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'We created man in the best of form‘ (Al Quran)
Indeed, man was created in the best of form. The journey from birth till adult life is an arduous one where various factors mold, break or build the persona and leave an ever impressionable legacy. Fortunate are those who come across sincere and worthy mentors or teachers. Thus, the epic journey from a clot to a tall and successful man is possible. This journey also unfolds tale of a momentous and deep-rooted affiliation that lasts for a life time. Cadets upon their entry in the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), a training institute of the commendable repute, are honoured with the sobriquet of Gentleman Cadet (GC). The word ‗Gentleman‘ is the ultimate honour for hard training, which embeds a certain kind of character in the soul that perseveres through thick and thin. This character eventually produces the finished state-of-the-art product called the 'Commissioned Officer'. During the entire process, a deep-rooted affiliation is developed between the GC and his training staff (Drill staff, Physical Training staff and Weapon Training staff). The journey of association starts with the reception at Abbottabad Bus Stand, Havelian Railway Station or the PMA Gate. This whirlwind tenure takes the GCs through various stages from initial briefing, kit issuance, holocaust of trendy hairstyles to the hardcore and strenuous military training and culminates with passing out parade at PMA‘s Rafi Ullah Drill Square.
A GC is an asset for the Army who leads a spartan life during his entire stay at PMA, marked by spotless personal appearance, proud participation in parades and ceremonies, high standard of military discipline and exposure to host of challenges. A purposeful, comprehensive and colossal effort is made from different quarters comprising a rare amalgam of diverse specialists to shape him into an officer. The process of transforming civilians into military personnel is a form of conditioning that encourages the GCs to partially submerge their individuality for the good of their unit. This conditioning is essential for military function because combat requires people to endure stress and perform actions that are simply absent in normal life. May that be an academic discipline, a tactical lesson, an athletic skill, some leadership training or a feature of character development, it must be taught, conducted or supervised by highly competent, devoted and inspiring staff. In this transformation, one critical role is that of the Drill Instructors. Their task is very tricky and challenging as they are required to inculcate military discipline in the GCs who are physically feeble but mentally and academically surpassing the drill staff. Thus, the drill instructors work tenaciously from dawn till dusk with the highest level of motivation, exemplary standards of turnout, discipline and hearty investment of time and expertise. They are picked up from the entire Army by a very methodical and meticulous selection procedure for being not only the best in their respective fields but also a smart lot, endowed with impeccable discipline, fair and firm dealing with the GCs. Allah Almighty has made man in natural harmony. Our regular gait comprises right hand‘s pendulous movement with the left foot and vice versa. This natural instinct is polished into a proud and graceful drill motion by the drill staff. They look towards the cadets as newborns into army life, thus, initial few weeks at PMA are dominated by heavy doses of drill to instill a respectable degree of smartness in the movements of GCs. They undoubtedly work very hard to harness the cadets with the new necessities of martial life like salute, drill and discipline.
Like a determined mother, they repeatedly teach each GC these norms till there is need for no more hammering. They achieve optimized results through display of professional excellence, personal involvement and above all by own exemplified conduct. It is always a treat to watch the Drill Staff marching up and down smartly, erect and correct with measured steps, correcting the basics of the drill movements of the cadets on parade. As the saying goes, ―There are three ways of doing a thing: the wrong way, the right way and the army way.‖ Therefore, at times the Drill Staff have to adopt the army‘s doctrine of ‗corrective punishment‘ to break in the GCs. These custodians of the GCs‘ Office (place of assembly for punishment) are always waiting for the college boys and like a razor‘s edge they refine them into glittering gems. Thus, the towering drill staff in their immaculate and starched uniform are always found sporting their burly moustache outside GCs‘ Office. These punishments are proportional to the gravity of the offense and range from extra drill periods, reports in Field Service Marching Order (FSMO) kit to restrictions. Then dawns the first hurdle that a GC must pass to prove his mettle and that rite of passage into the army life is known as the 'Saluting Test'. It is a test of the GC's marching and saluting capabilities as it has a lot of strings attached. Passing it opens the gates of PMA for the cadets to avail outpass and leave whenever granted. After grueling military training, such a respite is like an oasis in a desert for the GCs. Thus, this test is usually held before midterm break and is of pivotal importance for both the cadets and the drill instructors. The last stage is the passing out parade. It is the culmination of two years of strenuous training and GCs dream comes true as they march in Slow Time off the drill square, up the stairs into the Mess Hall and instantly converted from GCs to Second Lieutenants in the Pakistan Army. Even long after passing out, when an officer of Pakistan Army hears military band playing, the eyes swell up with emotions and tears, the heart begins to beat faster and one is back in thoughts slow marching up the lovely steps of the drill square.
At this stage the cadets are seniors and try to take the liberty of relaxing but drill instructors like Honorary Captain (retd) Muhammad Ashraf Warsi (commonly known as Shurli Sahab), drill personified and an institution by himself, never allowed such laxity. He made sure that every cadet's toe was in line, arms aligned and foot stomping up to the standard while marching. The same standards are evident at the momentous occasions like the Quaid's Day parade, Azadi parade, Yaum-eShuhada and other such events. There maybe a paradigm shift in the military training philosophy from time to time due to technological revolution, but the role of drill staff had remained same throughout. History is full of names of such silent but tall and graceful heroes who are vibrant, dedicated and selfless in performing their duties. Their efforts, guidance, personal examples and dedication deserve rich tributes. I salute them; yes, I do as they taught me how to salute.
'Those who educate children well are more to be honoured than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.‘ (Aristotle)
by : Maj Gen Muhammad Khalid
Indeed, man was created in the best of form. The journey from birth till adult life is an arduous one where various factors mold, break or build the persona and leave an ever impressionable legacy. Fortunate are those who come across sincere and worthy mentors or teachers. Thus, the epic journey from a clot to a tall and successful man is possible. This journey also unfolds tale of a momentous and deep-rooted affiliation that lasts for a life time. Cadets upon their entry in the Pakistan Military Academy (PMA), a training institute of the commendable repute, are honoured with the sobriquet of Gentleman Cadet (GC). The word ‗Gentleman‘ is the ultimate honour for hard training, which embeds a certain kind of character in the soul that perseveres through thick and thin. This character eventually produces the finished state-of-the-art product called the 'Commissioned Officer'. During the entire process, a deep-rooted affiliation is developed between the GC and his training staff (Drill staff, Physical Training staff and Weapon Training staff). The journey of association starts with the reception at Abbottabad Bus Stand, Havelian Railway Station or the PMA Gate. This whirlwind tenure takes the GCs through various stages from initial briefing, kit issuance, holocaust of trendy hairstyles to the hardcore and strenuous military training and culminates with passing out parade at PMA‘s Rafi Ullah Drill Square.
A GC is an asset for the Army who leads a spartan life during his entire stay at PMA, marked by spotless personal appearance, proud participation in parades and ceremonies, high standard of military discipline and exposure to host of challenges. A purposeful, comprehensive and colossal effort is made from different quarters comprising a rare amalgam of diverse specialists to shape him into an officer. The process of transforming civilians into military personnel is a form of conditioning that encourages the GCs to partially submerge their individuality for the good of their unit. This conditioning is essential for military function because combat requires people to endure stress and perform actions that are simply absent in normal life. May that be an academic discipline, a tactical lesson, an athletic skill, some leadership training or a feature of character development, it must be taught, conducted or supervised by highly competent, devoted and inspiring staff. In this transformation, one critical role is that of the Drill Instructors. Their task is very tricky and challenging as they are required to inculcate military discipline in the GCs who are physically feeble but mentally and academically surpassing the drill staff. Thus, the drill instructors work tenaciously from dawn till dusk with the highest level of motivation, exemplary standards of turnout, discipline and hearty investment of time and expertise. They are picked up from the entire Army by a very methodical and meticulous selection procedure for being not only the best in their respective fields but also a smart lot, endowed with impeccable discipline, fair and firm dealing with the GCs. Allah Almighty has made man in natural harmony. Our regular gait comprises right hand‘s pendulous movement with the left foot and vice versa. This natural instinct is polished into a proud and graceful drill motion by the drill staff. They look towards the cadets as newborns into army life, thus, initial few weeks at PMA are dominated by heavy doses of drill to instill a respectable degree of smartness in the movements of GCs. They undoubtedly work very hard to harness the cadets with the new necessities of martial life like salute, drill and discipline.
Like a determined mother, they repeatedly teach each GC these norms till there is need for no more hammering. They achieve optimized results through display of professional excellence, personal involvement and above all by own exemplified conduct. It is always a treat to watch the Drill Staff marching up and down smartly, erect and correct with measured steps, correcting the basics of the drill movements of the cadets on parade. As the saying goes, ―There are three ways of doing a thing: the wrong way, the right way and the army way.‖ Therefore, at times the Drill Staff have to adopt the army‘s doctrine of ‗corrective punishment‘ to break in the GCs. These custodians of the GCs‘ Office (place of assembly for punishment) are always waiting for the college boys and like a razor‘s edge they refine them into glittering gems. Thus, the towering drill staff in their immaculate and starched uniform are always found sporting their burly moustache outside GCs‘ Office. These punishments are proportional to the gravity of the offense and range from extra drill periods, reports in Field Service Marching Order (FSMO) kit to restrictions. Then dawns the first hurdle that a GC must pass to prove his mettle and that rite of passage into the army life is known as the 'Saluting Test'. It is a test of the GC's marching and saluting capabilities as it has a lot of strings attached. Passing it opens the gates of PMA for the cadets to avail outpass and leave whenever granted. After grueling military training, such a respite is like an oasis in a desert for the GCs. Thus, this test is usually held before midterm break and is of pivotal importance for both the cadets and the drill instructors. The last stage is the passing out parade. It is the culmination of two years of strenuous training and GCs dream comes true as they march in Slow Time off the drill square, up the stairs into the Mess Hall and instantly converted from GCs to Second Lieutenants in the Pakistan Army. Even long after passing out, when an officer of Pakistan Army hears military band playing, the eyes swell up with emotions and tears, the heart begins to beat faster and one is back in thoughts slow marching up the lovely steps of the drill square.
At this stage the cadets are seniors and try to take the liberty of relaxing but drill instructors like Honorary Captain (retd) Muhammad Ashraf Warsi (commonly known as Shurli Sahab), drill personified and an institution by himself, never allowed such laxity. He made sure that every cadet's toe was in line, arms aligned and foot stomping up to the standard while marching. The same standards are evident at the momentous occasions like the Quaid's Day parade, Azadi parade, Yaum-eShuhada and other such events. There maybe a paradigm shift in the military training philosophy from time to time due to technological revolution, but the role of drill staff had remained same throughout. History is full of names of such silent but tall and graceful heroes who are vibrant, dedicated and selfless in performing their duties. Their efforts, guidance, personal examples and dedication deserve rich tributes. I salute them; yes, I do as they taught me how to salute.
'Those who educate children well are more to be honoured than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well.‘ (Aristotle)
by : Maj Gen Muhammad Khalid
