A Cadet's Diary (II)

  To read a diary let us live a while in the past, touch and hug back the old memories of unforgettable days, glorious and happiest moment in our life. I have written diary so far and love to read old ones, especially the diaries of my cadet life. The stories in the diaries sometimes turn into the lessons for my student cadets, sometimes make them laugh, sometimes teach and encourage them.

          I pick up a book that I have read several times. The book seems old with dog-eared pages. But for me, the diary book contains the great mementos and important episode of my life. Then I let the book open randomly and start to read the words. I found myself running.

          In the film Forrest Gump, Forrest did a long run for over three years. He is a good runner and his girlfriend’s words are always bouncing around in his heart. “Run, Forrest, run” said she so. He also ran and rescued his wounded comrades at Vietnam front-line. I’m running too not because of my girlfriend’s words nor am I a good runner. But if I stop for a rest, the devilish words will be heard from somewhere, “Hey, first year, why the hell aren’t you running?  You want get punished, huh? Run, first year, run!!”

          I have no other option except to resume my run. Yes, my life, to be exact, a first year cadet’s life started with a run.

          On the cloudy evening of April 30, 2000, our company commanding officer Major Thura Twin Ko Ko gathered first year cadets and briefed, “You all first year cadets are lucky to be in our Anawrahta Company. Only handsome cadets are welcome to our company.”

          Smiles flashed on our little faces hearing his words. A funny thought came to my mind to take a look at mirror again when I was back my place. He went on, “You all must be proud of being cadets of the Defence Services Academy and our company. A cadet of the DSA must have the ability to accomplish every coming mission. Yes! A cadet must be able to do everything.”

          His words made us feel better and stronger and let a serious thought with certainty float through our mind that we were not schoolboys anymore. We must be ready to be the real cadets of the DSA. He cleared our minds saying, “I’m worry you might have the wrong thought for what you are doing. The more training you have, the stronger and tougher you will be. You are running and sometime you might get punished. Everything you are doing is just you are being trained. Get your eyes and ears opened to learn everything.”  

          Right he said was. It was a romantic midnight to remember when I got punished and learned something I would never forget.

          Scattering clouds slowly began to roll cross the midnight sky, turning silver with the reflection of the crescent moon. I was standing by the end of ground-floor corridor and staring at the backyard scene of our company building. I felt something as if my heart was pierced by spears of melancholy when I heard the long siren of night train passing by in the distance. At that moment, I heard what sounded like a MiG flying two inches away from my ears.

          “First year, what the hell are you doing over there? It is your watch hour, huh? You are supposed to walk along the corridor swinging your hands in 90˚. But you were not. Right? So, do pushup 30 times.”

          “Aye, sir!” I replied him and paid the penalty for my carelessness. After that, he had a serious look at me standing in attention before him and said, “Nyi lay, what if you are in frontline doing such duty? What if you are dreaming and careless?”

          I was silenced in shame. He hesitated a moment and said, “You will be dead-man. Not only would you be in great trouble, but also your followers and comrades. That is why I punish you. Never be that again. Ok boy, carry on.”

          I was left in thoughtful mind and figured well out what he said.

          In the early days, to face the daily chores of a first year cadet was kinda hard. Every task, every mission and everything must be accomplished in the nick of time. We have almost no spare time to think about something any longer. We always get watched, punished and kept busy.  Thus, such days carved me out a cadet of the DSA.

          Days turned to months. Rain shed the Sein Pan Ni Ni and let the ground turn into the carpet of rubies. It was exciting and active moment to sing out loud our Tatmadaw songs marching to the academic wing. Sometimes, we were marching under the drumming rain. At class break times, I did a run to library and caught up on some reading.

          At night study, I used to look forward to my senior guardians. They were my great brothers. Sometimes, they showed up holding our mails. In our first year cadet lives, the words “You’ve got mail” might be the sweetest one longing to hear. My family sent me frequent mails asking me out how about my first year life was and letting me know I was always in their prayer for good. Among the mails, I loved to read the mails of my elder brother who was graduated from the DSA in April. Because he was the only one who could know and understand my feelings and how a first year cadet’s life was.

          It was a late evening of July when I got the first mail from him. He reminded me to do regular exercises and assignments of academic studies, to have comrade-spirit and not to be punished for breaking rules. The mail showed the proper goodwill of an elder brother and to what extent, he wanted his younger brother to be a good cadet.

          Days gone by, Sein Pann Pyar and Sein Pann Ni already said goodbye. Rain left the Nay Kyar Yine in bloom as if a golden carpet was rolled out over the mountain ranges far away. And winter let the yellow flowers stay as long as they could. Almost every chilled winter day, we were trained hard and hard for the steeple chase race. The race would be in coming December. The coaches were my senior brother cadets including my guardian.

           Final year cadet coach said, “It is not an ordinary race. You all don’t have to run on the common lap. The lap would be rough. Sometimes, you have to run up the highs, sometimes down the slopes. You don’t need to dart the whole lap. If so, you will be out of breath. How to properly eke your stamina out is very important.”

          We were trained and trained for the race. We dashed and ran up and down the ‘Sein Pan Pin’ slope. Whenever we got chance, we used the race path to get used to it. In our heart, there was a strong will ‘Our Anawrahta Company must be the best.’ Day after day, my stamina obviously improved. I felt myself stronger and could run faster than ever before. It would be good if everything was always going well. Nevertheless, in the mid of the preparing, my left foot started to hurt.  I felt humiliated when my friends were ahead of me and I fell father and father behind. When we were grouped into four, I was the last man of the last group in which the worst ones who couldn’t run fast.

          Every night, my senior guardians showed up and encouraged me. My second year guardian said, “I also was terribly limping like you when I was in first year. But I never gave up. What if it were a battle? Yes! You must face the battle and you must be the conqueror not letting the enemy win. Be strong. You are a damn cadet of the DSA. You can do it.”

          His words made me feel stronger. I never rested for the preparing training of the Steeple Chase race. Thought I felt pain in my leg, I kept training together with my comrade friends.

          It was a early and chilled morning of December and everywhere was misted over to remember. The Steeple Chase race was about to start. Our senior cadets were around us to cheer the race up. The final year coach Ko Soe Moe was shouting in his Mon accent what to do and not to. After that, he stared at me and gave me an encouraged smile. When the whistle blew, we were off. Most of cadets darted ahead of me leaving me farther and farther behind. I knew I was terribly limping and able to run only as far as my feet could carry me. I felt a bit worry and disappointment with a thought if the total points of our company became less just because of me.

            Like a proverb “Every cloud has a silver lining”, I was amazed to know two friends from our company were running with me. They were good runners and I could not figure out why they fell themselves far behind just to be with me.

          They smiled and said aloud, “Hey pal! Look back. You are not the last one. Run, buddy, run! Keep them left behind! We are going to run with you. If you can’t run anymore, we are ready to throw you over my shoulders, ha ha”

          To hear their say made me smile. I felt myself light, strong and happy with a thought of not being alone but with my comrades. When I looked back, I saw the limping ones like me. I was filled with strength and faith again and speeded up my run. All the way through, the two of them kept encouraging me. I could have passed over and over one after one. It was the happiest and glories moment of my life when I crossed the finish line and heard the loudest cheers of my senior guardian cadets.  

          When I stop reading, rain is slightly drizzling outside. I see the cadets running down to the gymnasium for evening PT. I smile myself with a thought: ‘tomorrow, I have to tell about self-confidence and how the comrade spirit is important to my pupil cadets.’ I close the diary.
(www.facebook.com/moethettin မွ ကူးယူေဖာ္ျပပါသည္)