Eighteen Officer Cadets on the verge of completing training on the Guyana Defence Force’s Standard Officer’s Course (SOC) Number 47, have graduated to the rank of Ensigns.
A release from the GDF yesterday said that the ensigns, two of whom represent the Belize Defence Force, and another from the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force, were decorated with their new Badges at a simple ceremony held at Base Camp Stephenson on January 26, 2015.
The SOC #47 began on March 21, 2013 with a total of 40 participants but only 17 stayed on and they have been joined by Officer Cadet Farley Grant who completed a Degree at the Oscar Lucero Moya University in Cuba.
In his address to the Ensigns, Chief of Staff Brigadier Mark Phillips noted that the Ensigns were being decorated at a time when the Force is in its 50th year of service and when it has “committed to being more transparent and relevant”. He told them that they were expected to offer greater accountability for resources and assets entrusted to them as they assume leadership as young officers.
The SOC covered a number of areas including an intense programme in military skills and tactics, vigorous physical fitness and team activities assigned to build stamina and group spirit.
