The BDF Christmas lunch - it’s an annual tradition where usually
the Prime Minister serves lunch to the men and women of Belize’s army.
But this year the Prime Minister isn’t here – he’s in Denmark
at the climate change conference and so the National Security Minister Carlos
Perdomo did the honours. Jacqueline Godwin was there and found out that the
Christmas spirit was slightly tempered by the memory of a fallen soldier –
here’s more.
Jacqueline Godwin
Reporting,
Belize Defence Force soldiers have yet to experience their first war but even
during peace time sights such as this are rare, a large number of our fighting
force socializing at one gathering. The occasion was the annual Christmas luncheon
hosted by the BDF High Command and the Ministry of National Security.
Brig. Gen. Dario Tapia, Commander – BDF
“Indeed this is a tradition, the soldiers look forward to it and we
the high command of the force look forward to continue honouring our soldiers
for their hard work and dedication for the year 2009.”
The Belize Defence Force is considered to be a light infantry brigade with
what the command says is just over one thousand enlisted men and women.
Brig. Gen. Dario Tapia,
“And so we don’t have other specialized equipment that a heavy
brigade would have and so our troops are just a light infantry, having the essential 
numbers required to fill a brigade.”
And so with such a small number of troops any loss is greatly felt that’s
why there was mixed emotion at today’s festive activity. It comes on the
heels of the death of Pvt. Lucas Teck who tragically died on Saturday after
the 6 tonne truck he was travelling in – one just like this one - crashed
in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve in the area of Caracol.
Brig. Gen. Dario Tapia,
“Unfortunately the year did not end as good as I would have wanted
with the recent passing of Lucas Teck and so, if I may take a moment, I would
like to send the condolences to his family and friends from members of the BDF.
You know often these soldiers work in arduous conditions and many times the
public don’t realize it but they are out there putting their lives on
the line, conducting their duties. We always try to ensure that they carry out
professionally and so we always try to be there and supervise them.”
The six tonne Bedford truck’s brakes failed while it travelled through
the hilly terrain. The question is was there anything that could have been done
to prevent the tragedy?
Hon. Carlos Perdomo, Minister of National Security
“We have an excellent mechanical section in the BDF, its a full time
section. We try our best but in that region it is very tough driving in what
we call our hills or our mountains and there are freak accidents and they do
turn over going down a hill.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“But in this incident we understand it was a mechanical failure, the brakes
were not working.”
Hon. Carlos Perdomo,
“That’s what we heard in our initial investigation but we have
to wait for the final report.”
Another standing challenge for these soldiers is the ongoing hostility with
armed Guatemalan civilians mostly farmers and robbers who illegally cross the
western border.
Brig. Gen. Dario Tapia,
“We take it very seriously and hence we brief our soldiers and we
send them for operations along the border we ensure that they are properly briefed,
that we make proper planning. But in addition in not only patrolling the border
we have other tasks to do, we have to support the other law enforcement agencies
and that takes manpower. So indeed we would like to do more but because of the
limited resources we have we can only do so much. But I believe that working
in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the Forestry Department
we can keep an eye on what’s going on there. We certainly don’t
have the manpower to cover the entire length of the country, espeiclallly when
we have a lot of other commitments but we work with our counterparts, the Guatemalan
Armed Forces for them to be able to patrol on the other side. So yes we would
love to do more but we can only do so much with the resources we have.”
And while we are not certain just how many of these soldiers will be confronted
by the threats along our border in the New Year for today their commitment to
serve and protect was appreciated. The soldiers enjoyed a turkey dinner including
treats and even drinks they normally do not get to enjoy while in uniform.
Pvt. Cynthia Salazar, A Company – BDF
“Being together like this is not something we do often just like now
and I am grateful for this because this is the time all soldiers, men and women,
come together and share our happiness and share whatever we have done so far
for the year. From I was young I always dreamed about being a soldier and that
is why I came to military. I have three years now in the Belize Defense Force.”
Pvt. Hilberto Pop, A Company – BDF
“Well the uniform attracts me and I attended the test and the accepted
me and that is why I am here right now.”
The soldiers were also joined by the BDF Football Team which are the
semi-pro football champions.
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