Videos/Photos: Regiment Recruit Camp Starts
[Updated with videos] This morning [Jan 13] the Bermuda Regiment’s Annual Recruit Camp kicked off with approximately 125 young men and women, waiting outside the gates of Warwick Camp for the 8am start.
Over the next two weeks the recruits will rise early each morning for training including; physical training, drill, weapon, field craft lessons and more. Following the first week of training the new recruits will be authorized a twelve hour leave period commencing at 10:00am next week Sunday [Jan 20].
Speaking earlier this week, Commanding Officer Lt Col. Brian Gonsalves said: “We are pleased with the record number of volunteers, ranging from 18 to 51 years of age, all coming with various skills and life experiences.
“We recognize that perhaps not all recruits want to serve in the military – but they should focus on the many opportunities the Regiment will present to them.”
Click to enlarge photos below, and click here to view the second set of photos:
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They all look soooo excited!
Ahh! Yes the good ole days 2 weeks of training then Jamaica and South Carolina fun times
not good ole days fella….hopefully we won’t see the return of old fashion frog march and un-welcomed sexual advances from the weirdos
I’m having flashsbacks…..oh the fun i had during recruit camp. I went in nervous but by the end of the first day I was enjoying the experience. All the negative crap people have to say about the Regiment, just remember, its made of a cross section of Bermudian males and females of all ages who learn to work together regardless of where each other is from.
Can somebody please explain to me why conscription still takes place in this day and age?
pomp and circumstance…they gotta look pretty on parade
Conscription sucks.
Yup. It’s quite simple. We need to have a group of reasonably well trained men and women who the whole country can call on when we have a real emergency. We used them during civil disturbances in the 60′s and 70′s, we’ve used them during numerous hurricanes and we could use them if we had any other kind of national emergency – believe it or not, earthquakes (they had a terrible one in Christchurch, New Zealand in an area where they were almost completely unknown), tsunamis, plane or ship disasters etc.
And despite all the whining no-one HAS to accept being in the Regiment. They can opt to do some type of public service such as St. John’s Ambulances Brigade. Yes – Public Service i.e. Doing something for someone else. A novel concept for some.
I guess it must strike terror in a few of our young men to be subjected to discipline, have to look smart, take care of their uniforms, show up on time, take instructions from others etc. Now why would we want that for our young folks?!!
Any Government that leaves us high and dry with no emergency services would be negligent.
One or two riots + a few hurricanes in the past 50 years. Does that = good value for money? I bet we could staff a fully competent hurricane/disaster relief crew at little/no cost. There are many who oppose the regiment/conscription but have indicated a willingness to give back in such times. And St Johns ambulance et al don’t have to accept all who come calling.
Well said @ reality check…
Please explain how conscription . . . a mandatory service by law, but yet a young man/family has to spend out money getting this and that that the Regiment requires??? Since it is mandatory by law one would think that all necessary items should be provided, especially in these hard financial times!!!
For everyone who has bad mouthed the regiment..come up here and experiance it for yourself. All you do is complain about conscripton without conscripton this regiment won’t exist. That means when your roof gets destroyed by bad weather YOU will have to PAY for ppl to come repair It for u, and wait weeks for them. Not to mention the roads won’t be clear as fast. Now on to Unjust Realities. You spend less then $100 on things you need for camp. At the end of the 2 weeks ur walking out with atleast $1,800…stop being cheap and buy the basic esstentials and now days with the new uniform its less that u need. So please people stop being so closed minded and DO YOUR EASY TIME!!!
First of all Enlisted Soldier . . .I am not enlisted or a volunteer, I am a parent . . .if my child had CHOSEN to volunteer for the regiment, i would have no problem buying single sheets for a bed that is not mine and don’t have in our home, however given that it is required by law, it is not my DAMN role or responsibility; second of all, it’s not a matter of being cheap, its a matter of principle – I have educated my child to the tune of $40,000 by choice and now I.m spending out money by force, and I don’t care howmuch it is!!!!; thirdly while you opened Pandora’s Box . . .ensure that you all have all the necessary equipment that these young men need . . . period!!!!; and lastly . . .the Bermuda Regiment has never repaired my roof in a storm, I paid for that myself!!!!!
I don’t feel one way or the other about conscription, however I do feel that if you require specific items it should not be at the expense of the soldier which you all have mandated be in the regiment!!!!
Don’t know where you shop…..you gotta tell me!! Running shoes alone are close to $100!! And guess what I had 2 sons to provide for!! We managed to get everything but I personally know of many who found it difficult or couldn’t do it!! But I will say my young men volunteered!!
Exactly , and they regularly deny you leave when you have an opportunity to work overtime which is too rare these days . How can someone have a steady job and be expected to work all day then stay up regiment till midnight and make 7 or 8 the next morning and be fully rested and ready perform 100% for his job ? Then when he is tired on the job it’s Bermudians are lazy crap from the boss. Then when the weekend comes and you are ready to drop , too bad weekend camp time . Some people have dangerous jobs and cannot afford to be tired on the job , this is a safety issue . Don’t even start me on the guys who have young children to take care of on top of all this .
They do provide everything you NEED. They suggest things you can buy just to make your experience a bit easier.
Also, majority of the young conscripts aren’t making nearly 1K/week outside of camp. Suck it up and treat it as a part time job. You might just learn something and meet someone that can help you to get ahead in life…
@unjust realities I dont know what u had to buy, the only thing my son “had” to buy was sheets, only because we dont have single sheets, the only other things were toiletries no biggy you need them anyway. Why do people have to be so negative.
Thank you BerNews for the photos – good job !!
Obviously we had to get more than that . . .speak for yourself . . .it really wasn’t being negative, it was a question. . . buying sheets (if that’s all you had to buy) for two weeks . . .waste of money frankly . . .this was not a choice it’s mandatory!!!!
Those are some expensive provisions you bought! Camp pay over the two weeks is over $1800 per private soldier. Somehow I’m sure you haven’t spent that much on provisions…
$250k in conscript salaries. Another $100k for those running the show. Add in all equipment, food,and ammo and we have one expensive 2 week show! What a waste of taxpayer money…
Mine took double flat sheets – make do with what you have.
the reason for conscription is simple its alot better than sitting by the tv playing grand theft auto texting and facebooking,after the two weeks ya wont be saying I tired and um hungry ,you will learn something,actually have a social conversation and learn to get along with all sorts folks (even learn to live without a cell phone) all with enjoyment plus you wont even have to go to war
and nobody gets shot how bad can that be?
What benefits do these conscripted soldiers receive? Are there any??
Years ago men were made of steel! Today there made of plastic!
And your brain is made of cabbage! I guess learning basic grammar wasn’t something they taught you men of steel… But at least you know how to fight unjust wars! Hoorah!
LMAO!! Nice one.
Enjoy those early morning workouts.Make the most of it,whether or not you were conscripted or volunteered.
It is really sad and pathetic to read some of these blogs which are more like petty bitching sessions than constructive debate about the pros and cons of the Bermuda Regiment. Our local forces were segregated for many years, but the Bermuda Regiment now provides one of the major activities where young people of all races and creeds get together and spend some time trying to work together as a team. I can’t think of any other social activity that crosses racial and class barriers as the Regiment does.
I would like to see the Regiment do some creative thinking in finding positive things for recruits to do to bring out their best qualities and to stretch their boundaries.