Courtesy Photo | Range practice was held for troops from the Royal Bermuda Regiment, Turks and Caicos...... read more read more
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CAMP SEWEYO, Guyana – Troops from select Caribbean islands and South American countries are strengthening partnerships by sharing knowledge and interests during TRADEWINDS23 in Guyana.
Dozens of Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) soldiers have been joined by members of the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Regiment, the Suriname National Army and the Jamaica Defence Force in exercises at Camp Seweyo.
Information about weapons systems and operating practices is swapped among the multinational force during working hours but the trades continue later when cultural exchanges take place.
Private Audley Millings, a delivery driver, and RBR soldier, said: “We all feel comfortable around each other. We help them out, they help us. The Guyanese people are friendly as well; they like dancehall and reggae. After hours they bring out their table, we play dominoes and cards, they teach us games.
“In the downtime all of us – from different countries – play music,” said Marine Arthrivia Russell, of the TCI Regiment, who loves the opportunities that come with being part of the battalion, such as traveling and engaging with different cultures.
Another objective is to integrate women into forces fully.
Russell continued, “This allows me to show other girls back home that we can have great opportunities: you should join, you get to travel the world.”
When talking about the exercise, Russell said, “We’re learning different ways to fire weapons; even maybe one day we’ll have the chance to parachute. It’s a great experience for me.”
Marine Kylon Gravely, a fellow TCI Regiment member, said he arrived in Guyana with an open mind.“It’s a different kind of experience,” he said. “A different kind of lifestyle than what I’m used to.”
Gravely continued: “All the other troops are just what I expected – we’re all soldiers, we all get along.”
Members of the Suriname National Army said that opportunities for their organization to work with other nations were rare, but soldiers love to do so when they can. One soldier said that it’s good to share knowledge.
Lance Corporal Christopher McGrath, a 25-year-old with the Jamaica Defence Force, described TRADEWINDS as “excellent”. He said, “I’m learning a lot, getting tactical experiences, and getting to work with other countries. You get to understand their way of operation, how their regiment works.”
Lance Corporal Ashley Grant, of the RBR, who was giving instruction on the arduous Potential Junior Non-Commissioned Officers (PJNCO) cadre for the first time said, “So far, so good. I’m still getting down the teaching mechanisms, so it’s still a learning process for me but it’s all a good experience. It’s [teaching] going to help develop me as a person and soldier.”
Grant, a 32-year-old front desk agent at the Grotto Bay Beach Resort in Bermuda, added: “Even just doing regular, basic drills, we find that each country does things slightly differently, so it’s nice to integrate everything and just try to see each different way to operate – there is no ‘one way’ to do things.
“There has been good diversity.” Two years into her military career, Grant believes she is “locked in.” “There is a good support team that helps. Even when you’re unsure, you don’t feel a certain way about yourself, you always have that support to be pushing further.”
Sergeant McLaren Smith, the PJNCO platoon sergeant and a dairy farm owner, said Camp Seweyo provided opportunities for the group to work with more space than they would have at the base in Bermuda. He explained, “The training areas are a lot bigger, so we can actually navigate, and the ranges are bigger, so we can plan our weapons drills and put them to use.”
Reflecting on the role of women in the military, Smith said the Royal Bermuda Regiment was well-used to having women in operational roles. “Everyone carries their own weight and everyone’s required to.”
TRADEWINDS is a US SOUTHCOM-sponsored combined, Caribbean-focused exercise designed to expand the region’s ability to mitigate, plan for and respond to crises and increase regional training capacity and interoperability.
By: Royal Bermuda Regiment public relations staff
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 07.26.2023 14:49 |
| Story ID: | 450042 |
| Location: | CAMP SEWEYO, GY |
| Web Views: | 69 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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