When Ben Beasley set off for the University of New Brunswick it was with a career as a history teacher in mind.

Teaching, after all, was in his genes, with an aunt, uncle and his father all having led the way. These genes, however, were not the only ones coursing his veins. His grandfather, the late Larry Swain, had had a distinguished career in Britain's Royal Air Force as a wireless air gunner before coming to Bermuda as a Police officer, and Mr. Beasley grew up hearing tales of his Second World War experiences. In addition, Mr. Swain's brother had served in the RAF coastal command.

Four years of study later, Mr. Beasley received his Bachelor's degree in military history, following which he planned to spend another year gaining his Bachelor of Education degree. As so often happens with university students, however, he began to question his career choice, and thought more in terms of joining Britain's armed forces. As a Bermudian, he valued the role that the British Armed Forces have played, and their continuing promise in protecting Bermuda and the Overseas Territories. Would it be the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Royal Navy, or the Army? Looking into all three, he decided, with his ancestors in mind and advice from servicemen, that it would be the RAF, and duly acquired the application forms.

Meanwhile, the graduate returned home and, having spent several previous years as a seasonal employee with the Bermuda Police Outward Bound Unit, decided to do so again. When a permanent senior instructor post opened up he accepted.

During the ensuing four years, Mr. Beasley also attended an RAF 'filter' interview at the British High Commissioner's in Washington, DC where Group Captain Don Belmore said while he lacked a fair amount of service knowledge, he had a lot of the good characteristics the military looked for in an officer, and duly passed on his application to England to the RAF Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC) at the RAF College in Cranwell, Lincolnshire.

"I passed the Board, and I passed the assessments, as well as receiving some favourable remarks, but then I got a letter saying they weren't taking logistics officers at the time," Mr. Beasley recalls. "About six to eight months later I got a call asking me why I hadn't applied again, and I said, 'Why apply if you are not taking people in?' "

So the aspiring recruit flew to London to be interviewed by the Careers Office. This time, close attention was paid to his résumé, and a determination was made of exactly what he wanted to do. The interviewer said he was "just the person" for the RAF Regiment, an elite infantry regiment trained to protect RAF personnel, bases and high-value assets. He also learned about other opportunities available, such as joining the parachute squadrons, signals unit, the Queen's Colour Squadron, and many other specialised units.

"The RAF Regiment is seen as an elite unit, on a par with the Royal Marines. If you are going to join the Special Forces (SAS) you come from the RAF Regiment," Flying Officer Beasley notes. "The recruiter made it very clear that this wasn't just a job, or just a career, but a lifestyle. The opportunities for travel, adventurous training, personal development, sport, and knowing every day that you work in a force for good, wasn't something I was going to let slip by."

The Bermudian recruit's training began on February 19, 2006 with stage one of a 33-week initial officer training course at the RAF College, Cranwell — "Long days, short nights, not much sleep, and a lot of physical education — followed by the introduction and development of leadership skills, which are of crucial importance, and integral to all aspects of training and military life. These exercises, normally accomplished by extended periods without sleep and really physical activities, it is known in the military as 'beasting'.''

Over the next 25 weeks, he was coached and assessed on a host of new skills, among them organisation, administration, and dealing with bereaved service families. The final exercise, held over ten days at a special airfield, tested the new recruits on a variety of unexpected situations, including a chemical warfare attack, car bombs, assault by an enemy, and refugees — all of them exact replicas of what British, coalition, and NATO forces are currently dealing with in real life. The final weeks included a great deal of drill, as well as the concluding classes in Customs, Etiquette and Social Responsibilities (CEASR).

"These are the classes which make you a polished British officer — how to use dining cutlery, engage in conversation properly, introduce people to each other — in other words, your social responsibilities as an officer. They have been very useful, as you spend a lot of time speaking to VIPs from the military, government, or foreign dignitaries," he says.

On October 6, 2006, amid the traditional pomp and circumstance, the new Flying Officer Beasley passed out and was despatched to the RAF regiment depot at Honington, Suffolk, which included more 'beasting', to undergo a training course designed for the promotion of corporals to sergeants. Despite the prevalence of injuries and overriding fatigue among the participants, the Bermudian recruit stuck it out, for which he received "a lot of kudos from the officers in charge, and the sergeants on the course, which gives you a lot of good face".

Pre-deployment work at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland with a squadron heading to operations in the Middle East was followed by a parachute training course at Oxford, the first jump of which Flying Officer Beasley remembers as "very intimidating", but in the end was "all about trusting your equipment and the people who teach you".

"Courage is about facing fear and doing something in response," he says.

It is also about accepting disappointment and moving on, as he was to discover during the junior officers Regiment course at Honington, which trains participants to lead a squadron of gunners — the top level, air-aware infantry soldiers. Medically downgraded due to potential anaphalaxsis during the course came as a great disappointment, but being remustered as a training officer suited him very well, given his educational background and Outward Bound experience as an instructor.

Now posted to Leuchars, Scotland, a base of 3,500 men, Flying Officer Beasley is the Officer in Command of the station's Training and Development Flight, and thoroughly enjoys his role in station training. Far from the days when orders were bellowed out and blindly obeyed — while sometimes necessary — today he is required to explain the why and how more clearly in order to ensure that he gets most out of people. Managing a budget for external training is another of his many duties, as is working in the Force Development Squadron and, depending on the station, the Regiment Training Flight.

Flying Officer Beasley continues playing rugby for the RAF, and was not only sent to Dubai for the Sevens international tournament, but also released for two months to come home and play international rugby for Bermuda — something the RAF views as a pinnacle for a sportsman. In fact, its support was so wholehearted that it financed his air fare. He is also given Wednesdays off to play rugby for his station — "one of the perks, because you don't join the military to be a millionaire", he quips. "Sport is very important to military life because it not only promotes a healthy lifestyle but also supports the service ethos of teamwork."

Commissioned until 2012, Flying Officer Beasley is "really happy" he joined the RAF, and says it has given him a lot of experience he would not have had otherwise.

"Camaraderie is really big, and there is always competition and fellowship amongst all your peers. There is a good ethos about being in a force for good. People may not know you, but once they see you in your uniform you are representing the other 40,000 people who are also serving in the RAF, and what it stands for. I would recommend the service to anyone who wants a rewarding career, which will develop and reward you as much as you give to it."

In fact, when people, on learning he is from Bermuda, ask why he is in the RAF, Flying Officer Beasley is quick to explain that, along with NATO and UN contributions, protection of overseas territories is one of the British military's main priorities, and while he will never be posted to the Island, he regards doing his duty every day wherever he is as an important part of protecting his island and his countrymen.

Meanwhile, the young officer is anxiously waiting for his medical category to change, and hopes to be out on operations "very shortly". While members of his family are not so keen for him to go to conflict zones, they continue to be supportive. He also pays tribute to his parents, who "sacrificed an awful lot" to give him, his brother and sister opportunities which they themselves may not have had, and also for their unfailing support.

"They are very proud of me," he concludes.