Fascinated by the nature of a soldier’s life, many dream of joining the army, but it takes determination and a dose of patriotism to follow a training programme with the Armed Forces of Malta.
“Enrolling in the army is a vocation. I’m ready to do anything for my country and I’m proud to be serving my country in the AFM,” said René Aquilina, 26, a Second Lieutenant within the Maritime Squadron.
“You always try to achieve more when you do it for your country. Whenever I’m faced with a challenge, I ask myself: why not?”
Mr Aquilina’s attitude may serve as an inspiration to those who are thinking of signing up to the AFM, which is in the process of recruiting officer cadets for land, sea or air. Those recruited will be trained both locally and abroad in Ireland, the UK, America or Italy.
Having joined the Malta Sea Cadets, equivalent to the Malta Boy Scouts, when he was just 13 years old, Mr Aquilina said he always liked discipline and had over the years developed a keen interest in military equipment. When he turned 16 and achieved the necessary qualifications, he decided to become a soldier.
Joining up as a gunner in 2003, he spent five years within the C Special Duties Company, where he trained with foreign units abroad. The best thing about that experience, he said, was becoming a self-sufficient young man who did not have to rely on friends or family.
“I inched towards independence with every step I took in these training programmes. You set out to explore, and mature with every new thing you discover.”
Lieutenant Aquilina became an officer cadet in 2008 and a year later set out for 15 months in Ireland. Time flew by and he is now putting into practice all he has absorbed in his training.
Colonel Martin Bondin of Personnel and Administration said the experience abroad was very fulfilling for new cadets, who cut all ties with the daily routine they were used to in Malta. “All of a sudden, 18-year-old recruits transform into men. They come out of their familiar shell into an unknown world full of challenges,” he said.
Another enthusiastic soldier is Gunner Jonathan Aquilina, 24, who joined the AFM in 2007 and was assigned to C Special Duties Company a year later.
“Every day with the army is different from the previous. Exploring the unexplored while keeping up with the obligations you have towards your country is the most satisfying thing,” he said.
When new recruits complete their basic military training course, they can opt to serve full-time with C Company which provides the AFM with trained infantry soldiers to intervene in demanding operations. Their tasks include mobile foot patrols, manning vehicle checkpoints and civil protection duties.
One of the most exciting courses for Gunner Aquilina focused on close protection of important people. Apart from his Frontex operations in Greece, he spent three months in Somalia on a Dutch vessel providing other ships with protection against piracy.
In the past four years he has been awarded the EU Common Security and Defence Policy Service and the Dutch Commemorative (Peace Operations) medal.
Under normal circumstances, other soldiers would receive their first Long and Efficient Service medals after 18 years.
As part of its recruitment scheme, the army is also looking for engineers and technicians who can specialise within their trade and pursue a career as soldiers.
The AFM will be receiving applications until Friday and will also be recruiting national and elite athletes who will still be able to practise their sport while serving as soldiers.
Col Bondin said that while the army did not discriminate between genders, female soldiers unfortunately made up less than 10 per cent of recruits.