The military side of the college

• Sandhurst Team Prepares for West Point

• Ready for the challenge of leadership

• PMT – winding down as exams are right around the corner

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Sandhurst Team Prepares for West Point

By 26685 NCdt (III) Graham Mater

The Sandhurst Team trains to perform in non-permissive environments. We need to be able to adapt when things go wrong. In 2014, our team captain sprained his ankle two days before the competition, but the team adapted and gave one of the best performances I have ever seen. This year, we are facing new challenges. Two weeks out from the competition, both of our female members were injured and one of them was hospitalized. Having two teammates injured in the same week was hard for the team to handle. Although they are recovering well, we needed a contingency plan. The team has recruited 26060 OCdt (IV) Charlotte Raymond as our 16th member. Although integrating a new member into the team is always hard, Charlotte’s fitness, experience, wilingness learn and friendly demeanour will make her an asset to the team.

In spite of this setback, the team is ready and excited to do well and the college proud at West Point. In my three years on the Sandhurst team, the support we have had this year has been like no other.

The dedication of our athletic trainers has been exemplary. Our trainers, Tomasz Deren and Steve Mitchell, have devoted countless hours of their time in order to provide the team with a world-class fitness regimen. They will also be accompanying the team to the competition to further support us in West Point. RMC’s Physical Education Manager, Stephane Robert, and our athletic therapist, Penny Nelson, have also worked tirelessly to keep the team healthy, both physically and mentally. The RMC Foundation’s support through a grant of $16,700 is also greatly appreciated. This money has allowed the team to source vital pieces of equipment that will be integral to our success in West Point. Among these formal supporters, the team has also received a plethora of informal support throughout the training season. The team has had tremendous support from our Commandant, BGen Alexander Meinzinger, and the Director of Cadets, LCol Mark Popov. Last week, the team was even visited by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Tom Lawson, and the Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer, CWO Kevin West, during one of our training sessions. We are proud to know that the highest levels of leadership in the CAF are behind us. The team has also had some visits from some Sandhurst alumni who were willing to pass on words of wisdom and encouragement, and we were also hosted for a day of training at the Dwyer Hill Training Centre by one of the former team captains.

The team has departed (Sun 5 Apr)  and are on the ground at West Point. We will be spending four days training and familiarising ourselves with the American facilities and building relationships with other international teams. The atmosphere at West Point leading up the the competition is electric, as all of the squads are waiting to showcase their skills in the competition. But although the competition is what drives our training, it is the skills, cohesion, leadership, and experience that our members have developed over the last three months that are the greatest rewards of being on the Sandhurst Team. The competition will be the ultimate test of the team’s ability to adapt under pressure, but no matter what happens, the lessons learned this year will serve the members of the 2015 RMC Sandhurst Team long after the competition ends.

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Ready for the challenge of leadership

By: 26904 OCdt Diotte (II) – 5 Squadron

Bar selection season has arrived. From FYOP staff (first year section commander) to Cadet Squadron Leader, motivated 2nd and 3rd year cadets are currently in the process of finding out which positions they will hold come September. Although many positions are still in the air, there are 5 positions that have already been filled. Following a competitive application process, which included an interview conducted by the training wing staff, the incoming top 5 has been selected and they are already preparing for what has to be done come the end of Summer courses and the beginning of the fall semester. Each individual on the team was selected based off of a number of criteria, notably their suitability for the position. With exam period, graduation and summer postings quickly approaching, it won’t be long until paper work begins pilling up and meetings start becoming more and more frequent for the incoming team. Similar to my previous article, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with the top 5 for the Fall term. Next are small bios of each individual on the team and their expectations for the upcoming months.

The Cadet Wing Commander for the Fall term of 2015 is OCdt Archambault from 4 Squadron. The 21 year old from Gatineau, Quebec expects to be challenged in many different ways while holding the position, but it will allow her to fully take advantage of her experience at RMCC. A challenge that she expects to face will be communication and she believes that the best way to deal with this is to work as a team to face the problems from the bottom up and from the top down. She will be staying in Kingston this upcoming summer to work with the political science department, as she has completed all of her Armored phase training to this point. Her next course will take place after her graduation in Gagetown. She hopes to be posted to either the RCDs or the 12e RBC upon completion of her training.

OCdt Pathinather will be the CWC’s right hand man next fall; holding the position of Deputy Cadet Wing Commander. For him, being part of the top 5 will allow him to take part in the decisions that affect the way the College is run for cadets, ensuring that his leadership will help run things for another smooth year at RMC. The 20 year old Chemical Engineering student from Brampton, Ontario will be on BMOQ-L this summer, a critical course for his future occupation as an EME officer. He expects to be extremely busy during every facet of his day as DCWC, but he looks forward to that challenge and he is willing to meet it head on.

The Cadet Wing Training Officer has the critical task of ensuring that rules and regulations are followed at the College and come September, OCdt St-Onge taking on this position. Although she expects many challenges along the way, she will be depending on the command team and the Cadet CoA to ensure that tasks are accomplished in a timely and effective matter. From Ottawa, Ontario, the 21 year old aspiring pilot will be doing her PFT this summer. She enjoys being involved in college activities and she truly believes that immersing herself into the college experience is most important. Last, similar to the other members of the team, time management will be a challenge that she will undoubtedly face next semester.

OCdt German from 5 Squadron will be holding the position of Cadet Wing Administration Officer. As a future Logistics officer, this position will allow her to prepare for her occupation while providing her with the opportunity to work hand in hand with the training Wing. Although she doesn’t have any specific expectations from the job, she is excited to work with the team and to learn from her experiences as CWAdO. This summer, she will remain in Kingston to work as a research assistant for the business department. Following grad, she hopes to get posted to Bagotville as a finance officer.

Lastly, the job of Cadet Wing Operations Officer will be held by OCdt Chang from 4 Squadron. The 20 year old Mech Eng student from Delta, B.C. plans on improving the overall operations planning at RMCC with high expectations for the upcoming semester. She will be in Greenwood this upcoming summer, completing her APP 1 AERE Phase Training and working with Aurora’s. As a current member of the Varsity Women’s Volleyball Team, managing her time next semester will be quite the challenge. Between staying fit and healthy, managing her thesis, keeping up with the Engineering program and ensuring that operations are complete, it will be no easy task for Chang but she is ready to make it happen.

As they prepare themselves to say goodbye to their social lives, the incoming top 5 are already hard at work preparing for the Fall semester. Best of luck to each one of them, they will certainly be working tirelessly to ensure the functioning of the Wing, but the rewards and accomplishment will make it worth it in the end.

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Professional Military Training – winding down as exams are right around the corner

PMT article coordinated by: Officer Cadet 27079 (II) Joshua Siu – 7 Squadron – Cadet Wing Internal Information O

Last week at the Royal Military College of Canada, the Cadet Wing was split up into individual years and each year had its own briefing for the Professional Military Training (PMT) period on 1 Apr 15:

For all the first years at the Royal Military College of Canada, today was the first showcase of the Engineering disciplines that all first year Eng. students can choose from. Major Lee Merchant who overlooked the briefing introduced the department staff. Shortly following was the Department head of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering who showed the students the joy and hard work that they would endure through that discipline. He provided examples of the courses that students would be able to take as well as a showcase of some machine shops that the school offers its students. Next up was the Department head for Electrical and Computer Engineering. His brief covered the many uses of electronics, which an Officer in the Canadian Forces would encounter. The students were very excited to see what ECE had to offer and the possibilities in the facility. Third went the brief for the Civil Engineering facility, which showcased the projects that 3rd and 4th year Civil Engineering students get to partake in. The majority of students were looking forward to starting Civil Engineering. Last but not least was the presentation for the Chemistry Engineering discipline. The course outline for the following 3 years was shown and the opportunities that would present themselves as well as the types of schooling that would be needed to be called upon. Overall, each presentation was stimulating and was a healthy glimpse into the possibilities for second year Engineering students at RMCC.

– OCdt (I) Adam MacDonald (27485)

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On Wednesday, 1 April 2015, the second year class attended a brief about how to properly receive and handle claims for PMT. The brief was highly insightful as the speaker already knew that many of the second years would be going to different courses during the summer such as Second Language Training (SLT), Basic Military Officer Qualification – Land (BMOQ-L), Maritime Surface and Sub-Surface Officer II (MARS II), and On-Job Experience (OJE). The speaker described the proper course of action to take for out clearance as well as in clearance once we got to our training location. He told us which forms we would need to fill out as well as which mode of transportation to be able to make the claims process flow as smoothly as possible. With the information given in this brief, all the second year cadets should have no problem going to their summer course and arranging transportation. He also explained that we should properly fill out our claims in order to ensure that we get the money which we have been working to earn.

– OCdt (II) Eugene Shin (27140)

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III Year article – Claims Briefing

This week’s PMT for third years was a presentation about summer claims by Mr Gilles Branchaud, Claims Supervisor accompanied by Angela Chagnon, Claims Administrator, and Cpl Kathyrne Lalonde, Claims Clerk. The presentation started off with a pretty easy question to answer, “Would you turn down $1000?” If only our exam questions in the upcoming weeks could be so simple because of course the answer is no! This question stems from the fact that TD, Temporary Duty, claims range between $900 and $1200 dollars, income tax free! As third year cadets at RMC, our normal place of duty is RMCC Kingston so every summer when we do our military training off campus we are entitled to TD. Some of the things that the military will cover is travel, meals (enroute), incidentals such as Casual Sea Duty Allowance (CSDA) and Casual Land Duty Allowance (CLDA), as well as out of pocket receipts like taxis from airports to bases.

The steps for going on TD are pretty straightforward. First off one must receive a posting message from his/her Squadron Commander. Next, go to the COR travel claims website via the intranet and complete the questionnaire which will be sent back to the clerk in charge of your claim via email. It is important to make sure that the questionnaire has your updated banking info. Also, as a side note keep in mind whether or not you will require CMTT and if you will be travelling via plane, bus (IBBS) or PMV. If a bus is offered and you wish to take your PMV, you will not be reimbursed. Lastly, make sure you have your blue passport if it required in your instructions (this can be reimbursed if it is necessary for your training) and also ensure that your leave passes are completed before you leave RMC for the summer. Once all these steps are completed wait out for the COR to complete your claim and take it with you to your place of temporary duty.

When you come back in the fall, make time to go see your clerk so that your claim can be completed and hopefully make your bank account a little happier.

NCdt LeBlanc, 26616 – 5 Squadron

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The fourth year cadets received two completely different lectures this Wednesday. Although they covered different topics, they both spoke to the fast approaching graduation. The first, presented by a SISIP representative, covered financial advice and an overview of the different things new officers should be thinking about coming out of RMCC. Whether it be life insurance, saving or investing, the support services offered by the Canadian Armed Forces were underlined with a special emphasis on being ‘money smart’. The second presentation given by the Capt Park, the 11 Squadron Commander, focused on the first five years after graduation and some of the required teachings that were required to be completed. The Director of Cadets was present and added some of his own insight into the presentation. He provided examples at all levels of command, making it clear that as a junior officer is was imperative to understand the bigger picture, to a point.

OCdt (IV) Zachary Day (26257)