Ordinarily I treat most issues and my response to them as a form of debate and I think that most readers who have read my columns over the years will agree with that statement - even, as is often the case, they do not agree with my opinions.

But in regard to the comments of Larry Marshall Sr. which appeared in last week's edition of this newspaper - in which he attempted to rebut an earlier opinion of mine concerning his erstwhile campaign to outlaw military conscription for service in the Bermuda Regiment, and in which we are subject to the usual invective language and personal insults hurled in the direction of anyone who disagrees with him - in no way am I going to keep the above standard on my part as I make this response to his caustic comments.

Mr. Marshall begins his diatribe by attempting to enlist the aid of the late American President John F. Kennedy and boxing great Muhammad Ali in his efforts to separate one's duty and responsibility to our country.

With respect to President John F. Kennedy, his words: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country". These words belong to the ages and while they were addressed to his fellow American citizens, it could apply to the citizens of any country when it speaks to what you as a citizen owe your country. At any rate when his country called, he like thousands of other Americans answered the call. I speak of America and the Second World War. As a Commander of the Naval PT-Boat in the Pacific, Naval Officer Kennedy suffered war wounds when his PT-109 patrol boat was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer. Kennedy won a naval medal for his actions in saving his crew. That is what he did for his country before he became its president.

With respect to Muhammad Ali, yes, on religious grounds he did refuse to enter the American military when called. That objection was also based on his objection to America's involvement in the Vietnam War.

But years later, when witnessing the military honours afforded another boxing great, Joe Louis, who had served in the American military during the Second World War despite the racial segregation that he and his fellow African-American citizens suffered in a racist America, and his burial at Arlington National Cemetery in the nation's capital in Washington D.C., Muhammad Ali was reported to have said he would like to have a similar funeral. Muhammad Ali had come to terms with his now willingness to serve his country, serving as a sort of cultural ambassador for a number of years after his retirement from the sport of boxing.

Far from being extremely shallow this shows one's duty towards one's country even in the most extreme circumstances when in the case of African-Americans their country did not show its respect for them.

I did register at age 18 as the law of my country required me to do and even if I did not volunteer at the time, I would have gone if I had been picked to go, just like thousands of my fellow Bermudians have done. When it comes to serving your country you have no choice. You cannot expect to enjoy the benefits of your country and not be prepared to give back.

What is a country? It is your family and friends, your neighbours. If you are a school child, it's your class mates and if you are a worker it is your working colleagues; it's your churches, your institutions, your way of life; your country's culture. That is what you owe a responsibility to when you are called upon to do your duty.

There was a time when Bermudians were trusted to step up to their duty to their country by putting forward their name when the time came for them to do so. But in these times that trust is no longer there and thus for a few years now young men of miliary age have had their names placed in the newspaper when they have become of military age. If not we would not have a Bermuda Regiment, for not enough would step forward and that has put paid to any thought that we could have an all-volunteer military force.

Let me deal with another point that has been pushed by Mr. Marshall and his band of would-be draft dodgers. Perhaps a white person could not tell you this, no matter how much truth it contains, but I am a black man and I will tell you this to your face. I am loathe to use the term, 'playing the race card', for the reason that I believe it has been used only as an excuse not to discuss the issue of race. However you sir, when you attempt to equate service in the Bermuda Regiment in the 21st Century to the slavery and oppression suffered by our slave ancestors, you dishonour and disrespect that what our people endured. Your constant railings about the number of black youth as compared to white youth in the Bermuda Regiment is another example of misinformation put about in an attempt to discredit the Regiment. The reason the Regiment has more black Bermudian youth in its ranks as compared to white is because Bermuda is a black majority country and that naturally would be reflected in the uptake of young men overall to go into the Regiment. As to so called "forced labour", that is another falsehood put about by Mr. Marshall. Bermuda probably has one of the easiest tours of duty for its soldiers - two weeks camp training a year, then once a night or the odd overnight training stint. In other countries once you are in the armed forces you are gone away from home the whole length of your service. But in regard to slave labour let me tell this true story of our slave ancestors during that time when Bermuda was half free and half slave when black and white Bermudians used to sail ships around this world. It happened that one of those ships docked in England where upon if black Bermudian slaves had stepped ashore they would have become free men; but they refused.

Apologists for slavery have attempted to say that the reason they returned to slave owning Bermuda was because slavery was benign in Bermuda; but no, I will tell you the reason why they had women with their children, they had mothers and fathers; they had friends, they had the consciousness of a community, a country. But more importantly they had a duty to that country. Perhaps if this story was told in Bermuda's schools in the same context, in which I have spoken than perhaps we would less selfishly, lest unawareness of what a country is and than maybe our young men would not have to be compelled to do their duty for their country. We would not think about putting club before country, we would have no town and country and a war between cousins.

Finally let me state this, yes I was of the generation of black youth that rebelled on Bermuda's streets, but it was there on the street that I saw the potential of a Bermudian nation. I remember when we laid Dame Lois Browne Evans to rest and when the Bermuda Regiment carried her casket into the church, the people on the street clapped. They were proud not only of the life of the Dame but also that their own Bermuda Regiment did the honours - an example of Bermudian proficiency. For that reason Bermudians will keep their Bermuda Regiment even if we have to continue to compel our young men to see their duty.