New B.D.F. recruits finish training
It’s not a profession that everyone finds attractive, but as pay and benefits improve and opportunities for training increase, the Belize Defence Force is becoming a viable career choice for many young men and women. News Five’s Janelle Chanona met some of our newest soldiers this morning.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
With much fanfare, this morning recruits of squad forty-nine of the Belize Defence Force showed off some of their newly acquired skills in combat to their families and fellow soldiers.
Since July, the fifty-five men and five women have endured rigorous physical and academic training to qualify them as members of the B.D.F. During today’s ceremonies on Colville Young Parade Square, the top five performers in the class were honoured for their achievements:
Best Field Craft went to Shawn Domingo, Nigel Cayetano was named the Champion of Physical Training, Peter Anderson was the top marksman, Cynthia Salazar was voted the squad’s best female recruit and Jason Pott was the overall top recruit.
Private Jason Pott, Champion Recruit
“If you mind strong you wah always mek it through anything, motivate yourself and you wah always look forward and be pan top.”
Janelle Chanona
“What do you see yourself doing with the B.D.F. in the future?”
Private Jason Pott
“Well the B.D.F. have a lot of opportunities so dah what I lead myself into so I wah try work hard, be the best I could be.”
Janelle Chanona
“So what you do right before you take a shot?”
Private Peter Anderson, Champion Shot
“Well I just hold in my breathing, count one, two, three, then just release it and right there it goes to hit the target.”
Private Cynthia Salazar, Best Female Recruit
“The toughest part of the training was the bush part, the last part, the final fling, was the toughest part of the training.”
Janelle Chanona
“What part was tough?”
Private Cynthia Salazar
“Well we had to stay out in the rain without anything, just in the rain like that.”
Janelle Chanona
“And it get cold noh?”
Private Cynthia Salazar
“Yes, very cold.”
Janelle Chanona
“So when it got tough, what did you say to yourself to say, look I have to finish?”
Private Cynthia Salazar
“Salazar you have to shub on, finish, do your best, make your people proud.”
Janelle Chanona
“What would you like to say to other young women like you?”
Private Cynthia Salazar
“The B.D.F. gives a lot of opportunities and so I’d like them, if they decide or if they have no future, the B.D.F. will surely give them a future.”
According to Commander Lloyd Gillett, in the very near future, the new recruits will be posted in the infantry so the B.D.F. can form a Light Engineering Company.
Brig. Gen. Lloyd Gillett, Commander, B.D.F.
“The light engineering company is a new company that we’ve established to provide support in times of natural disasters and to help with the internal building and also to help different institutions who would like to help develop projects like schools and things like that. This year we had some of them providing support with the Americans building those schools in Crooked Tree, Carmelita, Trial Farm and Hattieville.”
“We are looking forward to neat year to take in another intake so that we can get the strength of the B.D.F. up to where it should be.”
Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.
