Corporal Joseph Lewis
Headquarters Jamaica Defence Force
(Civil Military Affairs)

“This is the most exciting time of my life”, said David Foote of St Catherine High School, a finalist of the ‘Soldier for a Day’ competition hosted on the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Web Site. The competition is in its second year and this year the winners were: Everton Clarke of Muschett High School, Yannick Morgan of Meadowbrook High School and David Foote of St Catherine High School.

The three winners participated in a 20-question quiz on the JDF that was only accessible on the JDF’s web site and emerged with the highest scores amongst the participants. As is customary, the students were picked up at their schools by a JDF helicopter and flown to Up Park Camp.

After arriving at the JDF Air Wing, the students took off their school uniforms and donned the military dress issued to them. This was the first step that made them feel as if they were real soldiers. Two of the winners David Foote and Yannick Morgan are members of the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force (JCCF). It was therefore particularly rewarding for them to spend the day being part of the JDF as they aspire to become soldiers.

“When I got the call that I was chosen I was so overwhelm,” said Everton Clarke. “I was just a regular visitor to the JDF Web Site and decided to try out the competition and I won,” said Clarke.

The students got a change to meet the Chief of Staff, Rear Admiral Hardley Lewin, at his office at the Headquarters. He congratulated the students on winning the competition and encouraged them to do well in school.

After leaving the Chief of Staff’s office the students went to the Headquarters of the JCCF where they met Lieutenant Colonel Trevor McCurdy. He too congratulated the students for being winners of the competition. He was pleased to find out that two of the winners were cadets. With a smile on his face he began to inspect them, and finding no fault, he told them to keep up the good work.

Following their visit to the Cadet Headquarters, the Quiz-a-thon winners got an extensive tour of Up Park Camp, with one important stop being the recently refurbished Jamaican Military Museum. Their next major move was to the 25m Range. This elicited much excitement among the students as they had been briefed earlier that they would be taught how to fire the M16 rifle. The shooting lesson went well and two of the students achieved good firing scores.

The day’s programme then took the students to the JDF Coast Guard headquarters at HMJS CAGWAY in Port Royal. Their tour of the base included going aboard HMJS SURREY, one of the new JDF vessels. “I did not know that the JDF had such sophisticated vessels,” said Foote. They also enjoyed a short ride on one of the patrol vessels.

JDF’s Quiz-a-thon, as the competition was named, aims to attract the public to the web site where they can be educated about the JDF. It is anticipated that students who hope to serve in the military would also benefit from the information available on the JDF’s web site.

The JDF’s Quiz-a-thon, as the competition was named, aims to educate the public about the JDF through the web site. It is anticipated that students who hope to serve in the military will benefit from the information available on the JDF’s web site.