The Regiment should be run by a Bermudian

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 1: “6251 Private Famous TC sir!”

The kind of words every Bermuda Regiment soldier has yelled for the last 47 years. Many come in willingly, some are literally dragged through the gates of Warwick Camp.

Some do their three years and cut loose while others seek to stay on longer. I joined the junior leaders in 1985 and served for two years before moving into the Regiment in 1987.

I went through Recruit Camp  and then did the NCO cadre under the eagle eyes of then Sgt. Major Eddie Lambe (now Lt Col ).

This pattern has been repeated by thousands of Bermudian males over the last five decades. Many  sons, brothers and fathers  have focused on making the army their career and set their sights on one day becoming CO of  Bermuda’s own army. A man among men.

So it served as a slap in the face to myself and no doubt many other Bermudian men that the next C0  will be a British army officer. To say this is social regression would be an understatement. Our new government campaigned on these promises;

• No one left behind;

• Create 2,000 jobs;

• Put Bermuda First.

Public Safety Minister Dunkley, your government has just;

• Left behind Bermudians;

• Created jobs for non-Bermudians;

• Not put Bermudians first.

Some will say the Governor made the final choice. Yeah, right. The Governor can only choose from the recommendations of the Defence Board. It is not lost on many that the top four senior, full-time positions have been given to non Bermudians.

It’s understood that with the tragic death of Chris Wheddon, no other Bermudian currently has the necessary qualifications to be CO. This is a failure of succession planning. There should always be a crop of Bermudians being groomed for the top posts. If Bermudians are not qualified then that is failure on the CO and Defence Board for not training Bermudians. You have had 47 years to do so. What’s the problem?

We are in a time when we are desperately attempting to get our young Bermudian men to believe that there is hope for them in their own country. So how does this look?

We ask for volunteers for the Regiment. Yet we have just shown them that UK officers get the top jobs. And you wonder why very few Bermudians wish to join up?

Two of my sons serve in the Regiment. Yet I see the same signs I saw 30 years ago. If you are not in the correct social circles, you can almost guarantee you army career will plateau.

We are in perilous times with our Bermudian males and there is no greater insult to the Bermudian male than telling them a non-Bermudian is better than them.

To my fellow Bermudian soldiers who have be passed over again and again, I stand with you and I salute you. To those who failed to ensure that there were qualified Bermudians waiting in the wings — shame on you.

— 6251 Famous TC

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