After completing her military training, singer-actress Geneva Cruz is now a Philippine Air Force reservist, she announced in a social media post on Wednesday.
Aside from snaps of her wearing her uniform, Cruz also posted photos and a clip from her training and graduation ceremony.
Accompanying Cruz in the ceremony were her Smokey Mountain fellow members Jeffrey Hidalgo and Tony Lambino.
Cruz, who now has a rank of sergeant, also shared the lessons she learned from her military training.
“Respect. Loyalty. Honor. Big words I learned as a kid but never really truly fully grasped — until now. I have always been fascinated by the mystique and allure of a soldier’s charmed life. There’s something about their aura that’s appealing and engaging to me. On the outside, it’s easy to romanticize the trimmings — the snappy uniform, the clockwork precision, the gut-busting physical training, and discipline — while at the same time trying to grasp the abstract concepts of heroism, patriotism, and courage on the one hand, and the gore and sheer horror of war and bloodshed on the other. I realized that you never really get to understand a soldier’s life until you step in their boots,” Cruz wrote.
“Today, I step in my boots and flaunt my badge as a proud member of the Philippine Air Force’s reserve command. It’s been said that the unexamined life is not worth living, and I agree. But today, as I grow bolder, wiser, and take up the cudgels for women’s empowerment, I say that a meaningful life is worth dying for. No, this isn’t a movie or a teleserye; it’s real life. If you have doubts if I truly deserve this badge… Maybe you should enlist, too; it’s time to put your money where your mouth is, and It’s never too late to make something out of your life instead of belittling and frowning upon another person’s passions and truth. Thank you, Flight Charlie, for the true meaning of brotherhood; I will never forget all of you. This goes out to my mama in heaven, my children, and me. Sergeant Cruz, ready to serve and protect,” she added.
After years of living abroad, Cruz is back in the country for good. (ABS-CBN News)
