Pictured (left to right) is Officer Cadet Jon Berrey, Don Cherry, Officer Cadet Kristin Doncaster and Officer Cadet Michael Akey, who are all currently in their second year at the College. The tickets were generously given to RMC by the Kingston Whig Standard as a part of their show of support for the Soldiers Appreciation Hockey game at the K-Rock Centre.

Grapes makes big impression on cadets!

Three RMC cadets had no idea they were just given the chance to meet the Hockey Legend, Don Cherry at the Frontenac’s Military Appreciation Night hockey game on October 21, 2009. The three cadets were generously given the tickets by one of RMC’s Top Officer Cadets. Cherry gave the Officer Cadets a few words about his appreciation towards the sacrifices these future Officer Cadets have made. He also expressed his great appreciation for the sacrifices all soldier’s make serving Canada.

What really hit home for the Officer Cadets was when Don Cherry started talking about his experiences with RMC. He told the RMC Cadets that his mother had worked as a member of the cooking staff at the College for some time. For RMC to have the support of the great hockey legend, Don Cherry, is a great honour and extremely inspiring to RMC’s largely hockey oriented students. It was truly a big deal to meet Don Cherry as the three OCdt’s had all grown up playing hockey and had grown up watching him on Coach’s Corner. Immediately after posing for pictures with Don Cherry, the Officer Cadets phoned home to tell their parents about meeting the great hockey legend.

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Commandants Welcoming Address to Honourable Stephane Dion

Bon après midi. Monsieur le recteur Sokolsky, Madame Krieber, chers doyens, professeurs, membres militaires et élèves officiers, nous avons le privilège d’accueillir aujourd’hui l’honorable Stéphane Dion.

Good afternoon. Principal Sokolsky, Madame Krieber, Deans, Academic and military staff, Lady and Gentlemen Cadets; we are indeed privileged to have the Honourable Stephane Dion with us today.

Monsieur Dion, j’aimerais d’abord vous remercier d’avoir accepté de prendre la parole aujourd’hui devant la collectivité du CMR et d’offrir ainsi à nos élèves officiers et aux membres de notre personnel la merveilleuse occasion d’entendre les propos d’un éminent Canadien. Il s’agit certes, aujourd’hui, d’une journée spéciale pour le Collège.

Mr. Dion – let me start but thanking you for agreeing to speak at RMC – this is certainly a special day for the College and a wonderful opportunity for our Cadets and staff to hear from a distinguished Canadian.

Je sais que votre emploi du temps a été chargé aujourd’hui. Entre autres choses, vous avez rencontré des membres du personnel et des étudiants et visité certaines de nos installations. J’espère que ces activités vous ont permis de découvrir l’excellence du CMR.

I know that you’ve had a full day already including meeting with some staff and students, and visiting some of our facilities. I hope that this has given you the opportunity to get a true feel for the excellence that RMC represents.

I also want to thank the Principal, Dr. Sokolsky and his team for their tremendous work in organizing today’s event.

RMC is Canada’s military university.

The full time undergraduate students are in many ways unlike their peers in civilian universities. First, they have chosen to serve their county with full understanding of the contract of “unlimited liability” that comes with this.

They have been selected against very demanding criteria and have committed to remain in the military for a period of time after graduation.

Many of our graduates will find themselves leading troops in combat operations soon after they leave the college, wearing the Canadian Flag on their shoulder, in many places around the globe. It is my responsibility as Commandant to ensure that our cadets are ready to do this when they leave RMC after four very full and demanding years.

Officer cadets at RMC become amazingly well organized, of necessity, because they stuff six years work into four years. The basic RMC degree is 10-15% longer than elsewhere in academic courses alone, in order to cover for all the core subjects deemed essential to officership: psychology, ethics, leadership, Canadian history, military history, politics, civics, law, international affairs, cross-cultural relations, logic, math, information technology, physics, chemistry, and languages. The requirement to become bilingual, if counted in the hours which the government normally allocates to that task, equals almost a third of a degree again. Compulsory sports and fitness plus military training both during the academic year and in the summer add to the pressure.

Les étudiants des cycles supérieurs, composés d’environ quatre vingt cinq pour cent de militaires, ne sont également pas comme les étudiants des cycles supérieurs des autres universités. Ils ne sont pas simplement des étudiants de cinquième année : pour la plupart d’entre eux, de quatre à quinze ans se sont écoulés depuis l’obtention de leur baccalauréat. Avant de venir au CMR pour y faire des études de maîtrise ou de doctorat, ils ont acquis une vaste expérience opérationnelle. Notamment, ils ont mené des militaires canadiens dans le cadre d’opérations. Ils contribuent donc une riche expérience personnelle aux discussions en salle de classe et aux travaux d’études. Ils sont les étudiants des cycles supérieurs les plus intéressants et sérieux qu’un professeur peut espérer avoir.

The graduate students, of whom about 85% are military, are also unlike graduate students elsewhere. They are not merely fifth year undergraduates: most are between 4 and 15 years from their bachelor’s degree when they begin their next degree. They have had substantial operational experience, including leading the CF members in operations prior to arriving at RMC for a masters or doctoral degree, and bring that wealth of personal experience to the table in discussions and projects. They are the most interesting and committed graduate students a professor could ever hope for.

Finally, the historic purpose of RMC, and its enduring culture relies on the “idea” of service. This is in the first instance, but not exclusively, military service. Our graduates have served Canada and the world in many other capacities as well. There is no other Canadian university so steeped in the idea of service, and service before self. No one leaves here unmarked by RMC’s ethos of service and touched by the college motto of Truth, Duty, Valour.

Monsieur Dion, je vous remercie d’avoir accepté de prendre la parole devant nous aujourd’hui et je suis impatient d’entendre vos propos. J’aimerais également encourager les élèves officiers à profiter de cette occasion d’apprentissage et à ne pas être timides pendant la période de questions – je sais, bien sûr, que la timidité ne les arrêtera pas.

Mr Dion, I thank you very much for agreeing to speak to us today and look forward to your presentation. I also want to encourage the cadets to take advantage of this opportunity to learn and not to be shy during the Q&A session – though I know that they won’t be.

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Papa Flight Ruled the 2009 Obstacle Course

Pictured: Papa Flight (5 SQN)  winner of the 2009  Obstacle Course.  All 16, I Year cadets  participated from the Squadron.   A tip of the hat to CFL Elizabeth Eldridge, DCFL Sebastian Harper and CSCs Francis Dion, Brandon Frizzell and Zachary Johnson from the FYOP Papa Flight  staff for a job very well done .