Each fighting force is only as powerful as it is united, and to bolster camaraderie and unity among the cadets of each wing are the wing social and cohesion activities.
On Social Night at the end of service term, cadets are taught the importance of social manners and graces, and are given a chance to display the gentlemanly conduct and manners befitting an officer cadet. Like the Social Night, Happy Hours are cadet-run and supervised by an officer, and can be anything from a barbeque to a day at the beach. Happy Hour is most often a free-and-easy time held in the cadet mess. These activities allow the members of the wing to interact outside a military setting, and foster healthy bonds.
Among the functions attended by military personnel are the dining-in and the Commissioning Ball, which mark the achievement of the newly commissioned officers in completing the Officer Cadet Course. The former, a traditional formal dinner, began at the British military officer's mess, where the new officers are "dined-into" the mess. In OCS this is a celebration of the cadets’ achievements, and a chance to introduce the cadets to a formal military dinner setting with an emphasis on social etiquette.
The Commissioning Ball is held the week after the cadets are commissioned as officers, in the ballroom of a grand hotel. It sees the officers in Mess Kit and their dates in splendid cocktail dresses.
|
