My PMA Cadet Years (Fourth Class) - Recognition Day

I remembered back in my elementary and high school days... “Recognition Day” was a very pleasant day... and so was this day... only, instead of receiving ribbons for good academic performance... we received a simple but very significant handshake from our upperclassmen... as recognition that we basically surpassed our plebehood and take part of our place as 4^th classmen of the cadet corps... expected to perform delegated tasks without or with minimal supervision... and show excellence in the performance of the given tasks as what was expected of a PMA cadet.  Let me just use a metaphor... Recognition or the handshake is like a spark of light from our very dark plebehood days...

September 16, 1995 – we started our day feeling weird and somewhat uneasy... everything seemed so quiet.  We had an unfamiliar morning mess with our upperclassmen... unfamiliar, in a sense that we were no longer doing some of the things we usually do... the SOP’s... the “chinning-in”, the “head-ups”, and no more shouting.  After, we returned to our barracks... and we were no longer told to double time.  And inside barracks... trotting was no longer made; it’s the first time we walked the hallway to our quarters.

And after some finishing touches for the open house... a barracks inspection was made... then we heard the commotion we all were looking forward to... our families finally arrived... just seeing them was enough already for me.  That day, I felt how proud they were seeing me standing tall in my full dress uniform.  And honestly, I felt proud too to myself conquering my plebehood days... until now.

Then came the most anticipated part, the recognition ceremony... the event started as any of our “pass-in-review” parades except that here our upperclassmen separated from the formation... by then we marched and created an octagon formation symbolizing the 8 companies of the cadet corps...
 

... And came our upperclassmen, it was one of the joyous moments of our cadet life... and almost all of them gave us their handshake that day... even by the those I least expected... except for these 2 extraordinary yearlings who might be thinking they were much better than anyone in the corps (LOL).  Come to think of it, if I’d be the one giving them my handshake... I might also be hesitant... considering their performance as should be mentors... (just kidding, of course I would have had gladly did a handshake  with them, if not, then I’m no different from them).

Then, we spent some quality time with our family.  We toured around some famous places in Baguio City.  Unlike what everyone thinks, even PMA is in Baguio, as most cadets; I didn’t have the privilege to go to those places, if my family haven't visited me... hahaha.  We did have a hectic schedule and if we were given a privilege to go to the city proper, it would be just enough to do our business there.

At the end of the day, I gave all praises and thanks to the One who kept me safe and away from harm... the One whom I talked to when I felt like quitting... and the One who never failed to give me my needed strength and confidence... Yahweh and His Son, Jesus Christ.

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