RickMercer at Royal Military College Saint-Jean
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A Challenge 1’917 Meters High for RMC Saint-Jean Officer Cadets
– An article by Officer Cadet Patrick Saumure
Some 12 officer cadets and five staff from RMC Saint-Jean had the opportunity to challenge themselves and test their physical and mental capabilities while climbing Mt. Washington. Here at RMC Saint-Jean we take pride in training the officer cadets in the 4 main pillars being Academics, Bilingualism, Leadership and Sports. On February 27th 2014 a few selected officer cadets were given the opportunity to test their skills in sports by summiting MT. Washington and ice climb a frozen waterfall in New Hampshire, USA. The officer cadets arrived at the base camp of Mt. Washington on the Thursday night, the following Friday they took the day to ice climb a frozen waterfall with the necessary equipment in order to familiarize themselves in the cold environment for the climb of Mt. Washington the next day. On the Saturday March 1st, the officer cadets started their climb early in the morning on a journey that took them close to 4 hours to summit. Faced with harsh winds and cold temperatures all officer cadets succeeded the climb and were greeted at the top by an amazing view of the Appalachian Mountains that surrounded it. Shortly after the summit they then proceeded back down the mountain for a hot coffee waiting for them at the bottom.
“I have never climbed a mountain before” stated Officer Cadet Tyler Gilchrist who is from Ottawa, Ontario. He is in his first year at RMC Saint- Jean and was one of the few officer cadets to have been selected to ascend Mt. Washington. “I didn’t know what to expect but once we started our hike with the guys it was a blast. The hardest part of the hike was crossing the tree line. The wind was rough and you can hardly see a few meters ahead but that was the most exciting part. If it wasn’t for the opportunity provided by the RMC Foundation, I would have probably never hiked and got to experience such a great trip! Trips like these are hard to come by, so I am grateful for the opportunity and it will be a great memory that will stay with me throughout my military career!”
The officer cadets at RMC Saint- Jean are given opportunities to improve their skills in the 4 main pillars. The Mt. Washington expedition gave the officer cadets an insight on the challenges faced in the field. It was not an easy summit but all officer cadets made it which allowed them to push their physical and mental abilities. As future Officer in the Canadian Armed Forces they will be faced with countless challenges that require physical strength and endurance, this expedition enabled the officer cadets to preserve through the challenges and to apply the knowledge learned at RMC Saint-Jean to successfully summit Mt. Washington.
Photo 1: Officer cadets from RMC Saint-Jean were selected to not only hike up Mt. Washington, but also to ice climb a frozen waterfall. The hike up the mountain took four hours that was rewarded by an exceptional view of the Appalachian Mountains.
Photo Credit: Officer Cadet Tyler Gilchrist
Photo 2: Officer cadets from RMC Saint-Jean were given the opportunity to travel to New Hampshire and not only ice climb a frozen waterfall but also summit Mt.Washington. Both activities challenged the officer cadet’s physical and mental abilities.
Photo Credit: Officer Cadet Tyler Gilchrist
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CMR Saint-Jean Celebrates Women’s Day 2014
-An article by 27148 Officer Cadet Em Prosper
On March 12th, 2014, RMC Saint-Jean celebrated International Women’s Day. Although it is typically celebrated on the 8th of March, Officer Cadets were off enjoying their reading week, so they gladly commemorated the day when they returned.
Throughout the day, there were several events marking the celebrations. In the morning, officer cadets attended a Commandant’s Coffee, where some of their colleagues received prizes for their entries in the CMR Women’s Day contest. For this contest, officer cadets were invited to create videos, photo collages, posters, or other pieces of work that would capture the importance of Women’s Day.
Over the course of the day, there were presentations from highly successful women, which the officer cadets were happy to attend. The day was organised by a team of staff and officer cadets who planned the contest as well as the events going on during the day. Due to the College’s vast diversity, several events are planned throughout the year to show appreciation for its array of people from different cultures, backgrounds, and walks of life. For RMC Saint-Jean, Women’s Day is a celebration of equality and strength in the Canadian Armed Forces.
We are very thankful for the funding generously provided by the RMC Foundation. The donours really make a difference in our lives.
Photo 1: Officer Cadets Clare Choi and Rachel Wilt receive the second place prize for their Women’s Day contest submission from Colonel Jennie Carignan and Chief Warrant Officer France Dupuis.
Photo credit: Mario Poirier
Photo 2: A group of officer cadets from Tracy Squadron receive the first place prize for their Women’s Day contest submission from Colonel Jennie Carignan and Chief Warrant Officer France Dupuis.
Photo credit: Mario Poirier
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Voyage à Paris et à Londres
– un article de l’Élève-officier Antoine Boulé
Du 1er au 9 mars, un groupe d’élèves-officiers du CMR Saint-Jean ont participé à un voyage culturel à Paris et a Londres. Ce voyage était d’une durée de 7 jours, soit trois jours dans la métropole anglaise, suivi de 4 jours de visite dans la ville des lumières.
Les Élèves-officiers ont donc fait leurs bagages pour visiter les deux grandes villes des pays qui ont fondé le Canada. Le but de ce voyage était donc de s’imprégner de la culture, des valeurs et des mœurs des peuples qui sont venues habiter le Canada que nous connaissons de nos jours.
Sur cette lancée, les Élèves-officiers ont visité à Londres comme à Paris les incontournables : le palais de Buckingham, le Big Ben, un pub traditionnel anglais, les Champs-Élysées, la tour Eiffel, les Musées du Louvre et D’Orsay, l’église Notre-Dame de Paris et encore beaucoup d’autres grands attraits touristiques. Nous avons aussi participé à une cérémonie importante, soit le ravivage de la Flamme du Souvenir à l’Arc de Triomphe, sous le regard attentif de nombreux spectateurs.
De plus, les élèves-officiers ont eu la chance d’avoir une séance privée avec le Haut-Commissionnaire à Londres ainsi que l’ambassadeur du Canada en France. Ensuite, les élèves-officier ont eux la chance de revoir leur ancien commandant, le Colonel Maillet, maintenant Attaché de Défense auprès la France. « Wow, trois jours passés à Londres et maintenant nous voilà face à quatre autres jours dans une autre des plus belles villes du monde », m’a confié l’Élève-officier Matthieu Brière dans le train grande vitesse entre Londres et Paris.
En somme, les élèves-officiers ont participé à un merveilleux voyage dans le but de voir les cultures des deux peuples fondateurs du Canada. Cette activité s’inscrit dans le volet bilinguisme du curriculum du collège, car elle permettait de comprendre l’origine du bilinguisme canadien. Nous sommes très reconnaissants à la fondation des CMRs qui a financé une grande partie du voyage. Sans leur générosité, nous n’aurions pas pu y aller !
Photo 1 : Les élèves-officiers (gauche vers la droite) Karl Hurtubise, Antoine Boulé, Stefan Bobes, Matthieu Brière, Joel Clusiault, Bradly Roy, Chad Rodriguez et Yan Marcous ainsi que le Lieutenant de vaisseau Cuthbert (au centre) en face de l’ambassade de France.
Photo 2 : Les Élèves-officiers Stefan Bobes, Chad Rodriguez, Bradly Roy, Yan Marcoux et Joel Clusiault durant leur visite des écuries du Royal Mounted Artillery.
