THE shiny black boots, crisp army-green-coloured uniforms, and the impeccable drill formations have been the hallmark of the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force (JCCF).

These characteristics were what attracted a then 12-year-old Morgan Anthonio Foster to join the organisation.

Morgan, now 17 years old and a staff sergeant, would observe as the cadets marched and did their drills on the lawns of Manning’ School in Westmoreland, as he walked pass them in the evenings from prep school.

“They looked so sharp and neat; I would look forward to it every evening [at] 3:15 on the dot. I would pass the school, look on the lawns and see the cadets and said: ‘One day when I go to Manning’s I will join the cadets and I will excel at it — just like I did with everything else,” Morgan told JIS News in an interview.

For the teen, he sees being a cadet as the gateway to success, citing the various opportunities that are afforded to members.

“You learn so much being a cadet — watermanship training, skills at arms training, radio and communication, map reading, logistics, drum and bugle, infantry — and that is just touching the tip of the iceberg,” Morgan said.

“Being in the cadet is about learning life and survival skills. For example, watermanship training teaches you how to navigate and survive in water — be it a river or sea — if you should get into difficulty; how to use your uniforms as flotation devices; and how to get out of a capsizing boat,” he added.

Radio and communication training, he shared, allows youngsters to understand how to use a military radio, disassemble and put it back together, while navigating the various frequencies.

The idea that the cadet force is a vehicle for success is shared by Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Taylor, who is the commander for the Northern Regiment of the JCCF and is also the vice-principal of St Mary High School.

“All that I have is credit to the JCCF. I started in 1985 when I entered St Mary High School as a youngster, and I moved up the ranks and was given various responsibilities. When I became a corporal I was in charge of 10 students — that teaches you accountability and supervisory skills. The various trainings enhance your ability to thrive,” he said.

Having benefited from being in the cadet as a teen, Commander Taylor noted that he has seen first-hand how it enriches the lives of all who join, adding that the experience is more than what meets the eye.

“We teach map reading and land navigation by the time you reach third form. As a cadet you can go into any CXC geography class and teach a map-reading topic,” he said.

So great is the training and diverse the opportunities that youth can attain professional qualifications while being engaged in the service, said Taylor.

“We also teach aviation. You have cadet members who, while in high school, earned their private pilot licence. I know personally that as an adult rank I had two students earning their private pilot licence whilst they were in sixth form. One now serves in the Jamaica Constabulary Force and one serves in the United States,” said Taylor.

Morgan, who will be appointed head boy of Manning’s School in September 2023, says being a cadet has changed his life.

“It has reiterated the importance of discipline and it has definitely improved my communication skills,” he added.

In the meantime, Taylor said development as a leader comes from having to lead, at minimum, 10 people in the first instance because one now has to give account for every single person under their charge.

“Then you have to lead 30 people, moving from a corporal to a sergeant, so you develop a skill in what you call man management,” he said.

Tyalor added that young cadets are so well trained that they have competencies which rival those who are enrolled in teachers’ colleges.

“You even learn how to write lesson plans and [are instructed in] delivering those lessons. At the tender age of 14 years old a cadet could deliver a lesson better than any teacher that goes to a teachers’ college. I spend the time to spell this out because a lot of people believe that being a cadet, you just march up and down in the sun, run up and down in the bushes, and hold a board gun,” Taylor said.

Meanwhile, Morgan said he would recommend that everyone join the cadets.

“We should actually make it mandatory from first form or second form, and then you can decide if you want to stay or leave. Being in the cadet [force] will help you to pursue any career path — be it an engineer, lawyer, doctor or teacher. It creates the path for success,” he added.