Basseterre, St. Kitts, August 04, 2016 (SKNIS): Provisions have been made to accommodate youth who are interested in joining the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force (SKNDF), but are not yet old enough to do so.
Captain Kayode Sutton, Public Affairs Officer in the St. Kitts-Nevis Defence Force, said that the interest level among young people is exceptionally high, especially on Independence Day (September 19) when the troops parade in Warner Park and then march through the streets of Basseterre to their base at Camp Springfield, and this could not have been overlooked by the institution.
“We have a lot of young children who follow us when we are coming from the Independence Parade at the Park and some of them are so young,” said Captain Sutton, while appearing on “Working for You” on Wednesday, August 03. “They [are] not old enough to join, not even the Cadet so out of that overwhelming interest came the Junior Drum Corps, which was formed to accommodate those young persons who are not of age according to the constitution to be a part of the Cadet, because to be a member of the Cadet you have to be 12 years of age.”
Captain Sutton noted that the interest continues to grow and that young children are given more opportunities to shine.
“Gradually they grow up through the system, they take part in camps, they come to their weekly drumming sessions, and they learn all the different rudiments of music,” he said. “Some of them graduate to being members of the Defence Force Band and some want to be a part of the Cadet Corps while they are still in school.”
He added that a number of the youth choose to pursue a career in the military or join the Reserves after they have completed their secondary education. He said that in doing this, they are very much still a part of the organization while they live their normal lives.
He made a plea for more able-bodied persons within the community to join and said that there is no discrimination between male and female.
Captain Sutton lauded the local media outlets in the Federation for being supportive to the Defence Force. He noted that recruitment is basically done through these media outlets, as well as through public displays such as precision drills and open days that usually result in a great number of patrons coming out to show support.
On July 18, 2016, the SKNDF celebrated its 19th Anniversary since its reestablishment in 1997. As part of the anniversary celebrations, the annual career fair was held at the Independence Square on the said date.
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