Sixteen young men in suits are seated at the front of the hall, ready to take the next step in their lives, a step that will see them officially sworn in as members of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Among them is Saanich’s Seamus Maguire, one of 10 Greater Victoria area recruits who successfully competed for a spot in the Regular Officer Training Plan. Maguire’s route is a unique one. He’s taken a military oath to follow his passion of earning a university degree while playing hockey, which the Reynolds’ secondary grad and former Saanich Brave will do, for the Kingston-based Royal Military College’s hockey team.
“It’s been a little nerve-racking, but now that it’s all done and over I’m very excited, it’s a great opportunity,” said Maguire, who was scouted while starring for the junior A Cochrane Crunch in in Northern Ontario this past season. “It was never something that crossed my mind at first, but when it came down to it it was just such a great opportunity. I get to play a few more years of hockey and I couldn’t pass that up … and I get to serve my country as well and I’m looking forward to that.”
Maguire, who joins the rest of the new recruits at basic training in St. Jean, Que. in early July, will study business administration and hopes to become a logistics officer. His route to the military illustrated the variety of ways individuals get to this point.
For more information about opportunities in the Canadian Armed Forces, visit forces.gc.ca/en and click on Education and Training, or Jobs.
editor@goldstreamgazette.com