A Different Kind of Colonel

Smart move on behalf of 423 Squadron. Rick Mercer has been a very vocal supporter of the military over the years.

That's Col. Rick to you: Mercer gets a military gig

In a post sometimes reserved for business executives or minor royalty, Rick Mercer may be the first professional comedian to serve as honorary colonel of a Canadian air force unit.

Rick Mercer has been named honorary colonel of 423 Maritime Helicopter Squadron in Nova Scotia.

Mercer, who is younger than some of the aircraft in 423 Maritime Helicopter Squadron, says he is "probably an unconventional choice" for the unpaid ceremonial gig.

"But I'm happy that it's the guys with the Sea Kings because I always root for the underdog," he told CBC News Online on Wednesday as word of his appointment spread. "And I've always felt perfectly safe riding in Sea Kings."

A sad but true fact in the linked report:

The helicopters, older than most of their crew members and famously inclined to break down in recent years, were delivered between 1963 and 1969, the year Mercer was born.

Good press release on the Air Force site, complete with several links of Mercer's efforts on behalf of the military in the past.

Rick Mercer named Sea King squadron Honorary Colonel