“That’s what you’re here for,” screamed the drill instructor at us 10 years ago as we stood to attention on the parade ground at Luqa Barracks and saluted the Maltese flag. Just a few weeks earlier, 85 individuals walked through the gates to embark on a life-changing experience; 10 years later most of us are still being of service to their country in various capacities and five have become officers in the Armed Forces of Malta, specialising in different areas.
For the most part of my career I was part of 1 Regiment, which is tasked with all the major land operations, both at a local and international level. C Company is the spearhead of the regiment, constantly training and pushing the envelope, ensuring that the regiment is capable to field teams for operations at a moment’s notice.
At the age of 22, being in command of a team of highly trained individuals, capable of deploying on operations both locally and abroad, entrusted with their administration, training, management and well-being, is highly demanding, especially in a fully operational unit such as C Company.
Most of my friends outside the AFM were still at university, whereas I was already working on my management skills, to get my platoon to work as a cohesive entity, seeking direction from my experienced platoon sergeant, striving to make the right decisions, which for the most part were the hard decisions, not the popular ones.
1 Regiment’s main task is land-related operations, however, the regiment’s professionalism, high standards and versatility allows our soldiers to extend their vision and knowledge over a wide range of responsibilities as embodied in the regiment’s motto, ‘Primus Aut Nullus’ – ‘First or Not at All’.
This approach and commitment towards the task at hand is further emphasised within C Coy, as the unit is constantly geared towards training and operations.
This type of employment automatically offers a lot of opportunity for growth both within the training spheres and at the operational level.
C Coy is at an advantage where the soldiers within the unit are not limited to just one role but are constantly exposed to land, sea and air operations because, throughout the years, C Coy personnel have been deployed, both locally and at an international level, in all types of environments and conditions, in various roles and capacities, be it on training or operations, and have always done so with a high level of professionalism.
These soldiers are regularly pushed out of their comfort zone, helping them to gain a high level of physical and mental strength and stamina, thus making them truly professionals.
At the age of 22, being in command of a team of highly trained individuals is highly demanding- Captain Joseph Tabone
Being out of your comfort zone is a daily regular occurrence within any role within operational units such as C Company. Roles and duties tend to be highly challenging but also highly rewarding.
At every level, we entrust our men and women with certain responsibilities, which, at times, are above their current rank and role. This gives them further purpose as they have to make decisions which can and do affect their counterparts. Thus, from an early stage, these individuals learn to look at the matters in hand in a holistic manner, think critically, assess accordingly, then make an informed decision.
The fact that they have to quickly adapt to working under pressure, juggling different roles, projects and situations, while always pushing towards a positive outcome, with limited resources, automatically means that their maturity and independence grows exponentially compared to their counter-parts in civilian street.
They also gain the inherent ability to accept any and every challenge put in front of them with optimism, humour and commitment, regardless of the challenge, the conditions or the timeframe.
The AFM doesn’t offer jobs, it offers careers for those who are ready to shoulder the responsibility and the commitment, especially in the operational units such as C Coy or SOU.
My personal suggestion to those who are seriously considering joining up would be to join one of these operational units, at least for the first five to 10 years, because these are the units where you will gain knowledge and expertise and where you will be exposed to situations and experiences that will mould you and, ultimately, make you a better professional and an asset to the AFM and to your country.
Captain Joseph Tabone, Adjutant and OC HQ Company, 1 Regiment AFM