Graduates of the Class of 2022,
On behalf of the Old Brigade of the Royal Military Colleges Alumni Association, I wish all of you warm and well deserved congratulations on completing your college program. In addition to the normal academic challenges that civilian university students face, you have risen to many others in leadership, sports and bilingualism that don’t exist anywhere else. BRAVO ZULU – well done!
One thing we all learn in the colleges is that no one makes it through here on their own. Take a moment before you leave to remember all the help and encouragement you received from classmates, professors and other mentors along the way. Looking back, those were the most valuable and memorable parts of my college life. Now, as you step out into your first posting – take care to seek out new mentors – your superiors, your colleagues and most important, those whom you are entrusted to lead. They too will help you to succeed, but only if you let them.
This year, tragedy has made graduation a bitter-sweet moment. What we would all give to change that, but we can’t. Our profession requires us to live with danger, and on sad occasions, to suffer loss. The best we can do is to cherish the friendship of our fallen comrades, and to live our lives in a way that honours their memory.
Best wishes for the future.
Don Bell, 7964
Adjutant, Old Brigade *** Adjudant, Vieille Brigade
Well said, Adj