B.D.F. Private Fidel Williams Taken to Merida (by Bus?)

Fidel Williams

There is an update tonight on the health of B.D.F. private Fidel Williams. While on duty, Williams fell from the deteriorating pier at the Sarstoon Forward Operating Base on November fourteenth. He, unfortunately, lost an eye as a result of the fall when a steel rod rammed into his eye.  Today, the Ministry of National Security said that he received surgery at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital where the affected eye was removed and was transferred to the Force’s Medical Center in Ladyville. Private Williams has now departed for Merida where an assessment for a prosthetic eye replacement will be conducted. In a release, the B.D.F. makes the point that Clinica De Merida is the best fit for treatment and that Williams will be accompanied by a Combat Medic from the Force Hospital and will return over the weekend. Now, the Ministry of National Security also denied reports that Private Williams has been asked to resign and said that it is expected that he will be compensated through the Belize Defence Force Benevolent Fund for the loss of his eye. But there is more to this story that is buzzing on social media. The Public Service Union’s Belmopan Branch is irate that Williams has been sent to Merida by bus. The Union says it is “literally adding insult to injury and is unacceptable. The brave soldier, whose welfare has been neglected from the beginning, deserves better than this.” The P.S.U. Belmopan Branch also called on the ministry to correct the embarrassment should the reports be accurate.