Page 44 - The Wish Stream Year of 2020 Crest

Senior Term Perspective from an OCdt
As Senior Term OCdts, most of us have been here at the Academy for nearly a year now. This term for us has probably been a lot different to the experience of pre-COVID OCdts. We had heard tales of Hotel Seniors, and even rumours of pain-au-chocolat in the new college cookhouse. When we arrived back on that first Sunday after leave, we were confronted with a stark reality that didn’t quite match up. As we were told that we would be gated for another 14 weeks, we realised that we would have to find our own freedom within these four walls. Yet as the term progressed, we quickly came to recog- nise how much we would rely on the men and women to the left and right of us.
The term was kicked off by what must have been one of our busiest weeks in the Academy; learn- ing how to run a battle lane. By the end of week one we were knackered, and it left us wondering how we could possibly make it through the next 13 weeks. In the first four weeks,
OCdt McConnell
The final exercise of the term for us was Ex DYNAMIC VICTORY, which was split into four days in Lydd on the live ranges, and nine days in Thetford. For many of us, Lydd was not only a bit of respite, but also a highlight of the course as we got to throw live grenades for the first time
we had gone on Ex CHURCH- ILLS’ CHALLENGE, completed the Log Race (just), and dragged ourselves round the bayonet lane. So, by the time our Company din- ner night came around it’s safe to say we were all feeling a bit bruised.
For us the dinner nights aren’t just
a time to enjoy some good food and good company. They provide an opportunity to observe customs and acquire social skills.
and conduct a fire-team attack with live rounds. As we arrived for the start of the exercise phase, the cold, sandy ground of Thetford quickly reminded us that we had become accustomed to a certain level of luxury after living out of a FOB for the last two exercises. But with each day of Ex DYNAMIC VIC- TORY and with each attack, we grew in confidence. When we finally reached the day of the Battlegroup attack, we didn’t need a rousing eve of battle speech, because we felt ready.
Company dinner night saw a mix
of emotions in the platoon. For
the first time in the term, we were
experiencing a little bit of Sand-
hurst tradition. For us the dinner
nights aren’t just a time to enjoy
some good food and good company. They pro- vide an opportunity to observe customs and acquire social skills.
It’s safe to say that this Senior Term hasn’t been a typical one. But if anything, it has made us stronger as individuals, and as a Company. We live together 24/7. We know everyone’s strengths and their quirks. 35 weeks ago, we were in Junior Term. We had just finished Ex LONG REACH and could barely see past lunch- time, let alone imagine what it must feel like to be two weeks away from commissioning. Now that we are here, it is even harder to believe where we have come from.
After the Company dinner night, it seemed like the blink of an eye before we were on Ex TEMPLER’S TRIUMPH. This exercise shifted the focus from the traditional platoon attack to a more dynamic scenario in the urban environ- ment, where the adversary’s most dangerous course of action was no longer armoured infan- try, but rather a mop bucket and a rogue black forest gateau.
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