A simulated assault on a narcotics factory was the latest training exercise for the Bermuda Regiment in Jamaica this week.During the operation, the soldiers of A Company assaulted and destroyed the factory, while dealing with improvised explosives devices and an ambush by enemies.“Unfortunately, later in the day members of a reconnaissance section were ambushed and taken hostage by covert enemy forces,” a Regiment spokesman said yesterday.“To their relief, later in the day the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Brian Gonsalves was able to negotiate their safe relief.“Currently, the Bermudians have taken up a safe and secret location for the evening, performing their own security patrols and observation posts while their commanders decide how best to execute their dawn attack.”The operation was one of a series of exercises taking place as part of the Overseas Camp in the Blue Mountains. Along with the opposition, the Company has also had to battle with the elements, with frequent rain wearing down the soldiers.Sergeant Major Ian Port, an ex-British Army Warrant Officer currently working with the Regiment, said the exercises go far beyond fun and games.“These soldiers have undergone intense training for a substantial period of time. They are literally ‘living in the field’ and all the unpleasantness that goes with it,” he said.Lt Col Gonsalves highlighted the importance of training camps like the current one for soldiers, calling them a “once-in-a-lifetime experience” for many involved.“Even if some of the guys never get embodied, or decide that they don’t want to serve past their mandatory period I wholeheartedly believe that the experience they have had, and the skills they have learned make them better citizens,” he said.“I don’t think that any other organisation does that on the scale or to the cross section of the community as we do.”For more information about the Bermuda Regiment, call 238-1045.Useful website: www.bermudaregiment.bm.