Halkirk army cadet commander recognised for 18 years of service
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A dedicated adult army cadet volunteer from Caithness has been recognised for his long service to young people in the Highlands.
Captain Stephen Mezals (38), from the Halkirk detachment of the 1st Battalion the Highlanders, was presented with the first bar of the Cadet Forces Medal marking 18 years of service, last Thursday evening.
The Caithness company instructor joined the Battalion in 2001 as an instructor with the Inverness detachment, later transferring to the county with the Thurso detachment in 2006, where in 2016 he was appointed as the company’s commander in 2015.
In 2018 Stephen took a step back from being the company commander due to work commitments and took over the company’s detachment in
Halkirk as its commander.
The Cadet Forces Medal is awarded to all officers and uniformed adult instructors in recognition of long service of proved capacity in the organisation. The medal is awarded after 12 years unbroken service with a bar awarded for every 6 years of further service.
Capt Mezals was presented with his bar at the detachment in Halkirk by Caithness company commander Major Neil McLean.
The 1st Battalion the Highlanders army cadet force is a youth organisation which provides challenging adventure, sporting and community activities aiming to inspire young people to achieve success in live while having fun at the same time.
