February 22, 2002

Dear Sir,

Conscription proves that the vast majority of the electorate is ignorant of military science. Most people, like Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister, cannot separate the concept of conscription, from the "role" of the Bermuda Regiment.

Conscription is a recruitment method, enforced by civilians. Conscription and the Bermuda Regiment are not one and the same thing. They are two separate entities and one can exist without the other.

Government politicians, supported by an ignorant populace, say that any referendum would be on "the role to play". But that hasn't been called into question. No sane person could object to a ready pool of manpower.

Will it be easy to change conscription? No, but who ever said life was a bowl of cherries; or loquats in our case. (By the way, Mr. Grant Gibbons, the reason government won't publish the 2000 Regiment Review is because it calls for the end of conscription.)

Any society that relies upon the military to be its moral and social safety net admits the failure in themselves to properly raise the next generation.

In a recent Royal Gazette poll, one lady said: "Yes I like the Regiment. My son needs some discipline." Guess she forgot to instill that herself.

In addition to the Regiment being a parental scapegoat, there is a rampant drug and alcohol problem in ranks, because conscription drags the problems of society into the military.

And conscripts have a pathetic level of professionalism, as demonstrated by the September 11 embodiment, hanging out windows, dragging rifles along the street, shoelaces untied, shouting at each other, falling asleep on watch, pointing weapons at the public, smoking cigarettes near fuel, I guess I was the only one paying attention.

The conscripts' performance was so abysmal, that their own commanding officer would not give them ammunition. I'd have to agree with his call.

I serve my country honourably. I love the Regiment and my fellow Bermudians. My grandfather served in the BMA (Bermuda Militia Artillery), my father served in the Regiment, my brother served and now it's my privilege to serve.

And every time I walk into Warwick Camp, I feel betrayed because politicians and Bermudians are willing to ignore the atrocities that happen in the Bermuda Regiment. I spend everyday praying that the conscripts won't be given live rounds.

When I march during parades, I feel proud. The bloke behind me feels proud, just like his parents in the audience. But they don't have to watch him smoke pot outside Warwick Camp, before coming in to handle live weapons.

Our lives depend on the quality of recruits pushed into the Bermuda Regiment by the Defence Department and Government. For the volunteers who serve in the Regiment, it is a scary way to live. You never know if the bullet that'll kill you will come from the front, or behind. I beg the public to make a change to conscription before I get shot in the back.

Point-to-note: Home Affairs Minister Terry Lister would have no idea what the Regiment was like, serving only nine months of a three-year enlistment. I don't know how he left but it's hard to just up-and-leave the Regiment.

PRIVATE SOLDIER

Pembroke