"If you work for a man,
In heaven’s name, work for him."
In heaven’s name, work for him."
-Loyalty, COCC plebe knowledge
It's been 26 months since I joined the Cadet Officer Candidacy Course, or COCC for short. 26 months of trials, tortures, and tribulations. This is my story.Chapter 2: Adjustments
Aldous quit immediately after our initiation. He joined the Football team instead.
Kenoy quit a week later. He couldn't stand his own suffering any longer.
I stayed. Yeah, insanity.
The first few weeks of my COCC training was not how I visioned it. I kept goofing up while Comrade Samonte gets the blame. I guess it's natural, especially when Samonte has been around longer than me. Every time i goofed, he gets a number of push ups. The higher the number, the heavier the guilt.
Oh yes, I was also introduced to the other cadet officer, Lance Reynard Thomas, recognized by us then as Cadet Captain Thomas. He's loves joking around, in contrast to Sir Rendor, but has a power tripping streak that would be the reason of the downfall of all special flights. But save that for another day.
The faculty in charge of CAT were Adjutant Yucoco, Adjutant Hernandez, and Commandant Santos, all of whom are Ateneo High School teachers.
During the next couple of months, more would join me and Samonte, but still some would just leave anyway. Among those who joined early in the year were Jason Martinez, Patrick Abad Santos, Abella (Sorry about forgetting his given name), and Michael Tomas Brillantes.
Jason was a slow starter. When he joined, the title of the "bringer-downer" switched from me to him. He had low stamina (His reason would be that he "runs on a set time."), and like me initially, he had trouble adjusting his schedule.
Abella was just plain noisy. On the outside, he tried to show he had heart, but everyone can tell he didn't have shit. Sorry, I'm just about peeved at him. He was also impatient and irritating. On the bright side, he did have potential when it comes to the more physical side of COCC. He quit weeks later.
Patrick, was, I thought, the ideal cadet. He had the most common sense and heart out of all of us. He had the right build, was knowledgable when it comes to military, and was diligent, COCC-wise. I wanted him to be the Wing Commander next year, on account of all of this. He was even able to show a good impression on Sir Rendor quite a few times (but of course, Sir Rendor, with his cold heart, would not show any recognition). Sadly, he had to quit because of his Sun-sensitive skin, daily schedule problems, and conflicting perspectives of his parents.
Michael, or Miko as most call him, was short, but showed a lot of what Patrick had to offer. His downfall maybe, was his voice and his tendency to fidget and make troubled faces when his errors are exposed. Still, he had a damn good build.
Samonte was, naturally, still the most knowledgable out of all of us. He knows the basics and also a variety of rifle tricks, so he had the advantage over all of us, although not one of us like hi because he was too "in to it." Of course, one mistake would set him falling.
That very simple mistake - reporting at the wrong venue - would cost him his title as Flight Sergeant. He was replaced by none other than me, simply because I said I could be Flight Sarge. From that moment on, I knew my title was at stake too. Whenever I would slip up someone else would take my place, I thought. Maybe that's why my dedication and heart strengthened. I tried to be a good example whenever I can. I think I was able to do that. For a time at least, I was on a roll.
Outside COCC, I had trouble adjusting to my new schedule. At 6:00am I was brought to school and at 5:30pm I was be picked up. Once at home I would rest and eat dinner. My exhaustion from training would barely give me enough time to study and do homework (Yes, I do homework where it's supposed to be done once in a while). I barely had time for my friends, too, who would meet up after Tuesdays to play a game of Basketball. The most surprising thing was, I didn't regret it.
I didn't mind the exhaustion. I eschewed my studies. My friends, I thought, would always be there. Did I like the everyday torture?
Answer: Oh yeah. I did.
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