When 14 Wing Greenwood, Nova Scotia, held its annual Royal Canadian Air Force mess dinner on March 28, 2018, the event was a very special occasion for a multi-generation service family.
Warrant Officer (retired) Erle Dolsen, 95, was a special guest at the dinner. Warrant Officer Dolsen was the bandmaster at the base for 10 years, and played an integral role in the early years of the base's Lake Pleasant Campground. He served for 32 years, retiring in 1975, and continues to be known as a musician, playing “The Last Post” at hundreds of school and community services and memorials every year since 1962.
He has been a dedicated member of the Royal Canadian Legion Ortona 69 Branch in Berwick, Nova Scotia, having held every executive position at the branch. He received the Legion's highest award, the Palm Leaf, and was named Berwick's volunteer of the year. In November 2017, he attended the dedication ceremony for a 14 Wing Greenwood bands' display at the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum, marking the 75th anniversary of military music at Greenwood.
At Warrant Officer Dolsen's request, an invitation was extended to his son, Sergeant (retired) Craig Dolsen, to also attend the Mess Dinner. Sergeant Dolsen was himself posted to 14 Wing Greenwood in 1985, and retired under the Force Reduction Program in 1992, after 22 years of Regular Force service. After a short real estate career, Sergeant Dolsen joined the Air Reserve at 14 Wing and continued his service another…
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