Casting a shy look at us, having a slim but already rather manly stature, broad-shouldered – we see a young lad in a snow-white tunic... And on his shoulders, one can see sparkling shoulder marks with “L” letters sewn in gold thread which will accompany the young defender of the nation for two years on his way to adulthood.
It sounds good to be a cadet, especially when you are thirteen. Despite their young age, these boys do not feel like children, and most of them consciously abandon all home comforts, amusements and recreational activities. The military lyceum’s parade ground lacks Wi-Fi, movies, scooters, and other amusements without which their peers cannot imagine their lives. But the cadets have something more valuable – a belief that change is possible.
Quite recently, my brother Sashko also could not survive without computer games and junk food: he eagerly bought and consumed chips, crisps, cola, and various little yummies which one can easily hide from one’s mother. The boy often hid in a squash field or climbed up a huge walnut tree after doing some mischief at home. He was afraid of his mother disciplining him, but always keenly followed current developments in the country. Watching TV news was a daily morning ritual for him. Sashko still likes to debate political issues and discusses the internal problems of the country eye-to-eye with adults. It was probably the first thing that prompted him to act.
During the Revolution of Dignity, anyone who considered themselves a patriot did less talking and more acting. It was then that I met another Sashko, a first-year cadet from Boiarka. His pages in social networks were full of pictures from mass events, marches and protests having to do with the Euromaidan developments. These photos show 13-year-old boys consciously swearing to their nation, family, and parents to protect their homeland and always hold high the name of military lyceum’s cadet. While college students were undoubtedly the driving force of all Ukrainian Maidan protests, I personally see these little defenders as another part of that phenomenon. When I reviewed the photos and videos from the military lyceum, my younger brother took a particular interest in observing what was happening there, looked at the brave faces of young men, listened to speeches and addresses. He already started to think about joining them then. And so it happened that one more Sashko entered the military lyceum.
Exactly one month ago, cadets of Bohun Kyiv Military Lyceum swore a solemn oath in Sofiiska Square of the capital. Exactly one hundred young and courageous lads swore unbending allegiance to their people for the first time in their lives. They are very diverse, coming from Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Vinnytsia, Lviv... But they were one on that day. One could sense that they were all the children of one mother, that is, of our nation, and they recalled it at five-minute intervals during the oath-taking. For a month, they have not seen their relatives and friends. For precisely a month, they have been woken from sleep not by tender motherly words “Sonny, it is time to get up,” but by the sergeant-major stern order “Get up NOW!” which brings a hundred of young boys to their feet in a matter of seconds.
Almost every cadet had his parents visiting with greetings and parcels on that day. They glowed with happiness and proudly pronounced the names of their sons on camera for leading TV channels. The cadets received congratulations from Commander-in-Chief himself, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. And if there were a word in the world that would convey a loftier meaning than “pride,” I would have used it here.
But not all cadets had their parents coming to congratulate them on that day. Many of them were a lot less fortunate family-wise. It was an orphan for whom the lyceum was his family who read out the oath of allegiance:
“On this memorable day, let this our solemn oath fly across Ukraine as a proud bird in front of all the Ukrainian people, our parents, all the holiest and dearest things, our holy Ukrainian land, starting from the banks of the old Dnipro, from ancient towers and new buildings of our old and forever young Kyiv, to the sound of holy chimes of prophetic Saint Sophia Cathedral’s bells.
“We will always be worthy of heroic glory of our ancestors – warriors of Kyivan Rus’, Cossacks, soldiers of World War Two, participants of the anti-terrorist operation – all those who fought and gave their lives for the independence of Ukraine. We are ready to give all our strength and skills to safeguard independence and unity of Ukraine, to sacrificially serve Ukraine and selflessly defend it against every attacker. We, the future defenders of the Ukrainian state, looking straight into the eyes of our commanders, teachers, parents, the Ukrainian people, hereby solemnly promise to be true to the motto of the military lyceum cadets: nation, honor, courage. We will never betray it! We swear!”
Who can overcome this people, then? Who can conquer the nation where 13-year-olds have already taken up their first weapons, sworn allegiance and consciously made a choice in favor of their country?
At such moments, you realize that the family is more than just mom, dad, brother or sister. Anyone who shares your opinions, helps the nation, and fights side-by-side for its freedom and independence – they can be called family. Everyone needs a family, the main thing is, do not forget that we all have a common goal.
