Spirit at its centre.  It is under this banner which they train, and this banner which we as The Salvation Army fight.

At the end of each training session CFOT has a retirement service for the newly commissioned session’s flag, a changing of the guard so to speak.  The remaining session, the Prayer Warriors currently, is physically moved to symbolize the change to 2nd year cadet status, and the commissioned session’s flag is moved to our hallway at CFOT where it will be retired with 6 other flags.  At the same time we remove the last flag in the row, and send it to the archives at the Heritage Centre at THQ where it will be stored in such a way as to prevent deterioration of the flag due to the elements.  This year, my sessional flag, The Crossbearers Session (Hallelujah!  That is what you are supposed to yell when your sessional name is mentioned at a public meeting).  Anyway, our flag is now moving on to the Heritage Centre.  We posed with Officers who were on staff when we were cadets.

Is that the end of the story?  No, in fact, when sessions meet for reunions they can contact the Heritage Centre and their flag will be shipped out to them for the occasion.  As well, from time to time, when officers have been promoted to glory their sessional flags have also been employed to drape their casket. 

So as not to leave this posting on that note, it is also important to note each session has a flagbearer whose duty it is to ensure the flag never falls, and to carry the flag for public meetings or sessional campaigns where required.  Flagbearers remain as such for the entire duration of training.