TWO female reserve officers have etched themselves into the history of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), following their successful completion of the Basic Paratrooper Course.

Second Lieutenants Alexis Williams and Afesha Ross, graduates of the Reserve Officer Course 16, completed the course among 35 students who graduated.
The graduation ceremony was held Friday at the 3 1 Special Forces Squadron Headquarters, Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri.

The graduation also honoured 15 ranks who successfully completed the Free Fall Paratrooper Course. Both courses were conducted over a period of six weeks. The participants received training in break fall drills, exit drills, emergency drills, folding of parachutes and navigation.

Ranks attending the Basic Paratrooper Course also completed a minimum of five static-line jumps ranging from 1,000ft to 1500ft altitude, inclusive of a night jump and a battle jump. The graduates of the Free Fall Course completed a minimum of seven free fall jumps ranging from 6,000ft to 12,000ft altitude, inclusive of a night jump.

All the graduates are now qualified to conduct aerial operations in peace time or limited war.
Base Commander at Camp Stephenson, Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Lloyd Souvenir, encouraged the graduates to network and learn, remember safety and be resilient.

“Networking for you in this era is easy considering all the technological advances. Distance and language are no longer a barrier as it was in my time as a basic paratrooper. In your networking you would see videos of people jumping from all altitudes, doing formations and it is good to strive to achieve that level of proficiency,” he urged.