November 26th, 2013

Dear Sir,

I have read with interest Mr Larry Marshall’s recent long letters to the Editor about the Regiment.

I do not propose to prolong the correspondence unnecessarily and would disagree with many of his emotive assertions, including those regarding Hitler, slavery and human rights, but particularly his denigration of the men and women serving Bermuda.

But for the record, I should correct some of the factual errors.

The average time commitment by a soldier over three years is three months, for which he or she will be paid nearly $15,000.

The Regiment’s budget is now under $7 million.

My wages are paid by the UK Ministry of Defence, not the Bermuda taxpayer. And the Regiment has 28 full time staff, not 36.

Further, whilst we are very proud of our state ceremonial activity, it does not form 95% of our role — which is to support the Civil Authority with the security of Bermuda, its people, property, livelihood and interests in order to maintain normality — providing Bermuda’s essential insurance policy in crises. Finally, the correct spelling of my name is below.

Yours Faithfully,

Lt Col ME Foster-Brown

Commanding Officer

Bermuda Regiment