300+ Soldiers To Take Part In Weekend Training
More than 300 Bermuda Regiment soldiers will deploy around the Island this weekend in a training exercise. For many of them it is the start of the build up towards Overseas Camp 2013, which will be at the United States Marine Corps’ base, Camp LeJeune in North Carolina.
Sgt Maj Fred Oldenburg, of the Regiment’s Training Wing, said: “It provides excellent training for our soldiers and we are doing this with the full support and cooperation of the West End Development Corporation, which runs Dockyard.
“They have continually been supportive of us when we use part of their establishment for training. We are quite limited now as to where we can train; Dockyard is one of the few remaining places we can go.”
Sgt Maj Oldenburg said: “It’s an important event because usually we only have one night a week to train. When we get them all in on a weekend like this, we have a captive audience, and training becomes ingrained.
“Of equal importance to the training phase is the transition to a testing phase. At the end of the exercise period we will evaluate them on what they have learned in as realistic conditions as possible – we call is closing the residual training gap.”
The weekend training involves every branch of the Regiment and medics, signallers, motor transport specialists, and even the Band and Corps of Drums. The Boat Troop will continue to work on a variety of maritime skills, and will be testing their crew on dusk and night navigation.
Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Gonsalves said, “The Regiment has a variety of roles, from hurricane and disaster relief to ceremonial duties, as well as a public order obligation.
“We train rigorously for the worst to help make sure the worst never happens. We continually follow international best practice, and it pays dividends. If and when we get requested to assist other islands or locally, we know that our methods are the best that can be provided. ”
He added: “Every Company in the Regiment is running with their own training – we try and get everyone in together. Instead of double booking, we can sweep it all up at once, which is more efficient and cost-effective.”
Sergeant Major Van-Lowe, the Band’s Warrant Officer who is in charge of administration said, “It will be a very full weekend. The spring / summer period is fast approaching and that is a demanding time for us – private and public events, especially parades and the Beating of the Retreats mean that we need to be ready to perform for locals and visitors.
“At the end of the summer we enter the hurricane period which is the most likely period for the Regiment to be embodied. If this happens it is the Band’s responsibility to maintain security of Warwick Camp.
“The variety of being in the Band is rewarding – we transition easily from our smart white jackets performing at Government House in to combats in order to protect a key point or establishment. “
The Regiment’s Training Officer, Major Martin Wyer said, that despite a gruelling training schedule, the weekend will not be all work and no play.
He added: “At the end of the day’s activities, there is a social aspect to it as well. That helps people to get to know each other out of work, which helps them work together better when they are on duty. Part of military life is getting to know your follow soldiers beyond that of a colleague. Trust between the soldiers doesn’t just happen; it has to be nurtured, in all aspects of service life.”
The Regiment’s Adjutant Major Beasley said that anyone in the area should be aware there will be live firing at the Warwick Camp range over the weekend, while troops training on South Shore beaches will be using blank ammunition.
The training area between Horseshoe Beach and Warwick Long Bay, although not closed to the public, will be signposted and sentries will be on duty.
Major Beasley said: “There will be no danger to the public, but people using that area need to be aware that they can expect to hear a few bangs.”
The training exercise will run from Friday night to Sunday afternoon and there will be live firing at Warwick Camp between 7.30pm and 10pm on Friday, while blank ammunition will be used on South Shore between 8.30am and 4pm.
“Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Gonsalves said, “The Regiment has a variety of roles, from hurricane and disaster relief to ceremonial duties, as well as a public order obligation.”
Why must we conscript our young men to perform hurricane relief? Why must we infringe on their rights and force them to perform ceremonial duties? Why is a military force needed to do either of these roles?? What happened to the terrorist threats we were told about during recruit camp…? Why talk out of one side of your mouth to us…and the other to the public??
You should ask your MP
Just maybe you’ll learn something if that isn’t toooo hard for you to accept, and in the face of a crisis be an able bodied young man who would be willing and able to help his community, ops forgot you want to sit around and do noting all day.
Wrong. Don’t make assumptions as they only make yourself look foolish. I offered to tutor students in lieu of wasting my time in the regiment. That offer was shot down. Did you serve in the regiment?
Ready for the Invasion from foreign forces. I feel safe knowing these guys are all trained to kill and defend us from the evil forces that seek to invade Bermuda.
It is a great idea to teach our young men how to handle and shoot guns properly. It is not like we have a problem with young people shooting each other.
There is a correlation between proper rifle discipline and local gang members shooting each other with pistols? care to back that up with some facts Bermyman?
Let me guess, its just your version of common sense
well they better not be disrupting activities the public will be doing..i am coming back to bermuda from the UK and plan on visiting Dockyard in its entirety, soldiers or no soldiers.
truth is the regiment is a volunteer service first. If their arent’t that may people who want to join then the regiment conscripts. Besides your getting paid for your time, and who don’t need money. Complain if you want more money for me!!!!!!!
What happens to the money allocated for conscripts that end up serving with the police/fire/st johns ambulance? I doubt the money they would have earned if they had stayed in the regiment is returned to the government… Who pays for the liquor up there anyway? Me as a taxpayer?
There are so many guys that already have full time jobs that now have to go on this weekend trip and then right back to work on Monday. If you already went to college and you have a career then you should not have to serve in the regiment. Take all the guys who don’t have jobs and didn’t finish school and make them serve. Leave the ones who are already employed full time alone. Taking these guys away from there careers and families to do something they don’t want to do is pointless. They don’t need to be there!