CHIEF of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Mark Phillips, has urged more than 300 recruits to stay the course and become worthy protectors of Guyana, at the formal opening of the first Basic Recruit Course (BRC) for 2015.

“You have chosen this noble institution, the Guyana Defence Force, as the place where you wish to build a career. I am happy that you have. Now that you are here, I urge you to stay the course, successfully complete your training and realise your dreams as a soldier; when you become soldiers you will stand as men, wearing with pride, the most significant uniform in Guyana.”

The Chief of Staff empathised with the recruits, saying that he understood the difficulty of their training, because the process of converting from a civilian and becoming a soldier demanded a total shift in mindset and attitude. “I too dreamed the dream of serving my country and I once trained as you are training now. You have to be determined to succeed. The training will not get easier, but you will become tougher as you surmount every challenge brought before you. You will discover that you can do things that you never before thought that you are capable of, when your spirits get low, lean on each other; support each other. In this environment, you will be making friends who will become your friends for life!” he said. “The central focus of your training is discipline! Without discipline you will not grow, you will not achieve, you will not excel. I challenge you to demonstrate the highest levels of discipline in everything you do,” he entreated.

The recruits for the current BRC are being trained in two cohorts, one posted at the Colonel John Clarke Military School at Tacama and the second at Base Camp Seweyo on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway. The recruits who have commenced training were culled from the hundreds of applicants seeking to establish a career as soldiers and, following the 10-week BRC, are scheduled to be promoted to Privates on June 5.