Just as the longtails herald the arrival of Spring,
Just as the longtails herald the arrival of Spring, so too does January signal the arrival of a group of raw recruits at the gates of Warwick Camp where, it is promised, boys will become men during two weeks of intensive military training. It is no secret that many, if not most, of the rookies would not go willingly through the gates if the Bermuda Regiment was a volunteer army. Indeed, at least one tardy — some would say ‘foolhardy’ — recruit was seen angrily slamming his kit down at the feet of the military police, making known his displeasure.
Two weeks have now passed, the training camp has finished, and Bermuda’s newest soldiers have resumed civilian life. What did they think of the experience? Had they revised their thinking? What were the negatives and positives? Lifestyle’s Nancy Acton visited the camp during its final days to find out. She was given free access to the men, who were interviewed at random. This is what she learned.
The good news is that everyone seemed to have found something positive to take from the boot camp experience. Unanimous was the making of new friends and the overall camaraderie. The food was better than expected, and weapons training was a favourite with some, while others found bearing arms incompatible with their religious beliefs. Learning how to be organised and clean up after themselves was appreciated by some.
As with everything in life, there were positives and negatives, and absolute top of the negatives was the amount of profanity used by the NCOs. “Totally ridiculous”, “unnecessary” and “out of order” were just a few of the opinions expressed.
Overnight camping in the field was not a problem, but spending an entire January day shivering in soaking wet clothing afterwards definitely was.
More water, and especially hot water, in the washrooms was a unanimous complaint. (We also learned it’s no better for the officers).
The concept of teamwork was generally understood and appreciated, though not all saw the correlation between certain activities and “becoming men”. Many of those once angry about military service appeared to have modified their perspective. Overall, the approach was philosophical: Conscription was the law, so get on with it and get out.
Private Darrell <$>was an unhappy man when he arrived Warwick camp. Not only was he a reluctant recruit, but also he was late (or on “Bermuda Time” as he put it), and worried about the effects the two-week camp might have on his new job. So when the Regiment Police gave him the traditional, in-your-face “welcome” meted out to latecomers, the normally quiet, polite young man reacted with uncharacteristic fury.
Today, Pvt. Darrell has a more positive outlook. He formed new, long-lasting friendships; enjoyed learning about rifles; and, like his fellow platoon members, came to admire drill instructor Sgt. Maj. E. E. Brangman. “He made it worthwhile being here. He is very funny and makes us laugh, so there’s not as much pressure on us to get it done. We actually want to do it right for him because he’s such a good guy.”
The dreaded, early morning swim turned out to be “not so bad” after all, and Pvt. Darrell gave a thumbs-up to the chefs for the food, which was better than expected.
Like many recruits, he found the swearing and verbal abuse from the NCOs offensive and unnecessary, and rising at 5.30 a.m. “irritating”. He would have liked more time to complete tasks, and saw the Regiment’s offer of a free Bermuda College education as a real “plus”.
His advice to future recruits: “Come with a positive attitude. It isn’t going to be your cup of tea at first, but you will get used to it because you have no other choice.”>
Private Brookes <$>viewed military service as “a duty to your country”, and said that after all they’ve been through he could see how it was “all worthwhile”. The experience was “about what he expected”, based on the tales of friends who had already served. He particularly liked the camaraderie, making new friends, and weapons training.
Frustrated that “no matter what we do is not good enough”, Pvt. Brookes reasoned that it was part of a process of trying to break recruits down and build them back up. His “worst” experience was not being able to shower after a long, cold day spent in wet clothing.
His advice to future conscripts was: “Come with a positive attitude. No matter what, you are going to have to do it (military service). It’s the law. Ten thousand have done it before you, so if they could do it, so can you.”
Private Woolridg$>comes from a deeply religious background and upbringing. His grandmother is a Deacon at the First Church of God and his mother is a missionary. He said he spoke for many when he found the amount of swearing that went on deeply offensive, and particularly waking to a barrage of it at 5.30 a.m. “I think it is disgusting and ridiculous, and it is encouraging the privates to do a lot of swearing. I am hearing a lot of swearing from the mouths of friends who never swore before,” he said.
He was “very uncomfortable” handling weapons — along with the threat of being locked up if he refused to shoot, and suggested that the Regiment should offer alternate programmes for people like him, such as more drills and theory. (After boot camp, the Regiment does offer many alternatives for soldiers with similar concerns).
“Everything is about war, violence and killing, and I think there is more than enough of that in Bermuda right now,” Pvt. Woolridge said. “I really do have a problem with all this talk of war, and am horrified by it. I don’t want to be a part of it at all.”
On the other hand, the new recruit listed making new friends, learning to be organised, and cleaning up after himself as some of the “positives” he experienced.
“Overall, it’s been an experience. I wouldn’t say good or bad, but definitely an experience,” he said. While not recommending anyone volunteering, Pvt. Metschnabel advised future conscripts to just accept their fate and get it over with.
Private Ferreira said that because he had no other choice but to serve, his goal was “get it out of the way”. In terms of discipline, he felt sometimes “they go too far”, although he recognised that the goal was to teach discipline.
“Sometimes we get emotional and angry, but at the end of the day it all goes well.” Being pushed beyond self-imagined limits was a positive, and he liked the camping and night patrols. The food was “all right”, but the portions could definitely have been bigger. He appreciated the value and support of teamwork, and said the best thing after a long day was sharing time with his comrades in the barrack room. “I will miss the new friends I have made and being with them, being safe and hanging in there.” Like everybody else, the worst thing was the lack of hot water. He felt insufficient time was allowed for some tasks, and he would have welcomed more organisation. In fact, Pvt. Ferreira won this year’s ‘Best Recruit’ aw.
Private 10201 <$>declined to give his name but said that while he approached boot camp with an open mind he found “the way they present to you, and the attitude, is inhuman”.
“We get effed off. If you are a Christian you’re going to be a sinner afterwards, honest to God,” he said. He didn’t appreciate the Corporal who deliberately knocked down the beds in his barracks, “which are Government beds”. He also claimed that, after 11 p.m. in his barracks, the men had to urinate in plastic bags, which a senior officer subsequently denied was Regiment policy. Instead, the recruits have to be escorted to the bathroom by a section commander after 11 p.m.
<$>Overall, Private 10201 summed up his first boot camp as “a good experience and a messed up experience”, but praised the Regiment’s offer to pay for further education.
Private Spencer’s approach to army life was “get through it”. His list of positives included meeting many new people; learning teamwork; the Regiment’s willingness to pay for further education at Bermuda College; and physical training to begin the day.
The food was good but the portions too small, and for non-meat eaters at mid-day having to wait until dinnertime for something more substantial was not good. His advice to upcoming recruits: Do the time and get it over with. “It’s a great learning experience, and the educational things are a real plus. Even guys who don’t finish school have an advantage,” he said. He doesn’t want to become an NCO because he “doesn’t like ordering people around or screaming at them.
Private Alissa Hayward volunteered to join the Regiment, and was the lone female in boot camp. She credits her uncle, a former Sergeant, for inspiring her to join, and is looking forward to a long, and hopefully permanent, army career.
“ ‘Private’ works for now, but ‘General Hayward’ sounds better,” she smiled.
While she did “everything the guys did”, Pvt. Hayward said that because the law forbade males and females sleeping in the same barracks, she and a female Corporal shared their own barracks, which meant she missed the group late-night banter and camaraderie.
The extra distance needed to reach her barracks under time constraints was also a disadvantage. As a former majorette she liked drill best, and found the food “filling”, and better than anticipated, having heard she’d be eating potted meat.
Pvt. Hayward hopes to put her extensive experience and qualifications in broadcasting and the media to good use in the Regiment.
“Boot camp is just the first hump,” she said.
“I am very happy and should have done this sooner. You build a lot of friendships here and I will miss the vibe.”
What she definitely wont miss, however, is rising at 5.30 a.m. for physical training. Pvt. Hayward was a member of ‘Overall Champion’ Seven platoon.
Recruits take the good with the bad
