I could go on for days about the courses, adventures, exchanges, and amazing opportunities I had in the Cadet program. I have a long list of accomplishments, and an even longer list of connections and lifelong friends I made along the way. I could write a book on how to tie knots, navigate in the woods, make a half shelter, polish boots, and perform drill. But the real beauty of my time in cadets lies in the subtle practices and learnings that developed throughout these experiences and relationships. I’ve done my best to reduce it down to three key takeaways revolving around being a leader, being a teammate, and finding comfort in discomfort.
I was blessed in my cadet career to be exposed to many fantastic leaders, and I learned a lot from each of them. But the depth of my learning came through the opportunities to lead and make mistakes myself. I was given real responsibility which had real consequences when mishandled. At the start it was managing myself – making sure that my uniform was up to standard, that I communicated effectively, paid attention in classes, and performed drill correctly. Very quickly, that responsibility for myself turned into responsibility for others – leading a section of 10 junior cadets, then a platoon of 30, then an entire corps of 120. Instead of just attending lessons, I was teaching them. Instead of standing in parades, I was leading them. Instead of just worrying about my own wellbeing, I was concerned about theirs. I may have not realized this fully at the time, but this scale of management and leadership takes years to be earned outside of the cadet program – often without any sort of real mentorship or training. Whereas I was lucky enough to be given this opportunity to fail and succeed with the guidance of amazing mentors at a very young age.
While learning how to be a better leader, I learned how to be a better teammate. In cadets I found myself in countless team-based activities. It was through these that I was able to gain an in depth understanding of the importance of doing your part even when it isn’t glamourous. I learned how to let the leader lead even if you think you have a better way of doing it, and how to make suggestions without disrespecting or undermining. How to keep up morale in less-than-ideal circumstances, and how to work through interpersonal conflicts that you can’t simply escape from. Outside of cadets, most teens (and many adults for that matter) are never exposed to that sort of intense environment where the only real option is to get over yourself as an individual and make things work for the sake of the team. These were some of the most difficult and useful lessons I learned in the program.
The last big takeaway is finding comfort in discomfort. Cadets was not a walk in the park by any means. The tasks we were expected to do weren’t easy, or even fun a lot of the time – standing for hours doing drill, day in and day out, on a hot parade square; spending six weeks at a time living in an open barracks with 50 other people; cleaning to a ridiculously high standard; spending weekends soaked in the rain and staying up all night on fire picket; failing and bouncing back from failure daily. Despite this discomfort, and maybe even because of it, we found a way to find joy in the misery – the harder the conditions, the better the experience (usually only realized in hindsight)! Through all of this, I learned that the difficult times don’t last forever, and neither do the easy times. The rain always clears, the night eventually becomes day, and you likely won’t be doing push-ups forever. Life is going to continue to send you all of it, so its best to just stay present and enjoy each circumstance for what it is. This is a practice that I’ve come back to and dived deeper into later in my life, but it’s only in recent reflection that I’ve realized how much of it was introduced to me in Cadets.
In short, Cadets and the people in the Cadet program helped to form how I interact in the world today. They provided conditions which encouraged me to take chances, make mistakes, and get messy. From this, I grew strong roots which I still draw from today, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it.
And where am I now?
I’d say that where I am today is somewhat inconsequential – I’m here one day, and somewhere else the next. My direction changes almost as often as I change my socks. All I know for sure is that whatever I am doing and wherever I find myself, I’m still exploring, still connecting, still learning and relearning, and still pushing the boundaries of my comfort zone as often as the opportunity presents itself. Most importantly, I still practice joy and gratitude in every step of the process.
During my 7 years in the Army Cadet Program, I was a member of 105 Streetsville RCACC. At my corps, I was captain of our shooting and drill teams. As well, I acted as Cadet RSM for 2 and 1/2 years. I took part in many different camps throughout my time in cadets: Basic Marksman, Drill and Ceremonial, Rocky Mountain, and spent 3 summers as a staff cadet at Connaught Cadet Training Centre. During my time at Rocky Mountain CTC, I took part in 6 weeks of training that covered hiking, mountain biking, white water canoeing, rock climbing, horseback riding, and glacier. My summer in the Rockies was unforgettable! It truly inspired my move cross-country to BC. In my final two summers, I was the Cadet RSM of Connaught CTC. In my role, I got to interact with cadets both on and off the range, meet several high-ranking members of our CAF, and built lasting connections that prevail to this day.
One of my favourite memories from cadets was working with the Expedition Program. I volunteered my weekends as an Expedition Centre/ZET staff. In addition, I was one of 17 cadets selected from across Canada to take part in the International Expedition to Peru. During our trip, we hiked through the Andes and the jungle, whitewater rafted, hung out with monkeys, and climbed to the top of Machu Picchu. I have the best memories of this trip and hope to return back one day!
Now, I live in North Vancouver, BC with my husband (who I met in Basic Marksman!). I am a full-time secondary teacher in North Vancouver. I completed both of my degrees (BAH and BEd) at Queen’s University in Kingston, ON. The experiences I had and the lessons I learned in cadets such as leadership, organization, teamwork, communication are still with me today. I am forever grateful for all the Army Cadet Program gave me!
