Fifteen officer cadets, three of whom are Belizean nationals, on Sunday demonstrated aspects of military training they are undergoing at the Camp Stephenson Colonel Ulric Pilgrim Officer Cadet School. The 15 stayed the course after 10 opted out, and are well on their way to be commissioned second lieutenants at the end of the programme otherwise known as the Standard Officers’ Course (SOC) # 46.
The SOC was developed to provide training for new army officers and other services’ officers. Its broad objective is to provide a solid foundation for the subsequent professional development of all cadets entering the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). Army, police, prison and fire service officers have all had their training there as well as army officers who serve in sister Caricom nations.
The Colonel Ulric Pilgrim Officer Cadet School prides itself on being the institution where all the serving heads of the Joint Services were taught. The training provided is relevant to the development of the individual and the security concerns and needs of the nation.
Family members turned out to witness the officer cadets in action. They were joined by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, GDF Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips; as well as other senior officers of the army, police, fire and prison services.
The course includes an intensive programme of military skills and tactics, rigorous physical fitness, team activities designed to promote stamina and group spirit, leadership and command methods, management techniques, military law, and national policy. The first item on the agenda was jungle survival techniques which a soldier must adopt when lost, either through detachment from a platoon or after escape from an enemy in an alien territory.
Skill demonstrations
Officer Cadet Lawrence King took the enthused onlookers through tips on tying knots and setting traps, while his colleagues Obitre Hytmiah, Shaheed Zaiboon and Lawrence King illustrated how to light fires, as well as prepare resting spots and food safe to consume. Among them was the coconut worm which King bravely consumed much to the horror of the onlookers.
Officer Cadet Austin Flores from the Belize Defence Force (BDF) was part of a three-man team illustrating the types and use of teaching aids common in the army. At another section of the base, there was endurance training and falling plate shoot which officer cadets were given 20 seconds to complete. A few minutes later, a team rappelled from the Bell 412 helicopter.
At the end of what can be described as an exciting and enlightening day, Prime Minister Hinds addressed the gathering, saying how thrilling the exercise was and how proud he was of the men and women dedicating their services to the nation.
The Colonel Ulric Pilgrim Officer Cadet School was named in 1980 in honour of then GDF Commander, Colonel Ulric Pilgrim who provided yeoman service to the force.
