1 December 2008
Recruits from South Africa, the Netherlands, Russia, Japan and Korea will be among the cosmopolitan mix of soldiers who graduate from their All Arms Recruit Courses (basic training) at Waiouru Military Camp on the 3rd and 13th of December.
The graduating recruits reflect the new face of the New Zealand Army and the increasing interest in the Army as a career for all people and backgrounds, says Chief of Army Major General Lou Gardiner.
“The New Zealand Army is representative of the wider New Zealand population in many ways and increasingly we are seeing a variety of people signing up to take on the Army challenge,” Maj Gen Gardiner says.
“The recruits who graduate this month have proven they have got what it takes to be in New Zealand’s Army. Their physical and mental fitness has been tested hard over the 14-week recruit course and they have shown true commitment and integrity to meet the challenges they will face in the future. They are to be congratulated.”
The soldiers who graduated this week now go on to complete further specialist training with their respective Corps at Waiouru, Burnham and Linton Military Camps, before posting to units in their chosen trade.
Over 200 basic recruits will march out in December from two courses that have run concurrently, nearly a third of the 650 new soldiers that are trained in Waiouru every year.
Many of the soldiers will go from graduating from basic training to serving their country in places like the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Afghanistan and the Sinai within two years.
ENDS
There are opportunities for media to attend the March Outs at Waiouru Military Camp. For more information please contact: Bas Bolyn, Defence Public Relations on 04 496 0285 or 021 478 574.
Currently 644 New Zealand Defence Force personnel are deployed on 16 operations, UN missions and defence exercises around the world, in places such as Antarctica, Afghanistan, Timor- Leste, Solomon Islands, and Sudan