Sacred duty
The award of the State Commission and the conferment of the Instrument of Commission, by convention, are rites of passage signalling that officer cadets have been trained and considered worthy to become commissioned officers of the Guyana Defence Force.
A Commission is a unique, official certificate issued only by the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. It appoints a person to high office, conferring on him (or her) the authority to exercise the functions of command in the Guyana Defence Force. The Commission distinguishes the officer from the non-commissioned officer and the private soldier.
The State Commission and Instrument of Commission are not merely certificates to mark the successful completion of a training course. They constitute the lawful licences to exercise authority as military officers.
The State Commission demands trust, loyalty and good conduct on the officer’s part. It requires the exercise of diligence, discipline and dedication in the discharge of his duties. It requires him to demonstrate obedience to his superiors, to demand compliance from his subordinates and extend cooperation with his compeers.
The Standard Officers’ Course trains and tests future military leaders. Cadets must be educated continuously and consistently to exercise leadership of their corps and units. The Force, through its training programmes, must produce men and women who embody the Force’s core values.
The Colonel Ulric Pilgrim Officer Cadet School’s aim is to develop character; instil discipline; initiative and self-confidence and inculcate the duties of citizenship, loyalty and patriotism.
I challenge you to uphold the oath which you have sworn:
I…will bear true faith and allegiance to the state of Guyana; that I will support and defend the state against all enemies whomsoever; that I will faithfully discharge the functions of an officer in the Guyana Defence Force without fear or favour, affection or ill will and that in the discharge of those functions, I will honour, uphold and preserve the Constitution of Guyana.
I challenge you to uphold the Force’s five core values – duty, discipline, identity, integrity and loyalty.
I challenge you to uphold the School’s motto – “I serve Guyana.” I require that your conduct must be in accordance with the School’s six maxims – Loyalty, Honesty, Worth, Courage, Discipline and Steadfastness.
I am pleased to grant to you, the successful graduates of the Standard Officers’ Course No. 51, the Instruments of Commission appointing you as officers of the Guyana Defence Force in accordance the Guyana Defence Act.
I congratulate you on your being commissioned as officers. I thank you.
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