Page 87 - Wish Stream Year of 2016

Another milestone in the Junior Term calendar was Ex LONG REACH, which saw the Of cer Cadets of Burma Company tackle the Black Mountains in a gruelling 70km hike in 36 hours. In the end, much to the pleasure of the OC and the CSM, Burma achieved the highest score out of the three companies of CC163. This was a testament to our moral strength as a company. Our sense of responsibility and shared ethos helped drive us to overcome those mountains that looked a lot smaller before we started to climb them.
Since Ex LONG REACH, the Of cer Cadets have had their rst taste of command in the
form of command tasks and section and pla- toon attacks. As the Directing Staff looked on with despair, we got to grips with the basics of command and in turn we have really developed cohesion and an understanding of how to oper- ate ever more effectively together, which is at the heart of ethos and Of cership.
This term has been both busy and successful for laying down the foundations for Burma Com- pany, but as we go forward, we will expand upon the ethos that has already been established and build upon the three pillars of command, exam- ple and responsibility.
On Tuesday 1 November, the junior intake at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst set off to the Black Mountains in Wales to undertake one of the more infamous challenges of the entire Com- missioning Course; Ex LONG REACH. During this exercise, Of cer Cadets work in teams of six to eight and walk distances of up to 75km with 25kgs in a target time of 36 hours. This exercise not only demands tness and physi- cal robustness from participants, but also the ability to think positively and clearly, and make sound decisions when things might not be going entirely to plan.
Our ability to think clearly and positively, to be ambitious in planning and exible on the ground,
Members of 21 Platoon at the top of ‘X-Ray’
OCdt Deeny
is what allowed 21 Platoon Alamein Company to win the Ex LONG REACH plate this year.
During the presentation of our route plans before setting off, it became clear that as a platoon we had planned ambitious routes. There was a trend, most probably inspired by our Platoon Commander, of not taking the easy, trodden route, but forging our own paths across the mountains. Bearings had been taken from one natural landmark to another, winding tracks had been ignored, and we had shown that we were not daunted by a steep traverse. However, on the ground these routes sometimes proved dif- cult to follow. Woodblocks, identi ed as impor- tant landmarks, had been deforested, and the seven-foot high ferns on hillsides made navi- gation challenging in parts. It was the exibility, clear thinking and strong navigation skills shown by the sections of 21 Platoon that enabled them to work through this to victory. Descend- ing down a slope so steep that sliding on your bergan through dense undergrowth is the most practical method of travel, while trying to follow a bearing to a track in the valley oor 2.5km away. It certainly promises adventure and requires some mental robustness.
Over the seven weeks prior to Ex LONG REACH, we had got to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses as a platoon. It was during the plan-
Exercise LONG REACH
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