Tom Bell is not your everyday cadet who parades twice a week. He is not only a highly active and keen member of the Dover Detachment of Kent Army Cadet Force, but also a member of the B Company Corps of Drums, his school CCF where he is a Corporal, in the Air Training Corps.
To get a better understanding of Tom we asked his friend Marcel Klos from Dover Army Cadets to interview him about his life as a cadet and what he enjoys about it and his motivation. Tom is an easy going, intelligent and dependable friend who spends most of his free time after school doing the thing he loves most and that is serving in the cadets.
Tom started cadets from the age of twelve and from there on he got the taste and started to join other units to fill up his spare time and gain new experience. He first joined the Combined Cadet Force at school where he is now a Corporal, he then joined Dover Army Cadets where he is one of the unit standard-bearers, and on the establishment of the B Company Corps of Drums at Dover he decided he wanted to do more cadet activity so joined the music detachment. Alongside this Tom is also a member of the Air Training Corps where he is a senior cadet.
Tom is in the process of completing his bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award and is specialising in Cyber as part of his bronze assignment. Tom told me that he does not have a favourite Cadet force and he enjoys different aspects of them all. However, Tom said he can safely say that the ATC has the best NAAFI out of the three. Now, being 14 Tom is taking part in some amazing opportunities like going to Cyprus last year with the CCF, getting to fly in a glider, a Chinook, and a Puma helicopter. Tom has also had the opportunity to visit different military bases as a cadet and to see the armed forces at work.
Tom told me that being a cadet gives him some amazing opportunities and it is helping him to develop and have experience and training that other people his age just do not have. Tom also said that being a cadet is incredibly good for his CV and it gives him things to do in his spare time that is worthwhile and something to look forward to after school.
When Tom leaves school he would like to join The Life Guards who are one of the two regiments that make up The Household Cavalry that is an armoured reconnaissance regiment and also carry out mounted ceremonial duties in London. I think Tom should strive for this as he is more than capable, and with his strong will power and dedication I know he can do it.
By Cadet Marcel Klos
Dover Detachment, Kent Army Cadet Force
