Former Mission resident Cpl. Natasha Burden, a member of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), is a recent graduate of the Airborne Electronic Sensor Operator course in Winnipeg, Man.
Burden worked hard while on course, earning not only her AES Op Wings, but also two other awards.
She finished first overall in her class, securing the Reginald McNamara Trophy, and was also voted by her peers as the student who made the greatest contribution to team building and course morale. For this she won the Honorary Colonel Bert Cheffins Trophy.
Airborne Electronic Sensor Operators use advanced electronic sensor systems to operate airborne sensors on board long-range patrol aircraft, maritime helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles.
They are responsible for detecting and tracking submarines, providing support for search and rescue operations/medical evacuations, and assisting other government departments and agencies in the collection of evidence and counter-narcotics patrols.
Burden graduated from Mission Secondary in 2008 and completed a bachelor of commerce in finance degree at UBC in 2013.
In July of 2012, Burden joined the Army Reserve as an RMS clerk, first working for the British Columbia Regiment in Vancouver, then the 4th Canadian Ranger Patrol Group in Victoria.
In August 2015, she completed a component transfer to the regular force as an Airborne Electronic Sensor Operator.
Burden graduated from the AES Op course in Winnipeg on Dec. 9, 2016 and is now posted to 19 Wing Comox as a Junior AES Op analyst.
She will be deployed overseas in the near future.