– participants include doctors, engineers, teachers, economists, accountants

THIRTY-eight cadets are currently undergoing rigorous training for the Reserve Officers’ Course 17 (ROC 17).
The cadets are in the fourth week of the six-week programme, during which phase they are being immersed in field craft, drills and skill-at-arms training, the GDF has noted on its Facebook page.

Declaring the course open at the weekend, Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Brigadier Godfrey Bess underscored some of the tools that the cadets would need to successfully complete it, and realise their goal of becoming Reserve Officers.

Among those tools, he said, are discipline, respect for authority, academic acuity, physical prowess, mental acuity and determination, according to the GDF.
On ROC 17, there are several doctors, engineers, teachers, economists, accountants and other professionals, 28 of whom are males while 10 are females.
According to the GDF, the Chief-of-Staff also challenged ROC17 participants to keep moving, regardless of the challenges they may face during their training.
“You will be faced with obstacles and boundaries, all of which are deliberately designed as tools to enable you to navigate the terrain of this training on your path towards becoming Reserve Officers,” he was quoted as saying.

While noting that each of the Reserve Officer Cadets are already professionals in their own right, Brigadier Bess pleaded with them not to let their academic and professional achievements cause them to lose sight of the essentials of the course.

In highlighting the physical requirements of the course, the Chief-of-Staff emphasised the need for the Cadets to be fit.
“The Reserve Officers’ Course is physically demanding, though, perhaps not as much as if you had enlisted in the Standard Officers’ Course. Nevertheless, you will be challenged, and expected to display very high levels of fitness. You will be expected to master a plethora of drills. Why? Because an officer worth his or her salt must be fit. You must mould your bodies into hardy instruments which will weather the natural elements, be they rain, sun or storm,” Brigadier Bess said, adding: “You are likely to be deployed into harsh environments, where you deal with the vagaries of the jungle, have to cross dangerous streams, rivers and rapids, and complete miles upon miles of patrols over all kinds of terrain. Here, we prepare you for a life of such realities.”
The cadets were also encouraged to apply themselves with diligence, and demonstrate integrity in everything they do, since the GDF needs officers who are selfless in their service, and committed to doing their best to better it, and enhance the quality of service it delivers to the nation.

The Reserve Officers’ Course is designed to produce an officer capable of leading and administering soldiers in augmenting the regular Force, as well as fulfilling the civil defence and other roles of a reserve soldier, while at the same time upholding the values and standards of the Guyana Defence Force.