Philippine Military Academy Class
of 1978 History



Yearling Year 1975-76
- No longer plebes
- A brief span of time had passed and we found ourselves with familiar
faces, no longer tense, rather more
relaxed,
as different cadets; different in the sense that we now had a new role
to play. We were the exemplars of the Corps, perhaps the "Tigers of
the Corps" as well but no longer plebes. And we now occupied our place
as "the yearlings".
- We were eager, much too eager, to start a new term. Maybe, this
was so because we wanted to see the new batch of plebes and more so because
of the new life that was ahead of us.
- Yearling Academic Trimester
- And so we dealt with the academic term, routinely with new subjects,
and the varied duties and schedules which were incorporated with every
phase of cadet life. We were then "on our own", no more reminders
of what to do and "what not to do", less pressures but more responsibilities.
We found these easy because we had already inculcated in our systems the
"cadet way of living" through the period of training in the past.
Now we had to show that all were not in vain. We had to live-up to expectations,
perhaps give more than just what there is to it because we were "models",
the "fresh products" of dynamic change. From then on, we did
strive to do well, until the first term had come to an end.
- Nueva Ecija Field Training
- Our military term that followed gave as much experience to the lives
we were being fit into, as military men.
- In the classrooms, we found new techniques in all aspects, particularly
in leadership, teawork, and camaraderie. These were all put into practice.
Finally, we underwent our practical exercises in Laur, Nueva Ecija, the
home of the 1st Infantry (TABAK) Division.
- Both individually and in teams, we learned through hard work, that
our profession was so exacting that lives depended upon our accuracy in
decisions and executions. There were different courses we had to undergo;
obstacle courses, bayonet courses, infiltration courses, rapelling courses
and the like which we went through with excellent results.
- But we enjoyed most getting the feel of firing the different weapons
which were made available to us. We had howitzeres, mortars, recoilless
rifles, machineguns of different calibers, semi-automatic and automatic
rifles and rocket launchers to add to the experiences we already had. We
even learned to operate tanks, armoured-personnel carriers and commando
cars. Also, there was the feeling of throwing live grenades. Yes, we got
the feel of what it really was like to be engaged in combat, where we had
to be ready to operate all these when the need was inevitable.
- All these were capped by maneuvers. Within a week's span we developed
our skills in map reading, bivouacs, raids, ambushes, troop movements,
communication and so on, because we were to be professional soldiers. There
were difficulties we encountered, numerous cuts and bruises, burns and
insect bites, and all, we were told, were part of the game. Later, victorious
in our own right, we knew we were better prepared to face future contingencies.
- But it was not all hardwork. We still mustered enough time for socials
and other recreational activites. There were new friendships made and particularly
more interaction evolved and in-between, there was a still a moment of
spreading goodwill.
- Silent Drill Company Performance
- The performances of the Silent Drill Company of Class 1978 added
life and meaning to our stay and to the people we had been with during
our stay in Nueva Ecija. Being the first performance outside of Baguio,
it proved all the while that we, too, could entertain and gain the warm-headedness
of others through exhibitions. And it was shown that we were no bunch of
"aloof cadets" as the misconceptions always went.
- Back to tough Academics
- Short-lived as it had to be, we moved back to the Academy to tackle
more tasks slated for us. And after a brief break, we delved into a new
academic term. This was with a different thinge because aside from the
regular duties, we were also made to supervice the plebes. Gradually, this
turned us into leaders that we had started to be; drill supervisors, academic
coaches, orderly supervisors, that is to say, we inspecteed the roster
of duties which the plebes had as barracks orderlies and saw to it that
it was carried out properly and perhaps the whole lot which we were taught
to do and which the yearlings before us had to do in such a situation.
- Another chapter ends
- The year's end came as fast as it had begun. When finally, February
came again, we saw ourselves adding another stripe in our sleeves and shoulder
boards. We were now faced with a new role, no longer as "models",
but then immediately behind the scene, who ran the Corps, even at our own
level.
- We soon felt that as we moved onward our goal, the burden of responsibilities
was soon slowly creeping down our shoulders, as we were the second ranking
class in the Cadet Corps. Faced with such a condition, all of us were filled
with such anxiety, enthusiasm and desire.



