Page 90 - Wish Stream Year of 2018

The 99th Anniversary of Estonia’s Officer Academy
OCdt Benyon
On arrival in Tallinn we were handed our itinerary. It became increasingly clear that our respective Colour and Staff Sergeants
hadn’t been joking when they told us (with a smile) to brush up on our Estonian
Major Tom Clark and his wife Cate, and con- sisted of Officer Cadets George Gordon-Head, William Pearce, and me. We joined delegations from Sweden, Finland, Poland and Latvia as well
ballroom dancing. Three girls had
been given the unenviable task
of bringing us up to speed on ten
separate dances before the clos-
ing ball. I can’t think of an activity
that better embodies the spirit of
adventure training. Forget jumping
out of a plane; you haven’t been out
of your comfort zone until you have
felt the utter fear of stepping onto a
ballroom dance floor not knowing a
foxtrot from a rumba, with the weight of the realm on your shoulders and a less than impressed dance partner gazing up at you disapprovingly.
We were in Estonia during the April recess to participate in the 99th Anniversary celebrations of their Officer Academy. The team was led by
as our Estonian hosts. The overarching aim of the celebration was to enhance engagement between the various mili- taries represented.
There was a palpable sense of relief when, on the second day, we could shelve our dancing shoes and get into battle order for the main event; the patrol competition. The day kicked off with a parade through Tartu behind their military band and into the main
square in the full eye of the media. Our drill, on full display due to our MTP, stood out against the darker more forest orientated uniforms of the Baltic States. The competition consisted of 10 checkpoints, each with a command task to complete. A bit like EX LONGREACH but... enjoyable! These varied from an urban clearance
Major Clark and the Sandhurst contingent
The competition consisted of 10 checkpoints, each with a command task to complete.
88 SANDHURST