The Bermuda Regiment’s top officer has discretion over the names placed on a memorial to fallen soldiers at Warwick Camp.So explained Lieutenant Colonel Brian Gonsalves after questions were raised over a planned tribute to those who died while in service.“The Commanding Officer of the day has say,” he said.“If someone did something questionable, of course the Commanding Officer would take it on a case-by-case basis.”The roster of names is open to all members of the Regiment who died while serving.But some have queried whether it would be appropriate for everybody to go on the same memorial, no matter what the circumstances of their death.Lt Col Gonsalves responded: “I’m not going to go down that road.”The CO reserves the right to make the final call, he reiterated.The memorial was kick-started by the tragic death of Major Chris Wheddon in a car accident while on duty in the UK.“Major Wheddon was the catalyst. That’s when we said we needed to get this thing done.”The CO said he didn’t mind some of the online comments questioning the rationale of the memorial.“Everybody has a right to their own opinion,” he said.However, he said: “Nobody picks the way they die. And the military is different. We ask people to do things beyond their civilian counterparts. There is a common bond between them.”Members of the Regiment are also entitled to military funerals, he pointed out, which included “a soldier two years ago who was killed in a gang shooting in Bermuda, in a case of mistaken identity — he was given a full military funeral, and will go up on the memorial”.Added Bermuda Legion case officer Carol Everson, who was a key player in getting Bermuda’s War Memorial placed in the grounds of Cabinet: “The Bermuda Regiment’s proposed new memorial was sparked by the recent death of Major Christian Wheddon, whose dedicated military service was an inspiration to all.“If Major Wheddon’s was the only name on the memorial, it would still be justified. As the present Commanding Officer has discretion over which names will be added, presumably none that brought the Bermuda Regiment into disrepute by actions leading to their death will be included on the Memorial.”