Jason Smith: “Part Of The Regiment Family”
Bermuda Regiment Commanding Officer Lt Col Brian Gonsalves paid tribute to 22-year-old Lance Corporal Jason Smith saying, “He was part of the Regiment family and his passing was marked as one.”
On May 1st, Lance Corporal Smith was shot while in the Overview Hill, Pembroke area, and unfortunately died as a result of his injuries. The Police have stated they believe Mr Smith was shot in a case of mistaken identity.
The Saltus Grammar School graduate and PHC footballer served in the Bermuda Regiment, volunteering for the NCO cadre and attaining the rank of Lance Corporal.
The Regiment is presently abroad on a training mission, and the soldiers were formally about the death of Lance Corporal Smith, after Lt Col Gonsalves called an impromptu muster parade and informed them. The soldiers removed their headdress and observed a minute of silence.
Bermuda Regiment Commanding Officer Lt Col Gonsalves said, “We were all saddened to learn of the passing of one of our own, worsened because he was the victim of a senseless act. He was part of the Regiment family and his passing was marked as one. We have offered assistance to the family and our thoughts and prayers go to them and all those who knew him”.
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I think its about time the Bermuda Regiment due their part in assisting the Police with patrolling our streets instead of just marching in parades and providing hurricane relief. Hopefully Jason’s murder will provide the spark for drastic change in Bermuda, and then he will not have died in vein…
Yes there is great opportunity for the regiment men (and women) to give back to Bermuda in increasing our security, patroling our waters, etc. Make their missions relevant to the needs to the people!
Ah @ N/A; remember that the majority of these Regiment soldiers do hold full time jobs. Just when do you expect them to put the hours in that you are suggesting to assist the police?
@’Um just sayin’: I’m not suggesting that the Bermuda Regiment take over from the police on a 24 hour basis and solve crimes & administer parking tickets. The vast majority of these shootings occur late at night/early mornings. Of the hundreds of current and past regiment officers, I hardly doubt that a rotational policy by certain soldiers would harm their ability to hold their full time jobs, especially under the dire circumstances that our country is currently in with violent gun crime. Hundreds, if not thousands of people throughout Bermuda currently do well of holding 2 or more jobs and getting by…
The Regiment is a conscripted force of young men, many who probably know these guys on the streets, are they going to risk their lives at 3am in the morning to chase down their cousins? Policemen require alot of training to be able to handle situations, the army and the public generally do not mix well when it comes to law enforcement, that is why we have police. If anything the Regiment should be used as a bootcamp for young offenders. If you get in trouble your in for 3 years full time! Oh and obviously don’t give them weapons! After all, community service in most countries is a punishment. In Bermuda the regiment is a cheap option to clean up after a hurricane, thats it!
Again, I’m not saying they should replace the police, but merely assist them in patrolling areas. If they know that their cousins are out shooting people and don’t say anything, then they are part of the problem aren’t they? If I were a troubled young person out shooting and robbing people, I would probably be less like to go out at nights doing it knowing the Police AND regiment officers were patrolling the area..
RESPECT FOR THAT Lt Col Gonsalves!! ANOTHER SAD DAY IN BERMUDA!!!!!!!!!!!!
So you know, The Regiment has been pushing for an increased role for years. There are a varierty of political reasons why it hasn’t happened but it is not from a lack of desire from those who serve.
@ Truth What are the “variety of political reasons why it hasn’t happened”?
I apologize for further diverting the conversation away from the young man killed, but I find it appalling that anyone would suggest that untrained kids should be put in harms way to “patrol” our streets looking for gang members. If it were not an army of conscripts, perhaps, but you can not further rob these young men of their liberty by making them not only serve in the regiment, but to also put themselves in harms way.
I may sound like a broken record here, but shut the place down and put the money into the Police Force.
@ JeffreyP. That was the most ob sered and horrendous comment ever. You aint just gonna put them out the streets without proper training are you numb nuts? The regiment would most likely go full-time. So those who want to join for a full-time job will. So thats promoting jobs. Those untrained kids will then be trained. If you set up a poll under the title ” If the regiment was a option of full time work, would you chose police or army.” i guarantee you more would be for army then police. Soldiers are cheaper then the average police officer. Have you ever heard of a police officer going to war? And the list can go on. If you dont know, dont talk. Thats real talk.
More like Jamaica by the day! Bermuda Regiment becomes just like the JDF. Watch the power abuse go through the roof.
@ Bermyman – Really? Have you ever been with a JDF section for a day? Do you know the environment and people they have to deal with? There reality is completely different from ours. Prime example the dudas case. You also need to sit back and really think before you talk. Your comments are also useless like tits on bull.
@ 1 BDA: I completely Agree 1BDA! People have this amazingly annoying habit of taking productive solutions and mixing stupid ideas with it, to make it a productive solution with a touch of stupidity. Who ever said anyone was going to put untrained kids out there to catch gang members??? Lets try thinking a little bit more before we just type on the thing with the letters, numbers, & symbols on it in front of the computer…
@ N/A:”Who ever said anyone was going to put untrained kids out there to catch gang members??? ”
That is exactly what the regiment is. I wasted three years up there marching around and getting yelled at by guys who didn’t even graduate high school, let alone university. That is not what I would call sufficient training to go out and hunt for criminals.
@1BDA: “The regiment would most likely go full-time…”
Well that’s a different story isn’t it? Right now it is full of conscripts so lets stay in reality rather than fantasy world.
Thanks.