Jamel Hardtman

Jamel Hardtman joined the Regiment as a conscript in January 2001 at the age of 19. He's now a member of B.A.D. named on today's court action.

Some of his anti-conscription sentiment stems from personal experience — with Mr. Hardtman alleging that as a black conscript, he was treated poorly by white officers.

"You see a lot of people saying things like you get to meet people that you would never meet any other place, and that it's good to have that type of environment but one of my worst experiences was one night in the barracks. The RPs came in there making a whole lot of noise and we had to stand up next to our bunks. This white guy came over, stinking of liquor and said 'don't eyeball me'. I asked 'how is this good for race relations? Why are you putting me back in a situation like this — to be treated the same as my ancestors and forefathers?" claimed Mr. Hardtman.

He held a part-time job at the Airport to save money for his education, but claims: "It was such an interruption with weekend camps almost every month and it took a lot of time out of what I was trying to do. The message I got was that the army comes first and everything else comes second."

Mr. Hardtman completed six months of Regiment service then went away to college at J.F. Drake State Technical College in Alabama followed by New England Institute of Technology in Rhode Island. It was during that time, he said, that he researched the topic of conscription.

"In school we were shown many videos about slavery and I saw a lot of similarities — people constantly cursing down my throat to get me to do things. Paying me an insubstantial amount of money but yet charging me an amount higher than that because I had to rush up there after work and didn't have chance to shave."

He did not complain about what he viewed as ill treatment, explaining his reason as being "there ain't no help — everyone up there thinks the same".

When he returned to Bermuda, he joined Bermudians Against the Draft to try to change things. "If there are enough honest people in Bermuda and an honest judge on the day, there's only one direction. I just hope they do the right thing. I heard the Government talking about outdated laws. This should be number one," he said.

Defending himself against potential allegations that he is unwilling to serve the community, Mr. Hardtman — sales manager, programme co-ordinator and talkshow presenter on Hott 107.5 radio — said he coaches a kids football team and mentors a middle school pupil. He was a member of Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Rhode Island and International Student Association President at J.F. Drake college. "But nobody is forcing me do to these things. If you're forced to do it, the passion's not there," he said.

Lamont Marshall

Lamont Marshall joined the Regiment as a conscript in January 2004. He claims that one of his first experiences was a senior officer showing recruits pornographic images in order to illustrate a lecture on discipline.

He also claims to have witnessed recruits being punished by being shackled*, made to run laps carrying logs on their shoulders, and told to shovel sand piles from one place to another for hours.

"You were punished if they didn't feel your boots were clean enough or your shirt was not ironed properly. It was foolishness," he said.

Mr. Marshall did not complain about the issues that caused him concern, explaining: "I was not really as educated as I am now about the whole conscription issue. I felt I had to do it and there was nothing I could do to get out of it."

Mr. Marshall spent around 18 months in service before leaving to attend Bermuda College full time to obtain a degree in business administration. He is still due to complete his service but has not been required to do so since joining Bermudians Against the Draft. "We've been working hard to try and educate the public about what goes on up camp and what conscription is. "We're just trying to get basic human rights and get the option of whether to go up there. A large percentage of people are behind me," he said. "It's not all about talk — we took out a writ. We're being pro-active. We had an issue and we took it up with the highest court we could. We're not draft-dodgers — we're on the offence, taking this matter to court."

(*Concerns about the use of leg braces at Warwick Camp have been raised in the British Parliament by anti-conscription MP Andrew MacKinlay. Foreign Office Minister Geoff Hoon said the device was banned from use in 2001.)