Finally – A Gathering of Class 66
Fate has not been kind to the attempts of the Class of 66 to have a reunion. Early In 2020 when planning for our class reunion for the following year had started, COVID came along. We believed the health sages who said that COVID would be short lived but this was not to be.
Roads Memories – Mutiny on Mount Benson
Our group would consist entirely of first year UTPM cadets and, as luck would have it, we were the last group to trek up the mountain late in the afternoon. Now some of the guys were immediately suspicious that what we were being given wasn’t really a bomb, as it looked more like a “ten“ foot log. However, Mike Guerrard and Rick Touchett rightly pointed out that it had to be a bomb as it was clearly marked in both official languages. “The Bomb” on one side and “Le Bomb” on the other side.
The Arch – A Poem from 6940 Ron Stewart, Class of 1966
The Arch Blow soft you strong winds over the rich dead let bugles sound sad mourning strains as we step slow march to the rrrrum, pum, pum of the kilties’ lament on their pipes, on their drums. The scarlet lines were long and straight blue pill boxes wrapped in gold slow-marched in solemn dignity as…
The Class of 1992 and the Class of 2022 now share a bond of loss and of remembrance – Message from the Class of 1992
The Class of 1992 and the Class of 2022 now share a bond of loss and of remembrance. We will return every five years – together – to remember our time at RMC, those who return, those who do not and those who never could. I hope that the Class of 2022 can find a way to memorialize their lost classmates as we have. And I hope that across the 30 years that separates our classes, we can see ourselves in each other, bound by a common sadness of loss but comforted by the shared warmth of reminiscence.
My class have lost classmates as well. We have lost them due to their military service as well as after – Messages from the Class of 1984
So, while it may seem that these are likely the ramblings of someone who was born practically in the middle of the last century, it is also the voice of experience. And with that experience, I urge you to keep that contact between yourselves as a class. Embrace that unique relationship you all have because of your time at the College. The friendships you have made at RMC will last you a lifetime.
These lessons and memories will help you deal with all the future challenges that come your way – Message from the Class of 1979
Our Class has lost several classmates through the years and it always causes sadness and grief when we think of them to know that we will never meet again to tell stories and share experiences. However, in a strange way. it also always gives us a chance when we think of them to remember them fondly, to rejoice at knowing them, and to recall what we learned from them during our time together.
It is a unique experience that only those who have passed through the Colleges would understand – Message from the Class of 2017
The road was challenging: room and uniform inspections, parade practices, military training, SLT, intramurals, PPT, essays, science labs, late night study sessions fueled by caffeine, exams, capstone projects… you did it all, you made it through.
Every member of the RMC community understands the permanent ties of comradery that bind us throughout our lives – Message to the Class of 2022 from the Class of 1978
The tragic loss of four of our own has deeply impacted all cadets, ex cadets, staff and others whose lives are connected inexorably to Canada’s Royal Military Colleges.
When we enroll in the military, we acknowledge that we will face risks. But we are also young and invincible—until we aren’t – Message from the Class of 1986
Lorsque nous nous enrôlons dans les forces armées canadiennes, nous reconnaissons que nous ferons face à des risques. Mais nous sommes aussi jeunes et invincibles, jusqu’à ce que nous réalisons que nous ne sommes pas. Le premier camarade de classe que nous avons perdu était en troisième année, pendant la fin de semaine de l’action de grâce.
There is no one event, no matter how traumatic, that can lessen your responsibility to LEAD others in uniform- Messages from the Class of 1983
You are a member of a special cohort of Canadians that have unselfishly decided to serve our county to bring peace and hope to others in the world. Know that you are members of Canadian Armed Forces and you are surrounded by caring and thoughtful brothers and sisters in arms who are, and will always be, there for you in your time of need.
As CAF officers we all expect to lose peers, colleagues and classmates but to prepare to march off the square and then have them absent is a wrenching blow- Messages from the Class of 1976
The truth is that this event cannot but hurt and my Class and the entire Royal Military Colleges alumni also feel the loss and join you in your grief. However, if you think about what those four comrades would have wanted, it would probably be for all of you to show your resilience, your courage and your sense of duty. They would want you to go on, to graduate and to honour their memory by displaying during your service to Canada the same valour shown by Canadian servicemen and women in all our past conflicts.
This letter, on the occasion of your graduation and the loss of four of your classmates is riven with both deep sadness and joy- Messages from the Class of 1962
I am now almost 82 years old and have created an exciting life for myself because of CMR and RMC. As graduates you have a great life ahead you, put the training and education you have received at RMC to good use. Your education and training are probably the best you can get anywhere in the world and you must always appreciate that blessing.