Soldiers called to service in the midst of civil unrest, storms or the Covid-19 pandemic could be eligible for a special medal recognition of their service.

The Operational Service Medal (Bermuda) was unveiled by Governor Rena Lalgie last month to honour extraordinary service on operational deployments at home and abroad.

The Royal Bermuda Regiment announced this morning that the first of the medals are expected to be handed down next year, with those who served for 30 operational days in disaster relief efforts, humanitarian assistance, security or other emergency operations eligible.

An RBR spokeswoman said that qualifying operations would “generally” involve the mobilisation of the RBR through an official Embodiment Order endorsed by the Governor and Commander-in-Chief.

“The operations may have been carried out in Bermuda or overseas,” the spokeswoman said.

“A list of recognised operations includes events that date as far back as 1965 and will be appropriately updated upon authorisation from the Governor.”

The spokeswoman added that while most RBR deployments were in Bermuda, overseas operations in countries such as Jamaica, the Turks and Caicos and Barbados would also be covered.

“We are looking forward to awarding medals to serving soldiers in the first half of next year, followed by the award of medals to former soldiers starting from the second half of 2025,” she said.

“The Operational Service Medal (Bermuda) provides us with a wonderful opportunity to recognise the sacrifices of Royal Bermuda Regiment officers and soldiers, past and present, who were mobilised in support of operations locally and overseas.

“We already know the hard work our troops have put in, this is now a tangible acknowledgement that we hope they will treasure for years to come.”

Any questions about the medal can be directed to the RBR chief clerk at bermudaregiment@gov.bm.