We were selected for the exchange in February 2005 and departed for West Point directly from Gagetown, New Brunswick after completing our Armoured Officer phase training this summer. Upon our arrival in mid-August, life around West Point was already in full swing since they commence school nearly three weeks earlier than RMC does. After a hectic first week of trying to locate luggage, find classrooms, and decipher the maze of buildings that comprise the West Point campus, we settled into the normal West Point routine. I was warmly welcomed by Company D-2 Dragons, while Nick found his home among the D-4 Dukes. I found myself holding the position of the company Supply and Maintenance Officer and Nick was appointed as a squad leader. My two roommates, Bryan Curran and Mike Soderberg, quickly incorporated me into their circle of friends, who have also become some of my dearest comrades. I also met numerous other exchange Cadets from Germany, Chile, and Spain, just to name a few.

I quickly realized that life around "The Point" was drastically different from that of RMC. For example, West Point has enforced study hours, TAPS, a lights out policy and imposes a limit on the number of times Cadets are permitted off academy grounds. As well, the entire Brigade forms up for accountability purposes prior to heading off to mandatory breakfast and lunch everyday. Nearly all weekends were taken up with military training, physical activities or mandatory attendance at home football games. One thing in particular that struck me about West Point was its sheer size. It was like a small city, complete with its own movie theatre, fire department, restaurants and military training area.  

Due to the size of West Point (approximately 4400 cadets) and a significantly larger budget, there were plenty of opportunities available to us. Among these was the chance to complete a HUMMV-W driver’s course, practice snap-shooting at an indoor range and partake in a multitude of sports and clubs. I joined the intramural "Sokeye" team, which is a crazed sport that mixes hockey and soccer, as well as took full advantage of the brand new gym facility that is not unlike our own Kingston Military Community Sports Complex here at RMC. Nick out-fought the Americans in intramural light-weight wrestling. We also joined the Cavalry Scout Club that  teaches and practices Armoured Reconnaissance tactics, weapons proficiency and HUMMV-W driving on the weekends in West Point's on-campus training area. This allowed us a perfect opportunity to learn about US Armoured doctrine as well as teach them about Canadian doctrine.           

Our new found comrades in arms were more than happy to tour us around various parts of the eastern seaboard.  We spent a weekend in Boston cheering on the Army football team as they competed against Boston College. West Point is conveniently located fifty miles from the "Big Apple", New York City. Naturally we spent numerous weekends taking in the sights which included the Statue of Liberty, Central Park and a tour of the United Nations Headquarters. Another notable road trip was to Philadelphia, the home of the greatest sports rivalry in College football: The Army versus Navy football game. This spectacular event was unlike any other sporting event I had ever seen. The opening ceremonies included fly-bys of F-14 fighter jets and six AH-64D Apache attack helicopters. The half-time show was a salute to US astronauts, complete with a live telecast from the international space station and speech from Buzz Aldrin. Oh ya, the football game was decent too!           

Overall, our experience at West Point was a memorable one. We made countless, life long friendships as well as developed professional relationships that will last throughout our military careers and beyond. We certainly gained a new appreciation and understanding for the way the United States Army trains, think and fights and I believe we passed on as much as we could to our US counterparts with regard to our great country, RMC and the Canadian Forces.  

OCdt 23227 Tyler Peitzsche
CSS 2 Sqn

From 26 June to 23 December 2005, OCdt Ben Nasmith and I participated in the RMC-USAFA Cadet Exchange Program. It proved to be an excellent experience, and we both learned a lot about the US, ourselves and, surprisingly, about the CF. 

Ben and I were selected for this exchange in February 2005. After exams and annual leave, we arrived in Colorado Springs in late June. We spent a week with a sponsor family who housed and fed us, in addition to making us feel welcome in the US. One of the highlights of this period was attending the NORAD/NORTHCOM Canada Day Party, where we met many of the CF members serving with the American Military in the Colorado Springs area. To an extent, both Ben and I stayed involved with the CF community in Colorado for the remainder of the exchange. 

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