A West Point graduate from Baybay, Leyte has entered the Philippine Army after undergoing the four-year cadet training at the world’s top military training institution in New York, USA.
Second Lieutenant Reniel dela Cruz of the United States Military Academy Class of 2019 first joined the Philippine Military Academy in 2014 before studying at West Point.
He finished his Nuclear Engineering degree with high academic honors.
The new military officer had the honor of receiving the rank insignia of second lieutenant from descendants of Brigadier General Vicente Lim, USMA’s first Filipino graduate in 1914, who also pioneered and paved way for the success of many scholars, according to the Philippine Army.
“As newly minted officers, it is our wish that you carry this symbol on your shoulders as a reminder of where you came from as you connect to the past when seeking guidance for the future,” said Lim’s great-grandson Vicente Lim IV in a ceremony hosted by United States Service Academy alumni at General Headquarters, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City on Sunday.
During the ceremony, Dela Cruz was also joined by two other newly-commissioned officers who graduated from the United States Naval Academy and United States Air Force Academy.
The second lieutenant insignia is an equilateral triangle with a Baybayin “K” in the middle which originated from the Katipunan.
It is worn on the shoulders of Army officers like how Katipuneros wore the symbols in their garments and medallions to distinguish their rank.
Dela Cruz was authorized to wear the Academic Star on his collar, a distinction reserved only for the most deserving cadets, the Army said in a statement.
He was with the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps before entering the PMA.
As a cadet, Dela Cruz was involved in multiple sports and became the cadet company’s athletics officer.