Staff Cadet Patrick Rowley

How has the Army helped you?

I’m Staff Cadet Patrick Rowley; I’m sponsored by the Army to be at uni, this is the first part of my training as I am sponsored through uni.

Why did you decide to join the Army?

I don’t come from a family that has a particularly strong military background but I have always been impacted… always been rather patriotic, always wanted to give something back to the country.

What was the first week like?

The first week is all about turning you from a civilian into a soldier. So, it’s long days, early mornings, a lot of shouting and it’s just basically breaking you down so that they can build you back up the way they want you.

How has this week been in terms of making friends?

Well, you kind of… you get off the bus and you start looking around, and you don’t know anyone, and then you go to dinner the first night and you still don’t know anyone you’re sitting there and you start meeting everyone and making new friends. The big thing that helps you is that you’re all in there for the long run, you’re all kind of going through the same thing, so you need to talk to each other to sort your own problems, not only your own problems out, but sort problems out as a group, whether they are individual you realise that everyone else is going through the same thing.