Three cadets from the Royal Canadian Army Cadets recently returned from trips learning the tricks and trade of the military.

Richard Passmore, 17,  Zachary Hockin, 17, and Jonathan Orton, 16, shared their stories from the trips and how it helped them in both their professional and personal lives.

"The experience was great and we got to do a lot of team-building exercises and confidence work. I found I needed more self-confidence and I thought it was something that would help me out," said Passmore.

Passmore spent five weeks in Wales from the last two weeks in July until Mid-August, when his journey helped with his self-confidence.

"We had one week where we were out in the bush for two days and we got to do some raft-building. We canoed, kayaked and did other activities," he said.

He added that he also had a chance to absorb the culture, which he found beautiful.

"I made a lot of good friends over there. The countryside was beautiful and the people were great but the food is different. It's all deep-fried."

For Hockin, he spent more than doing physical work during his time in Trenton, Ont.

Often having to get up in the wee hours of the morning, Hockin learned the value of hard labour and the work ethic it takes to be a part of the armed forces.

"It was by far the hardest thing I've ever done. The first two weeks was all physical training so they ran us all day, pushups, sit-ups, fireman carries and running with sandbags," Hockin said.

"The two weeks after that was all parachute training. We learned to get in and exit the aircraft, landing and emergency procedures. We also learned what to do once we land."

Hockin recalls interest in the military as a proud one, as he strives to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, who both served in the armed forces.

While Passmore and Hockin did their duties, Orton learned lessons on how to be a better leader in Cochrane, AB.

Spending a majority of his time outdoors, Orton said he enjoyed his time because of the camaraderie and beautiful sights.

"It was a lot of fun with beautiful sights. The people there were great. It was a leadership and challenge course so you're building those areas," he said.

It was an outdoor course so we did a lot of canoeing, rock climbing, horseback, wilderness first aid, trekking, glacier trekking, mountain biking and other stuff like that," Orton added. "We also learned how to manage the group and make sure that everyone is safe when doing these activities.

A Worthwhile Experience

Glenn Arksey, who's the chair of support at the Royal Canadian Army Cadets, said that the military experience is good for the youth because it helps to keep them out of gangs while making them more self-awareness.

"The cadet program is free to the parents and there is no cost for the uniforms or travel for the stuff we do," said Arksey.

"I find that the program gives them self-awareness and they don't have to belong to a gang. It gives them some skills to teach them how to catch fish, how to build a fire etc.. It's a good program for young people to get into," he added.

jordan.maxwell@sunmedia.ca

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Friday, May 24, 2013

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