RMC Hosts Annual Badge Presentation Ceremony – Kingston
Family, friends and officers gathered on the campus of the Royal Military College in Kingston on Saturday morning to witness a time-tested tradition that marks the first step into the future for this year’s generation of officer cadets.
After a grueling month-long orientation period, they officially became full members of the college.
“What matters today is the completion of this four-week program and the acceptance of this group into the college proper,” said Col. Cathy Blue, RMC director of cadets.
It was no walk in the park for the new cadets.
The orientation period is full of learning and hard work, with many long days of physical training, team building and a focus on mental toughness.
The final step students must complete before earning their badge is a 13-part obstacle course, which can be as physically intimidating as it is mentally.
“They’re moving large amounts of equipment, a lot of weight, through the water, under and over obstacles, it’s a little muddy, it’s full of water,” Blue added.
But this challenge is designed to put everything they’ve learned over the past four weeks to the test, and in the end, they’ll come out better for it.
“They realize that if we work as a team, if we take all of our strengths and put them together, we can overcome many, many challenges,” she said.
Finally, the cadets finally receive their badges from former graduates, signifying their full acceptance into the ranks of the CMR.
“It’s a huge achievement. There’s a lot of work to do in those four weeks, learning how to work as a team and manage time in an intense environment,” Blue said.
By embedding these new badges into their headgear, they are cementing their first major step towards the next chapter of their lives.
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