Military Bound?

Colt is past the finishing gate of being in Cadets. He has been in for four years and has accomplished so much in that short time. He has completed six years of levels, being promoted to Regimental Sergeant Major, and succeeded in being selected for Para.

Para was a long time goal for Colt. When he was in Grade 10, he began his physical fitness training in the hopes that he would qualify. Para is short for Paratrooping. Every year, the top 20 cadets (out of a possible 7000) in British Columbia are selected to train over spring break for the Pre-Para camp at the Vernon Army Cadet Training base.

Colt was one of the 20 selected from BC. During this week, it is like the game show Survivor: each day you wait for a phone call from your cadet telling if they made it through another day of physical fitness and training. It was very exciting knowing Colt was doing so well.

Finally, we got a call from Colt telling us that he had received the 6^th place out of 20. Unfortunately, only the top 5 go on to Ontario where they train to jump out of airplanes. Colt then went on to tell me how he lost his 5^th place standing.

During the training/elimination week it is every cadet’s goal to graduate. Fourteen of them will not qualify for Ontario, but to have been selected to be one of the twenty is an accomplishment in itself. And so, each of these cadets wants to be able to graduate from the weeklong elimination round.

One day there was a 10 km run (there were many, many of these!) and Colt was doing fine, but he could see there was a girl who was not going to make it. If she did not make it, she would not graduate. He slowed his run, lost his place in the race, and encouraged the girl on until they crossed the finish line together. In doing this he lost his 5^th place winning spot and earned the right to graduate, but not go on to Ontario.

While, I was on the phone with him, I asked him a question, “Colt, I have to ask you, because others will ask you. What were you thinking when you pulled out of the race to encourage the girl to finish?”

“I wasn’t thinking. I just didn’t want her to not make it,” Colt replied.

My heart swelled with pride. I told him that God would see the bigger picture and his integrity would be rewarded! As the cadet who received the 6^th place standing, Colt would be on reserve, in case a cadet pulled out or could not make it to the training in Ontario. He would then be given their spot. I was dead certain that he would get that opportunity because I knew that God would reward his attitude.

Well, days before they were to head out to Ontario Colt received that phone call. He was awarded #4 spot in BC. It turned out that two of the five cadets in BC had not been able to pass the medical exam that was required to complete the course. Colt was flown to Vancouver, where he was extensively tested physically and medically to ensure he was capable of the physically exhausting program he was about to enter. It was at this exam that we discovered that he was almost deaf in one ear! Thankfully, his other ear was extremely good, thus allowing him through.

Colt left our house at 11:00 am for his flight to Ontario. His flight left Vancouver at 11:00 pm. He arrived in Ontario at 7:00 am Toronto Time. He was picked up at the airport and transported along with the other cadets to the military base. His training then began! The powers that be did not clue in that the BC cadets (especially the ones from outer cities, that had to take two flights!) had been traveling for 24 hours already, with little to no sleep!

The first thing he had to do was drop and give 325 pushups.. in.. a.. row.. !! And of course, he succeeded. Colt is a machine.

Over 2000 Pushups in the First Three Days

For the last three years he has trained night and day. While he was signed up for ‘PE 10’ or 11 through Distance Ed and he would write out his PE that he had done, it was easy for him to do enough to satisfy them because he was doing way more than a normal person would do. And *that* is why he made it to Para.

Colt said this was very painful. They had to hang, pull their knees together, and have all the strappings between the legs at the same time. Uggh!

During this exercise one guy fell asleep. From then on they were all required to hold out their helmets are arm's length to ensure they didn't get sleepy!

One of the exercises he had to do was run 10 km and be back in 60 minutes. They had to run 5 km, turn around, and run back 5 km. They headed out, and Colt hit the 5 km mark and there was no marking officer showing the spot, so he led the way and they kept running. At 6.5 km Colt decided to turn around and head back. He was the first one from the BC crowd back at 58 minutes, having run 13 km!

The packs the guys had to train to be able to wear while jumping out of the airplane. (This is not Colt in the picture.)

I have seen pictures of what it was like at this camp: nasty! If one person’s bed was a mess the officer would dump all the beds and the lockers.

Colt's Barracks After a Routine Dump

They would enter the mess hall and stand behind their chairs. When the last person entered, they would quickly sit and begin wolfing down their food. They were given 10 minutes to eat a meal and they were expected to have their plate clean when the time went off. If it was not clean then there was a consequence for everyone. Trust me, they finished their dinners!

As you can imagine, with the hours and exercise that these cadets were putting in, they needed their nutrition, but the military set it up in such a way to make it near impossible to get the food they needed into their bodies. Moreover, if they did they were sure to get indigestion!

Colt spent two weeks doing this exercise.

Each test, each elimination round, each endurance bout, Colt passed and did well. He made it through the first three weeks and two days of the four weeks of training. During this training time they were not making the actual jumps from the planes; they were practicing off towers and other exercises.

Jump Tower

Colt called me on Wednesday of his last week of training. “Mum, I’ve been RTU’d.” My jaw dropped open and my mind couldn’t compute. The word RTU and Colt do not go in the same sentence.

I watched the movie Annapolis about a young man training to get in the Navy and the intensity of the training. I saw this movie before Colt went to Para or was even accepted. When I saw this movie, I said to my husband, “That’s Colt.” He is the young man that has the determination to beat or achieve any goal he sets his mind to.

So when Colt told me he had been RTU’d I was stunned! RTU means Return To Unit. In other words: you are cut from the program. This does happen in the programs because only the very best make it through and they don’t want any dead cadets, so there is no room for failure or mistakes.

Colt told me what had happened. He had been doing a test jump and when he had jumped his hand had accidently touched something on his uniform. He had not even been aware he had done anything. When they called him over he walked over with a smile on his face, totally not expecting the shattering news he would be given.

As you can imagine, he was devastated. He had worked for three years to get to this point and in a moment it was all gone.

I talked to Colt and told him I really thought that God must have had a reason why it was not to be. He didn’t get Colt to Ontario for nothing. He had seen him through when Colt had given his spot to help a girl get through. It simply didn’t make sense that he would not be allowed to jump and get his “Wings”. But we had to believe that God had a plan and a reason for not allowing the jumps.

Colt then told me that he was terrified of heights. He had no idea of this until he had been jumping off the towers and super high diving boards. He said there is no rational reason for a human being to jump into thin air and it goes against everything his mind and body wanted to do, and yet, he kept on jumping. He kept on facing his fears and each jump he did it. It didn’t make it any easier, but he didn’t give in.

I tried to come up with reasons why it might have happened. I know what Colt is like and if he had made it right up to the jump from the plane and he had not been able to step through the door what would he have felt like? He would have been so upset. What if he had jumped and been so freaked that he forgot to open his shoot?! He would have been dead!

One boy that did make it through the training and was able to jump, ironically, forgot to open one of his shoots. He was the last one out of the plane and the first to the ground. Instead of 90 seconds to the ground, he was down in 20 seconds. Thankfully, he landed in a tree!

I have to believe and I think that Colt believes also, that God had a reason for him not making the jump. A friend of mine said that perhaps all that was required was that Colt *did* face his fears and did not give in on each jump he was presented with.

Any which way, Colt gave it his all, and should be nothing but proud of himself. He intends to join the military, and if he does, I see in him the qualities it takes to make a great officer: integrity, determination, great leadership skills, and compassion. He would be an asset to any organization or firm that he was to join.

Field Trip to a War Memorial

As a mother, I sincerely hope he doesn't join the military. However, some months ago, Colt came to me and asked me, "Mum, do you have a problem with me jumping out of airplanes?"

I simply replied, "Colt, I have no problem with you doing anything that God has called you to do.Even if it means jumping out of airplanes."

I really, truly meant that that day. I can see where I have grown. It all began when he was five years old. He was the love of my life (well, one of three of them *smile*) and my parents wanted to take him on a trip. That was the day I released him to God. I knew that I couldn't hold on to him forever, and I could stress every time he was out of my care, or I could give him to God, knowing that God had ordained his days before he was born.

So I did that. I can tell you that it has made my life so much less stressful in everything he has chosen to do. Of course, I pray for him, but I trust that God is with him and loves my son even more than I do.

It doesn't mean that when the day comes that he says he is signing up for the army that I won't feel a piece of my heart crumble. It will. Even as I write this my eyes are stinging with tears at the mere thought of my child being so far away and in such danger.

Colt is my first child to leave the nest. He already has plans to go to another province to work. I know the days of him living in my home and being home for dinner on a regular basis are fading away. I mourn the moments I didn't take to play more, read more, talk more with him. Thankfully, he is the son that will call home to chat, so that will ease the distance.

So now, as I release him to the world, I give him my love and prayers, and trust that God will hold him in the palm of His hand.
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