“I promise to honour my God, my country, the Dominica Cadet Corps and to do my best to serve them, loyally and honourably at all times, to be faithful to my obligations as a member of the corps to the best of my ability through the Dominica Cadet Corps to which I now belong.
“I further promise to conform to the rules, regulations and discipline of the corps, to keep by body and mind healthy and alert and to be a good citizen of the Commonwealth of Dominica,” pledged 16 students of the Isaiah Thomas Secondary School on Wednesday 6th, July.
The enrolment ceremony was attended by the Commandant of the Dominica Cadet Corps, Colonel David Andrew; Unit Commander, Lieutenant Lynard Henderson; Senator Felix Thomas, Principal of the ITSS, Shirley Samuel, other Cadet Corps members, parents and staff of the ITSS.
Commandant Colonel Andrew congratulated the new recruits on their choice. He regards the corps as a programme which is second to none in the world.
“Today’s activity is a clear manifestation of their commitment, patience and hard work,” he said. “It is indeed a challenge to deliver the cadet programme around the island with limited financial and personnel resources however with the continued support of the Principal, staff, parents, cadets and the nation, we have preserved and we are succeeding.
“As the negative forces continue relentlessly clawing at our young people, we the volunteers of the Dominica Cadet Corps are resolved to forge ahead with this positive initiative.”
The Commandant encouraged the cadets to be proud of their choice and to ignore distractions.
“Open your eyes wide and look at the world around you then choose carefully the path you wish to walk. Listen carefully to decide which voices should influence you ultimately give yourselves a chance to be well-rounded, decent, loyal and productive citizens.”
Meanwhile Unit Commander, Lieutenant Lynard Henderson, calls on parents to continue supporting their children as members of the corps.
Principal of the ITSS, Shirley Samuel, thanked parents for making the sacrifice and providing their children with the necessities for the corps.
She told the cadets to be examples in and out of school.
The Dominica Cadet Corps was launched in 1910 at the Dominica Grammar School, and moved on the Saint Mary’s Academy and other educational institutions.