Page 12 - The Wish Stream Year of 2022

Impressions from
an International
Cadet
OCdt Mauricio Sily, Lebanon
Prior to joining the Army, I graduated from the American University of Science and Tech- nology in 2017 with a BS in Forensic Sci-
ence. It was all until in due course, I started my military life in May 2018, initially serving for almost 6 months in the Military Police, where I was offered orientation and guidance. Afterwards, I served until 2021 in the Intelligence Directorate, where I earned certificates in Investigation and Criminology by completing multiple independent programmes. I then applied and got accepted to progress and join the Lebanese Military Acad- emy as an OCdt for two years until after a chal- lenging process of tests and interviews, I was fortunately selected to take part in the RMAS course that begun in September 2022. Note that I’m a member of the basketball team in both institutions. Currently, I am aiming to enrich this course with some cultural and operational expe- riences acquired from Lebanon while gaining an exceptional training and educational experience at Sandhurst in return.
When I first landed at Heathrow Airport to start this long-awaited journey, I felt a mixture of emo- tions, predominantly anxiety and an overwhelm- ing sense of excitement. Training began with a 3-week pre-RMAS course for phase B training in August at Shrivenham. During my time there, I met Captain Cicilia and CSgt Davies, who were beyond welcoming and massively helped in preparing us to take on Commissioning Course
223 at RMAS, with a particular focus on naviga- tion, basic military skills and drill. We were also introduced to the plethora of army terminology/ phrases, and the rapid speed at which people speak English. This period was of great impor- tance in breaking the ice between all the Inter- national OCdts and preparing us for 12 months at Sandhurst.
Subsequently, our 14-week Junior Term at RMAS began on the 11th of September. I had the honour to meet the most heart-warming team including Colonel Roddy Winser, Lt Colo- nel Crawford, Maj MacDonald, Captain Borley, and SSgt Lamb, all of whom made me feel at home, respected, and greatly valued. Training started off with five exhaustingly hard weeks met with utmost professionalism when it came to time management and division of tasks despite having a few hours of sleep due to the loaded schedule. Among the highlights of that period was drill, which was one of the most challenging assignments for me, given that I wasn’t familiar with such instructions but, with the help of my SSgt, it became easier with time. We completed Ex SELF RELIANCE which required lots of prep- aration and administration, and involved estab- lishing a patrol harbour, basic fieldcraft, fire and manoeuvre, and navigation by day and night. The weather was mixed which at times made things more challenging; however, I learnt how to act under different circumstances, increase my confidence, depend on myself, take instant decisions, and adapt to adverse environments.
10 SANDHURST