Page 58 - WishStream Year of 2023

Finding my rhythm
OCdt Christian Paris (USA)
As an American, I am often asked by friends and family from home what my experience at Sandhurst has been like. I find it hard to describe it succinctly. Fascinating? Yes.
Challenging? Absolutely. But how does one find a common thread among the colourful chaos of the Sandhurst curriculum? In one word, “rhythm.”
For most Sandhurst OCdts currently or previously passing through this campus, the challenge of finding rhythm of life here at Sandhurst became an immediate focus. Navigating the flow of daily life on camp and in the field requires a paradoxical concoction of drive and surrender to the process, where the OCdt must be both a proactive leader and engaged follower.
Although my own home’s history is lingually and culturally bound to my host’s, I found that find- ing my daily rhythm was anything but easy. The caliber of OCdt in my class was so profound that I became easily overwhelmed. They are the best the United Kingdom has to offer, ranging from world-class athletes to accomplished scholars, from former aid workers to top enlisted soldiers selected to take their leadership to the next level, united by an insatiable hunger to be here. I felt like an imposter, a less-than-useful number on the morning roll call taking up someone else’s spot.
But then, amidst the chaos of the daily schedule, the loud calls of cadence as we marched count- less kilometres around camp, a Staff Sergeant dear to me reminded me,
“Relax... you have everything you need.” He was right. I was so caught up in doubting myself, doubting my ability to find that ‘Sandhurst Bat- tle Rhythm’ that I failed to listen... listen for the rhythm, itself.
So, I started listening. I listened to the percussive stomp of the drill boots; to the staccato of the fire support during a platoon attack, reassuring me as I moved in for the assault; and to the equally exhausted, equally driven breaths of 70 OCdts during PT as we asked ourselves if we could sum- mit that hill once again. I listened, and I learnt. I learnt no matter how alone one may feel here, all
one must do is listen for the shared goals, shared fears, and shared victories that define the beautiful community that is the Army.
I shared victories that define the beautiful com- munity that is the Army.
I also learnt that, just like the Brits, my fellow Inter- national Cadets were exceptional, too. Hailing from over 30 different nations, speaking over 15 languages, some already serving as deployment- tested soldiers and all wearing uniforms holding just as deep histories sewn into their fibres as our hosts.’ We contribute to that Sandhurst community just as much, sharing our own wisdoms, lessons, and successes as we receive.
That is the magic of this place. The rhythm that defines Sandhurst is not fixed. It is everchanging, evolving through those who walk through its hal- lowed halls. That is a rhythm I am proud to march to.
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