Page 8 - The Wish Stream Year of 2020 Crest

‘Everyone has their Everest’
OCdt McConnell
We are 2 Platoon Blenheim Company, but before we were Blenheim we came from every walk of life. Some of us are only 18 years old, others are in their 30s. Some have come straight from school or university; others have been in the army for years. We have come to Sandhurst from all over the world, from dif- ferent social backgrounds, yet we all have the same determination driving us each day.
For us, the saying: “Everyone has their Everest” is extremely apt. The younger in the Platoon help to put a good light on everything, bringing morale and energy to everyday life. Those with more experience have shown us the importance of treating training as the real thing. They have also taught us all the silly little things that nobody thinks to teach you, but that make your life ten times easier, from the many uses of dental tools to the best way to Fablon a map.
On arriving at Sandhurst many of us believed that those, who had previous military experi- ence, would be leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of us, and to an extent they were. One of the most striking things to see over the first few weeks was how these individuals were able to help the Platoon as a whole with tricks of the trade, and sometimes just with a bit of reas- surance. In the short-term it helped us pass inspections and get to know the ropes, but in the long-term it was this helping hand that really kick-started our team cohesion and helped us build trust and commitment within the Platoon.
At the time of writing, it is Week 9 of Junior Term, and as a Platoon we have moved sections three times. It is safe to say it hasn’t always been a smooth ride, but that underlying determination is something that we have seen grow and develop. Although we all have different levels of experi- ence, each individual has had their own chal- lenges. The exercise that is normally equated to determination is Long Reach, and for many this was the case. We were tested both mentally and physically in challenging conditions and had to learn to achieve tasks as a team, with relatively little sleep. It is safe to say that at one point or another each and every one of us felt pushed out of our comfort zones. The Army Ethos and team
spirit that we had built in our sections helped us to keep pushing ourselves into our stretch zones and further still. By building a team bond on barracks, we were able to recognise when others in the section were struggling and knew how to motivate them to continue. However, for a lot of us Long Reach wasn’t the biggest hurdle. Navigating around the Black Mountains pales in comparison to navigating the Defence and Inter- national Affairs lectures. For many of us, going back into the world of academia was far more of a shock to the system than Weeks 1-5.
The Company Dinner Night was our first oppor- tunity to bond socially with our peers and mem- bers of the Directing Staff. It showed us what we have to look forward to in our future careers as army officers, but it also showed us how far we have come. On Old College Sunday our fami- lies had the opportunity to see our new home, friends and way of life. Although we all enjoyed seeing loved ones, we had become accustomed to brunch in the cookhouse at 1000hrs and had a bit of a shock when breakfast was served at 0630hrs and did not include an odd mixture of Nasi Goreng and Coco-pops.
One day we will be spread across the army, but what defines us won’t be the big exercises of our year at Sandhurst. When we tell stories, they won’t be stories about Self Reliance or Long Reach, they will be stories about the people we did them with. For us, the most memorable moments are the little ones in day-to-day life. They say that you always remember the peo- ple you went to Sandhurst with; each of us will always remember the Locker Gremlin and the Phantom Sock Thief. Nine weeks on, we have grown as individuals and as a Platoon. Imagine where we will be in 35 weeks’ time.
6 SANDHURST