The recently formed Cayman Islands Regiment serves not only to help the country in times of crisis but is an excellent training ground for leadership and skills important in all careers.
The first cohort of 51 reservists joined in August 2020, with the 45 men and six women undertaking training on-island.
A second cohort of another 50 reservists was recruited in October and a third group will be selected following a recruitment drive in late 2021. This means there will be around 175 in the regiment in total, including 15 officers.
“Of course, over the years, some of these people will leave, so there will always be opportunities for others to join in future,” says the Regiment’s Commanding Officer Lieutenant Colonel Simon Watson.
After years of discussion, the regiment was established to help with humanitarian relief in emergencies such as hurricanes and earthquakes. However, its remit is also to assist the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service and the Cayman Islands Coast Guard, when called upon, as well as participating during ceremonial occasions.
The reservists are all voluntary, with many holding jobs in their day-to-day lives.
But the skills required are recognised and well-favoured by employers.
These include self-discipline, teambuilding, attention to detail and performing under pressure.
“These are all skills critical to the military but are valued in the workplace, along with supervisory, command and leaderships skills which we teach in the regiment,” says Lieutenant Colonel Watson.
Other benefits of belonging to the regiment include fitness, as well as increased confidence, crisis management and training in public speaking.
Joining the regiment is a minimum two-year commitment but Lieutenant Colonel Watson hopes that many recruits will remain for years to come.
As well as the serious duties that the regiment performs, he pointed out that there was a
huge amount of camaraderie amongst the reservists and officers, which is an equal opportunities organisation.
“It’s all about bonding and team-work,” he says. “We are a family in the regiment.”
SECOND LIEUTENANT NATHAN DACK
Sustainable development officer
“The most challenging part of my time with the regiment so far has been training in the UK at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, where we were sent in order to undertake officer training. The single hardest part of the course was the five-day field exercise, which was a real test in physical and mental stamina. Although I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, I would recommend any future officer cadets to prepare themselves as well as possible for the experience.”
SECOND LIEUTENANT TYLER LAWSON
Student
“My parents are an example of how to find your passion through volunteerism, which greatly impacted me. This gave me the drive to join the regiment. The regiment provides the opportunity to serve my community and apply values my parents insisted I emulate. It provides a good work-life balance; we work hard and we play hard.”
TROOPER TIFFANY EBANKS
Vacation rental coordinator
“When I heard the call for recruits to serve their Queen, country and those in need, I thought it was a great opportunity. I always aspired to do more for my community, and this was a call I could not ignore. Before enlisting, I needed to have my family’s support. At first, my family was hesitant about the idea, but after sharing the importance of the regiment and why I wanted to serve, they thankfully supported my decision to join.”
LANCE CORPORAL JONATHAN WELDS
Assistant technical manager
“Since joining the regiment, my personal responsibilities have increased due to the values and standards we operate by, even whilst not actively on duty. The regiment’s values and standards differ slightly from what is expected of me by my employer, in addition to my own personal ones, but being held to a higher standard helps keep me on track and builds on character traits necessary for being a part of the regiment.”
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