An amazing Cadet Career by CSM Eryn Rivers

By Cadet Company Sergeant Major Eryn Rivers, Cranbrook Detachment

What inspired you to join the Army Cadets, and how has your journey been so far?

To be honest, the reason I joined my cadets was because of my brother. I saw how much he loved cadets, and I wanted that excitement in my life, bear in mind I was 13 and none of my friends would be doing anything as cool as this.

When my brother came back from weekends away, he’d tell me about how much fun he had, the friends he made and all these amazing and new activities he’d taken part in. The idea of running around the woods in camouflage made my heart leap.

So far in cadets I have progressed through my star levels to where I am now, I am about to do my Master Cadet. It has taken me just over three years to achieve these levels along with my rank as a Cadet Company Sergeant Major. My journey has been nothing short of amazing, the friends I’ve made along the way and the life skills I have learnt which help me in day-to-day situations. The people I thank for my success would be endless but my DC, 2nd Lieutenant Vessey and the other instructors have made me who I am today.

Can you describe the moment you found out you were selected as a Lord Lieutenant’s cadet?

If I could put the experience into one word it would be shocking. I was sat alone in my room playing a video game when my mum and stepdad came in and told me at first I thought someone had died because my mum was crying for them to then tell me they’d just come off the phone with my DC and that I’d won an award I didn’t even know I had been put forward for. After I got over the original shock, we all sat down and talked about what this meant and how big an achievement this was and the responsibilities that came along with the title.

What were some of the challenges you faced while working towards the Silver Duke of Edinburgh Award, and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge was the walk itself. The one thing I have learnt from this walk in comparison to my many other expeditions and fieldcraft weekends is to look after my feet. It’s one of the most important things the adults teach you in cadets and it’s what makes or breaks your walk in this instance it broke my walk.

It was a very wet weekend in Folkestone and my feet were drenched. I went through all my socks but luckily, I had an amazing instructor with me who went and got us some fresh pairs of socks and took our wet ones back to Dibgate to dry thank you (Jules).

The expeditions you go on with cadets will always end with new memories you’ve made with the people you were with, be it the food you ate, the campsite you stayed at or the scenery you saw on the journey. No matter where cadets take you, you will always leave with new memories and friends you’ve made along the way and that’s all anyone could ask for in this youth organisation.

Cadets is about working together, and these expeditions create new bonds from all over the country (for the higher star level weekends) or new bonds from your company with people you’ve never met before. The Duke of Edinburgh does a lot of important things for this generation of cadets, new friends, learning to work as a team and learning new life skills along the way- bonus, it also looks great on your CV.

How did it feel to be promoted recently, and what responsibilities come with your new rank?

At the end of last year, I was promoted to Colour Sergeant right before the splitting of D company. This meant a lot to me as not only would I be the senior female, but I’d also be the senior cadet of D company when the time came to it. This meant that in the new year I would take on that responsibility on any future weekends I would attend. My first weekend as a senior cadet was a few weeks ago and when I arrived, I introduced myself to new cadets and adults I hadn’t met already. As the senior cadet I put myself out there and had more conversations with the adults to work out what we were all doing that weekend, where I was needed and what role I would be playing. I had several chats with my OC about D company and how we were going to work together to create a family out of all the detachments we are now joined by.

Can you share a memorable experience or a proud moment from your time in cadets?

During the April half term, me and a few other cadets went to Wales for a week on a camp called ‘exercise April dragon’ where we took part in several adventure training activities. It consisted of caving, rock climbing, canyoneering, and mountaineering. Of all the camps I have been on, this would be the best. We all had to work as a team in our separate groups and help each other through various aspects of the week. For me I really struggled with the rock-climbing course as I’m afraid of heights, although I’d say I didn’t climb higher than 15ft. Without the encouragement from my group, I wouldn’t have been able to get off the ground. I was so proud of myself for getting to the top of that course and by the end of the camp I’d created new, stronger bonds with the people I went with. I met new people and continue to see them on camps I go to now, although some of them have aged out.

The camps that take you far away from home can always be hard to start with but by the end of it you question why you were ever scared in the first place and that’s what makes cadets so memorable and makes you proud of yourself by the end because you stepped outside of your comfort zone and gained skills and friendships by the end of it, who could ask for more?

How has being an Army Cadet influenced your personal development and leadership skills?

When I first joined cadets, I was a quiet and shy person but now I’d say I’m outgoing and you’ll find me talking to any new cadet you’d see. Cadets has made me build confidence in myself and taught me how to improve other people’s confidence and determination. Throughout my cadet career my DC and detachment instructors have pushed me to do my best and encouraged me to go and do the more challenging courses and I will forever be grateful for the effort they put into me.

In cadets we learn about first aid and how to treat all sorts of injuries and conditions. First aid is an amazing thing to be able to have knowledge of. It doesn’t just teach you to have fun with your friends, but it also teaches you lifelong skills which could one day become extremely useful.

When you reach 3* you do the JCIC. This is what really brings the leadership out of people and creates the next seniors. When I started my JCIC I was still very shy and finding my voice. My adult instructor at the time went through every individual lesson with me and another cadet so we could use each other as practicing guides, which really helped me. The point is, JCIC is the starting point for everyone, and it certainly helped and molded me into the senior cadet I am today.

What advice would you give to other young people who are considering joining Army Cadets?

Do it. Army cadets is a way to make new friends, gain new skills and develop as a person. Joining was one of the best choices I ever made, and you don’t even have to know anyone to be able to join. To be honest it’s better if you don’t know anyone because it’s then up to you to be actively going up to people and making those new friends.

You’re immediately split into new groups and you’re more than likely to be put in the basic group with people your age, which means you’ll progress with each other and go on the same camps with them. The bonds and friendships you make at the start of your cadet career will be the strongest and you’ll find yourself going out with them and texting them more than your other friends. The people you meet in cadets are the people who will push you to pass your star level and push you to do better. They will want you to progress together, no one left behind.

What are some of the key skills and values you have learned through your cadet experience?

During my cadet career I have learnt how to work as a team, first aid, respect and leadership. Through fieldcraft exercises, adventure training and command tasks we learn to work as a team. You learn to listen to everyone’s point and work together to put a plan in place so that everyone is happy. During first aid you learn so many important symptoms and how to treat that potential patient.

First aid is such an important skill to have in life since you never know what’s going to happen and by having that treatment you could end up preventing a situation from escalating and getting worse.

Respect and leadership are so important in cadets; you learn the ranking system early in your career, who to salute and who has the higher authority in situations. By learning the rank structure, you learn who to look out for and who to look up to.

Within the cadet rank structure, it’s important for the younger cadets to know who to go to when they have any problems. This is why it’s taught so early on. Also, the leadership aspect comes in later once you’ve reached the first rank of lance corporal. As soon as you’re given that first rank you can see the change that cadet is then going through because they’ve been taught how that rank is supposed to act. The higher up in the ranks you go the more responsibility you have over more cadets which can be daunting for some but you can easily get used to it. The important thing you learn is that you need to be fair, listen to what everyone says, and you’ll end up with happy cadets who feel comfortable around you.

How do you balance your cadet responsibilities with your schoolwork and other activities?

At the end of the day, it’s all down to planning. Once you know what days your detachment parades are on you can easily find a schedule around it. I parade on Monday and Thursday evenings. I balance schoolwork by doing any small homework I have before I go to cadets, revise on Tuesdays, since I have mocks coming up and I try to relax at the weekends or set certain hours out for revision and my own free time. What I try to do is get as much notice on camps coming up so that I can plan my schoolwork around that. If I have homework due on Monday but I have a cadet camp, I’ll start it before I go or if it’s small, I can leave it until the Sunday I get back. The most important thing is to balance your school life, cadet life and free time equally. You need to have time for yourself amongst all the “chaos” of school and cadets otherwise you’ll find yourself tired and rushing to catch up on your homework. All you need is a good calendar to schedule things or a mum who does it for you.

What are your future goals within the army cadets and beyond?

Within cadets I have grown so much as a person that I will always be grateful to the adult instructors that helped me get to where I am. When I joined cadets, my first meeting with my dc, he asked me what I wanted to achieve within cadets, and as an ambitious 12-year-old, I said that I wanted to become CSM. And now at the age of 16 I can now say that I have indeed achieved my first goal. My goals from here aren’t really rank connected but more about my further progress, such as completing master cadet and achieving more 4* subjects. Although I have now completed 4* there are so many subjects I can still go out and finish and that’s what I’m planning to do.

Other things I’d like to do would be to help out my new dc with his first aid courses run out of my detachment, I love first aid and I’d love to find and help other cadets become confident in that subject as it’s not only important in cadets but also in the wider world.

Currently I’m still working on what I’d like to do once I leave school and cadets but I’m definitely considering coming back as an adult instructor. I’d like to help cadets who aren’t given more opportunities to go on weekends and complete their star levels, along with finding their cadet subject and persevering until they complete it.