21 army ensigns receive paratrooper’s wings

Oct 10, 2019 News

Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Patrick West, yesterday presented 21 ensigns of the Standard Officer Course 51 with their Certificates of Completion and Paratrooper’s Wings, after they successfully completed their final jump at Air Station London.

Scenes from the presentation ceremony yesterday

During his congratulatory remarks, Brigadier West observed that the history of the GDF and the Colonel Ulric Pilgrim Officer Cadet School was being written with “indelible ink”.
The ensigns of SOC 51 are the second cohort to have completed the paratrooper course during their formative training.
Speaking to the inclusion of the course as a component of officer cadet training, Brigadier West emphasised that the model will continue to be used, as it will ultimately provide (the GDF) with an officer who is more operationally ready to face the challenges of the contemporary operating environment.
“You have overcome your fears and challenged yourselves to become qualified airborne operators within the GDF…You will grow more proficient as you practice your new-found skills and move from basic to advanced training and operations in this area,” he said. “As officers, you must be prepared to be launched into any operation, by any means, in any terrain, and under any condition,” he added.
The Chief-of-Staff explained that the inclusion of the paratrooper course is aimed at ensuring that junior leaders in the force attain the skills necessary to enable them to transition easily in any operational theatre.
Following the award of their certificates and the paratrooper wings, the ensigns were congratulated by an assemblage of officers which included the Commanding Officers of the Air Corps, the Training Corps, the 31 Special Forces Squadron, the Sixth Infantry Batallion, and the Staff Officer General Three, among others.

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