Cadets

Throughout Europe, the military academies are the guarantors of military tradition and of the ancient values attached to the army. Even though they are deeply tied to the idea of nation and homeland in the countries they belong to, the military academies represent a bridge between the European people. For more than 200 years, Europe has had an important tradition of military schooling, where the officers-to-be are trained. These academies have a prestigious history and claim to be the guarantors for soldierly honor and strictness. To each of these academies corresponds a strong identity marked by history; in a united Europe, they are now seldom opposed, and more frequently opening to one another. Long-interested in the quest for a European identity, particularly in his work “Seeuropeans”, Paolo Verzone takes portraits of the cadets from the most important academies on the continent. As a matter of fact, the officer cadets are a symbol of the link that exists between their school’s tradition and history, and the military Europe’s future they carry.