Page 77 - WishStream Year of 2023

the past year had paid off. In other areas, we had to make use of our ingenuity and pure graft, such as crossing a reservoir in a Zodiac boat. After 8 or so hours of work, we were faced with the final 8 mile ‘ruck’ to our camp, up West Point’s renowned hills. After a day of hard graft, this was the point where the exhaustion set in, and even our strongest members struggled. As the weather turned more British and we crossed the line in a state of cramp, both teams still managed to finish the day strongly, placing firmly in the top 10.
Waking with sore bodies to a cold and wet New York day, we fired into the final rounds of the com- petition. Five minutes of maximum effort through the obstacles of the assault course preceded the ranges. UK Blue had clearly been paying to our Colour Sergeant’s lessons in the Wing, a strong shoot placing them third. A bus back to camp and we were into the final leg: a struggle through American procedures calling for artillery and finally
the ominously named “Crucible” – a 10-minute thrashing of burden carries, respirator runs, shoots and CASEVACs that failed to faze either team. The competition done, tiredness setting in, and pints in the “Firstie” bar awaiting, both Sandhurst teams had shown the best of themselves and the institution they had travelled to represent. UK Red especially so, bringing home the title of Best Inter- national Team, and building on the work of other British teams before us. Our excursion across the pond marked a highlight of our careers so far; the hospitality shown by our American counterparts was second-to-none, and the healthy competi- tion with other international teams was a welcome introduction to working with foreign militaries. Memories of Sandhurst will stay with us through- out our careers, and the chance to compete at West Point undoubtedly enhanced our initial train- ing as officers, all of us returning more rounded individuals than those who boarded the plane at Heathrow.
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