An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir November 2016 www.dfmagazine.ie 16 | SGT MarK walSh (Pl SGT) "I remember from my own experience how tough the first week of training can be. You have to adapt straight away from being a civilian to starting to learn to be a trained soldier: learning to stand to attention, and not eyeballing NCOs or officers; keep- ing your uniform to a high standard every single day; getting used to thinking in a military manner; and adapting to intensive physical and military training. "Another big thing is getting used to living with people who you never met before and who may have very different personalities and views. While this can cause arguments or conflict, it is overcome by getting to know each other, helping each other along the way, and realising that you are all in the same boat; that you can't over- come every obstacle or difficult situation alone; that it must be done by working together as a section or platoon." PTe PeTer CunninGhaM (22) FroM BraCKnaGh, Co oFFaly "I was playing GAA in Chicago when I applied for the Defence Forces in 2015. As it was a career I always I wanted, I decided to come home for the selection process. Since joining the DF I've made many friends and bonded with everyone. I've made many memories that will stay with me forever and I'm looking forward to making many more throughout my career. There's a lot more to the Defence Forces than people know and I enjoy the everyday challenges, both mental and physical. "I've been honoured to play on the Curragh Camp GAA team twice and reach an All-Army football final." PTe Shauna hanley (21) FroM KilDare Town "I joined the DF for a career and also to follow in my grandfa- ther's footsteps. I didn't want a nine-to-five job, but something that offered me new opportunities and possibilities. I also wanted to defend and protect my country, and to travel around the world doing what I love. I took a gap year from college in 2015 and applied for the army. There was a massive drive to recruit women and I knew this was the perfect time. "I did find it tough, as I had to get used to a lifestyle that is far from the glamorous one many women want - but I wouldn't change it for the world. Over the last few months I have lived with 41 other individuals and have gained some of the best friends anyone could ask for. I have also acquired skills that few people get to. "On joining the Defence Forces I became part of a team where I am treated exactly the same as the man standing next to me; real equality, something women have fought for years to achieve. "In the next five years I hope to serve overseas, become an NCO, and finish my degree. I know being a part of the DF I can achieve all the above and more." PTe Gary hui (21) FroM PorTlaoiSe, Co laoiS "My mother was born and raised in Dublin and my father in Kowloon, Hong Kong. I grew up in Dublin and moved to Portlao- ise in 2000. I have trained in the Portlaoise Kenpo Karate club for 13 years and I'm a 1st degree brown belt. After a number of unsuccessful applications to join the PDF I joined the Reserve Defence Forces in March 2015, serving until my last, successful, application for the PDF. "My family has a military history that goes back to a great uncle who served with the British Army and was at Dunkirk; my grandfather, Frank Kavanagh, was a sergeant in the DF, serving in the Congo and Cyprus before retiring in 1979; and my uncle, CQMS Noely Kavanagh, also had a long career. I would like to follow in their footsteps and start a new chapter in the family's military history. "I am proud for making it through as it has been the toughest part of my life by a long mile." PTe PeTe MCnaMara (19) FroM newBriDGe, Co KilDare "Joining the Defence Forces was always an ambition as I come from a family with a proud tradition of service with the Defence Forces, starting with my great-grandfather, who served with the Connaught Rangers in India before joining the Irish Free State Army during the Civil War in 1922. My grandfather joined up during the Emergency and my father is still serving, having enlisted in the 1980s. "The Defence Forces also appealed to me as an exciting and interesting career that would allow me to develop new and unique skills. Joining has been the best thing I've ever done and being the fourth genera- tion of my family to serve gives me a great feeling of pride, especially as we commemorate the centenary of the 1916 Rising.

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