Post Classifieds

Norwich hosts Australian cadets

By David Turner

On October 22, 2009

Pin It

Norwich University hosted five Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA) cadets at the end of September, which both schools do every year as part of an exchange program.

Norwich completed the exchange program by sending two of its cadets, Cadet Alexander Kipetz and Cadet Brent Mastro, over to ADFA for a semester.

All of the cadets that visited the Norwich campus are in their third year, which is equivalent to senior year at Norwich.

When cadets at ADFA complete this final year they become officers in their respective military branches.

"We get tested before we get (to the ADFA). It's rigorous testing, especially for pilots. Once you get into ADFA it is expected that you will commission," said Robert McMullan a 21-year-old who is originally from Wollongong, New South Wales (NSW), Australia and is an Air Force cadet who is working on a Bachelor of Engineering (Aeronautical).

"Basically your contract is the amount of time you spent studying doubled, plus a year or two is added to that.(I am) studying for about six years to fly, (my) return service obligation is 14 years (and) the army guys are nine years," McMullan said.

The process to get a pilot's slot for cadets at ADFA is just as challenging as it is in most of the ROTC programs here at Norwich.

"We sign a contract before day one for pilots that evolves, basically through a series of three interviews over about half a year," said Daniel Raab, a 20-year-old physics major from Perth, Australia, who is an Air Force cadet.

"Then an additional two weeks of practical testing (is done), so we actually get thrown into an aircraft, and they say this is how you do a loop and they'll show me a loop," Raab said.

All of this testing is done prior to cadets being given the pilot slot.

"We do about 13 hours of that flying testing before you get a pilot slot. It's pretty competitive; out of about 2,000, only 30 people end up (with pilot slots) at the academy," Raab said.

One big difference between cadets at both of these schools is the amount students are paid for their military training.

"We get paid a lot more then you guys. First years get about $500 to $1,000 a month, then about $700 to $800 for second years, (and) about $2,000 a month for third years. That's after accommodations and stuff like that," McMullan said.

There are many other similarities and differences between Norwich and ADFA.

"ADFA has no cadet structure," said Alexander Kipetz, a 22-year-old studies in war and peace major at Norwich from Simsbury, Conn. Kipetz has been in Australia at the Defence Force Academy since this past summer.

"(The ADFA) went through the grey review and their rank structure was taken away, so now every division, like (Norwich's) companies, has a NCO (non commissioned officer) and an officer assigned to them," Kipetz said.

Kipetz said that the ADFA doesn't really have anything equivalent to rookdom for their first-year cadets. The first years still get a name; instead of being called rooks they are called "Dullies."

Peter McAuley, a 22-year-old history and politics major who is originally from Melbourne, Australia, and is an Army cadet at ADFA, said, "The only thing we (have) that is remotely like your rookdom is our first six weeks, which is called year one familiarization training which is just for the first years."

Many Norwich students were curious about why the ADFA cadets' uniforms look the way they do.

"The history of our uniform dates back a number of years; obviously not as old as yours," McAuley said. "Little things like our rising sun badge dates back to the Boer War where a soldier saw bayonets in a bucket and believed it looked like a rising sun. That's where that badge developed."

A lot their uniform design comes from different parts of their Australian military history.

"Our slouch hat was also developed in the Boer War, and is the hat that our soldiers proudly wore into battle for the rest of the Boer War, the First World War, the Second World War and Korea," McAuley said.

"It's also not uncommon to find soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq wearing their slouch hats now, so that something we're extremely proud of," McAuley said.

The uniforms are also designed to represent Australia's unique wildlife and environment.

"The color comes from the Australian waddle. (The) green and gold are from Australian plants; we are trying to be really uniquely Australian," McAuley said.

Students from both Norwich and ADFA take a lot of great experiences away from the exchange program, whether they are one of the weeklong or semester-long participants.

"Being able to travel and see another culture and its military is a great experience," Kipetz said. "The people here are all friendly, and the military culture is very interesting to learn about. Australia is very similar to the U.S., but has its own unique cultural quirks like everywhere else in the world."