MANILA, Philippines – The Army is eagerly looking forward to the return of its two new lieutenants who just graduated with flying colors from West Point, the premiere military academy of the United States, officials said.
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano said newly commissioned second lieutenants Christy Isis Achanzar and Mario Feliciano, the highest ranked international cadet ever to graduate from West Point, have graduated with outstanding credentials, making them fully capable of performing their duties as officers. They believe that they could contribute to the country’s fight against insurgency and terrorism.
“We look forward to their serving in the Philippine Army. They went through the usual process and we are happy that they have very outstanding credentials so we welcome them,” he said.
Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner, army spokesman, said the two will not have difficulty leading their troops in combat situations in the Philippine setting because they have undergone unconventional warfare training.
“They have been trained as well-rounded officers. They were trained to fight guerrillas because the US is fighting Iraqi insurgents who use guerrilla tactics, just like here in the Philippines,” Brawner said.
He said the training obtained by the two new army officers made him confident that they could contribute to the overall mission of defeating the decades-old communist insurgency, as well as the campaign against terrorism.
“We are proud to have them in the officer corps. They would contribute to our mission,” he said.
Brawner said Achanzar and Feliciano would report to the Army after a month-long vacation.
He said West Point graduates automatically become army officers.
The US military school selects first year cadets from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and sends them abroad to complete their course. After graduation, they return to their country and serve in the AFP.
Air Force Second Lieutenant Jonnel Beltran, Achanzar and Feliciano’s mistah at the PMA Class 2007, said they are proud to have two colleagues who graduated with flying colors from West Point.