After a ten-year hiatus the Guyana Defence Force hosted its first Cadet Day recently.
According to a press release parents, relatives and friends of the officer cadets from the Standard Officer Cadet Course Number 41 in training at the Colonel Ulric Pilgrim Officer Cadet Training School (CUPOCS) attended the event at Camp Sipu, Base Camp Stephenson on Sunday. President Bharrat Jagdeo, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, army Chief of Staff Commodore Gary Best, Director of Prisons Dale Erskine and Assistant Commissioner of Police Edward Wills joined the visitors for the day’s activities.
In his address the prime minister said it was clear that the cadets were thriving in their environment.
He commended them for their hard work in making their parents, the army and country proud. Hinds said the cadets will certainly be a credit to the Force in the future and encouraged them to keep giving their best. He also congratulated the cadets from Belize who participated in the course noting that Guyana has always opened her doors to others from across the Caribbean and elsewhere to share what she possessed.
In closing the Chief of Staff congratulated the cadets on their achievements. He also applauded the work done by the officers to make the day’s activities a success and the visitors for braving the elements to share their time with them.
According to the release the roster included demonstrations from several groups of cadets including a group of nine who ran a one-kilometer race and went straight into the Obstacle Course. The Course included simulated rifle fire and the officers demonstrated that they could grapple with various obstacles they were likely to encounter in a battle. Another group stripped and reassembled weapons while blindfolded after they had explained basic facts about the weapons.
The release said demonstrations about the usefulness and operations of various kinds of animal and bird traps were also done along with the construction of various kinds of shelters for survival in the field and enemy ambush mechanisms used in field craft.
Two other cadet teams demonstrated marksmanship skills while another executed perfect form while rappelling from a helicopter. Visitors were also invited to view the lecture halls at the CUPOCS and the cadet accommodations.
