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SEIZE THE DAY
Cadet Scholarship In Memory of Cpl James Hayward Arnal
The “SEIZE THE DAY” award will be presented annually to three Cadets in the Prairie Region who best exemplifies the qualities of encouragement, motivation, personal growth, and confidence. These qualities will be evident in the recipient’s efforts to inspire fellow cadets to take on challenges, and improve corps and squadron morale through personal initiative and example in “SEIZING THE DAY”!
Three $1,000 awards each year to a Prairie Region Sea, Army and Air Cadet in memory of Cpl James Hayward Arnal.
SEIZE THE DAY candidates will be nominated by their Cadet peers. One cadet per Corps or Squadron will be endorsed by their CO and forwarded to RCSU (Pra). Candidates will submit an electronic essay or electronic audio-visual presentation expressing their interests, passions, values, and examples of how they have “SEIZED THE DAY”. The submission should also indicate how they will use the $1,000 and identify any benefactors. The awards committee may ask for references during the selection process.
HOW DO YOU SEIZE THE DAY?
CORPS DEADLINE TO SUBMIT TO IS 23 MARCH 2012.
If you have any questions email Lt(N) Barnfield at co.335sea@cadets.gc.ca
CPL JAMES ARNAL
Cpl James Arnal was a soldier with 2 PPCLI in Shilo Manitoba who lost his life in Afghanistan. An ordinary person doing extraordinary things is the best 
way to describe James. He went to great lengths to meet people, regardless of their social status or background. He was always encouraging his friends to do new things so they could reach higher levels of ability and set new goals. James would celebrate his friends’ attempts, regardless of whether or not they accomplished the challenge. His ability to motivate people to take on new experiences helped them to grow and improve themselves as individuals. He “lead from the front” through his personal involvement in activities such as martial arts, gymnastics, hiking, canoeing, hunting, fishing, gardening, cooking, skiing, sky diving, travelling, golf, playing cards with old folks, bungee jumping, sailing, taking the scariest rides at the fair, hockey, board game tournaments, swimming with the sharks, and writing home to students while serving in Afghanistan. He was at his best when he was with people, and he savoured every friend and experience.
James loved animals and children. He was famous for going home on his lunch hours to play with the lonely dog next door. He “adopted” his friends’ pets, and always wanted one of his own. He had a particularly soft spot in his heart for children. When he saw first-hand the difficult lifestyle of the children in Afghanistan, his heart was broken. He agonized over their loss of a decent childhood. He felt they deserved to live a much better life, and strongly believed they should not have to endure the hardships of the conflict imposed on them by the insurgents. When he looked into the eyes of these little people, he saw hope and gratefulness unlike anything he’d ever seen. It shocked him as it was evident they had nothing. On his return home from his first tour in Afghanistan, he struggled with how fortunate we are in Canada and the lack of appreciation we have for being so blessed. He once told his mother “Once you’ve looked into the eyes of poverty, it’s hard to come home and throw out table scraps”.
James left us with a legacy that ordinary people can do extraordinary things and make a difference. Through motivation, encouragement, random acts of kindness, sheer presence, strong example, confidence, common sense, setting goals, keeping a positive attitude, caring for others, and loving his fellow man, James “SEIZED THE DAY”! He used the phrase often, and when he did his friends knew he was on a mission! Quoting from the character Yoda in the Star Wars Trilogy, James wrote in his high school yearbook:
“My ambition is to travel the world, my destiny is to save lives, and my motto is “Do or do not – there is no try”!””
The Cpl James Hayward Arnal Award seeks to honour Cadets who share the qualities that James lived by: a passion for life, a caring heart, an encourager and motivator for friends, and a can-do, positive attitude.
