\t\t\t\tAs we got to the end of our NDA stay, I wasn’t particularly expecting any medals or anything.\u00a0 So it was nice to learn that I would be given an actual medal for academics.\u00a0 Somehow I was set up as 4th in rank, 2nd in science stream.\u00a0 Well, that sounded a bit exciting.\u00a0 Wow, a medal!<\/p>\n
We had to do drill practice for getting the medal.\u00a0 It was an indoor ceremony.\u00a0 The other 3 didn’t seem to be taking it too seriously, but it was the only medal I was getting, so I was fully attentive and serious.<\/p>\n
The drill involved marching up the stairs.\u00a0 The SM saab explained the correct form for the march up the stairs – you had to pretend as if you were going to stomp on the stair, but then had to control your leg so you actually put the foot down very softly, without making any noise.<\/p>\n
Ok, sounded like fun, controlling the leg muscles that carefully.\u00a0 Only, the other 3 just totally ignored the SM saab, and kept making loud noises, stomping on the stairs.\u00a0 Nobody said anything.\u00a0 I wondered what was going on, but the other 3 were very busy in important ceremonial stuff as they were getting the medals in the full POP and I am sure there were other duties.\u00a0 So I didn’t get a chance to talk to any of them about this minor detail.\u00a0 The SM saab was supportive of my drill.<\/p>\n
The next practice, the principal was present.\u00a0 Now the other 3 banged on the stairs, and I put my foot down softly.\u00a0 So to the principal, it looked like I was shamming, and not even bothering to make the proper military noise.\u00a0 He yelled at me a bit.\u00a0 I used to think he was a useless git, and looked at the SM saab for direction.\u00a0 He had an expression “What an idiot” for the principal, and after the principal had walked away, he told me I was doing well.<\/p>\n
So in the actual ceremony, I continued putting my foot down very softly.\u00a0 I had to think about that one – the whole academy was watching, and perhaps many present would think I was shamming.\u00a0 But I knew the correct procedure, and by then had a “I don’t care what people think” attitude totally down, so I decided I was going to do what was the correct procedure, and the one I had drilled for, never mind what everybody thought.<\/p>\n
So I was the only one soft-stepping in that ceremony.\u00a0 Not sure how it looked, for after that we were gone from the academy, and I never got a chance for any academy-feedback.\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"