Lieutenant Colonel Euken Corinthan Mills took command of the Third Battalion The Jamaica Regiment (National Reserve) on 30 September 2007, following the Change of Command Parade held on the Unit’s Parade Square, at Up Park Camp, the previous day. Distinct from most of his predecessors, Colonel Mills has the noteworthy record of serving as a career soldier in the regular Force before transitioning to the Officer Corps of the National Reserve.  As an Officer in the Third Battalion, Colonel Mills distinguished himself and earned the confidence of his superiors.   In 2005, ten years after joining the National Reserve, he was appointed the Battalion’s Second-in-Command, which saw him acting as the Commanding Officer on several occasions.   Two years later, when his predecessor retired, the Defence Board approved his appointment as Commanding Officer and promoted him to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Colonel Mills was born in the fishing community of Parottee in St Elizabeth on 15 May 1959.  In 1978, at age 18, he enlisted in the Jamaica Defence Force as a member of Recruit Intake Number 32.  During his service in the regular Force, 1978-1994, he rose through the hierarchy and attained his exit rank of Warrant Officer Class Two.   He also earned the General Service Medal for his tour of duty in Grenada.

A year after retiring from the regular Force, Colonel Mills took the unprecedented step of enlisting in the Third Battalion The Jamaica Regiment (National Reserve) as an Officer Cadet on 01 February 1995. On 12 June 1996, after completing the Basic Officers’ Course, he was granted a commission in the rank of Lieutenant, bypassing the probationary rank of Second Lieutenant, in consideration of his many years of experience and exemplary performance during Officer training.  He was promoted to the rank of Captain on 03 December 1998 and to the rank of Major on 03 December 2003.

Prior to achieving his present position as Commanding Officer, Colonel Mills served in a number of leadership and command positions: Second-in-Command of the Engineer Platoon 1996-1999; Battalion Paymaster/Training Officer 1999-2001; Second-in-Command Alpha Company, March 2001 – April 2001; Officer Commanding Alpha Company 2003-2005; and the Battalion’s Second-in-Command 2005- 2007.  He was awarded the Medal of Honour for Meritorious Service in 2006.

In his civilian role, Colonel Mills is the Group Loss Prevention Manager for Lascelles deMercardo and Company Limited.  He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Technology (Jamaica) and is certified as a Protection Professional by the American Society for Industrial Security. He is the father of four, two daughters and two sons.