The Tribune

By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

A ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force marine who joined the force only eight months ago was told by King Charles III that her bearing was impeccable when he greeted officers on his arrival in The Bahamas yesterday.

Woman Marine Judy Forbes, 25, was among four RBDF officers who shared brief exchanges with the king after he landed at Lynden Pindling International Airport for his first visit to The Bahamas as monarch.

“He said that my bearings were impeccable and keep up the good work,” Ms Forbes told The Tribune. She said he asked about the parade training the officers had done, and that she hoped someone had photographed the moment.

Wearing a grey suit and pink tie, the king put on sunglasses as he stepped onto Bahamian soil in bright evening sunshine. Selected members of the RBDF and the Royal Bahamas Police Force took part in the reception, standing at attention in crisp uniforms and medals.

Leading Woman Marine Ebony Bain, who has served for 14 years, called her exchange with the king a beautiful experience. She said he asked how long she had been serving and whether the RBDF was training new recruits.

“He is very polite, very soft-spoken,” Ms Bain said. “For me, it was an honour and also a privilege. It’s the first time I ever met a king, so it was a great pleasure.”

Marine Seaman Ackeem Adderley, who served in Haiti, said the king noticed his medal.

“My experience with him was excellent,” Mr Adderley said. “He talked to me about my medal and asked me what it was about. I told him it was our overseas campaign medal for Haiti. He asked how long we’ve been there. I told him it was two months and a half.”

He said officers had trained consistently for the visit, sometimes practising standing at attention in the rain and under the hot sun. Mr Adderley took part in the Regional Intelligence and Deployment Exercise in Port-au-Prince.

Able Seaman Matthew Bethell, meeting the king for the first time, said the monarch asked about his experience in the force. He said he was proud to represent his country.

“I didn’t necessarily know what to expect, but he was a very energetic individual,” Mr Bethell said.

Chief Petty Officer Ian Hall, who has served for 22 years, was not part of the parade but watched from the sidelines as his colleagues represented the force. He said the occasion put The Bahamas on the international stage.

“This is something that goes down in history for all of us,” he said.

During his stay, the king is due to visit the RBDF base at Coral Harbour, view a disaster-response vessel and pay tribute at the HMBS Flamingo memorial, where the entire force is expected to attend.

The memorial honours four marines, Able Seaman Fenrick Sturrup and Marine Seamen Austin Smith, David Tucker and Edward Williams, who were killed on May 10, 1980, when Cuban MiG fighter jets attacked and sank the patrol vessel HMBS Flamingo near Ragged Island. The Flamingo had just arrested two Cuban fishing boats for poaching in Bahamian waters. The attack came less than six weeks after the RBDF was formed, and the bodies of the four marines were never recovered.