Keydets in Saint-Cyr

&emsp;&emsp;France's military history has always been intertwined with America's military history since the Revolutionary War. You may have seen our French friends around post during the fall semester last year. This semester, VMI has sent two cadets to the École Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr to experience the prestigious officer training program of the French military started by Napoleon in 1802. The exchange program is not well known at the Institute, yet through the accounts of the experiences of cadets at Saint-Cyr, hopefully the interests of those seeking to commission and improve their French will be expanded to continue to maintain a strong relationship with our French ally. &emsp;&emsp;Cadet Will Rich and I started our adventure the 24th of January, beginning a week of integration with other cadets from the Belgian, Finnish, Luxembourgish, and Lithuanian academies; later we will be joined by Austrian and Czech cadets as well. This week of integration included plenty of activities to introduce us to the huge camp, as well as the traditions and practices of the academy, all while Saint-Cyr cadets conducting their FTX of the month watched us with curious eyes. The French introduced each of us to horse riding, something which every French officer has learned since the time of Napoleon. For many of us it was the first time riding a horse. Cadets also conducted an introduction to the French FAMAS weapon system. The FAMAS is no longer the service rifle of the French army but will most likely be the one we will use during the two field trainings that foreign cadets will participate in this semester. Other activities included learning the history of the academy and French officer corps, and VMI and Lithuanian cadets visiting the city of Rennes for a weekend. &emsp;&emsp;Now this week, classes and cadet parties have begun, one party being held at an old French cavalry officer club with French and foreign cadets both eager to enjoy each other's company. Although, it may still take some time to convince the French that VMI cadets are not West Point cadets. Each class is in English, except the French class obviously. These classes are designed to improve the context of each conflict zone France and other partners engage in, enhance leadership attributes, and help American and French cadets create friendships that will follow them into their military careers. I hope that Cadet Rich and I will be able to provide the corps an insight to the culture of Saint-Cyr, as well as the differences we share with our French counterparts in updates to come.