FREEPORT, Grand Bahama, The Bahamas -- It was a proud moment for parents of more than fifty boys and girls, who had gathered, along with the  Minister for Grand Bahama, Hon. Ginger Moxey for their graduation from the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Rangers program, to officially become Defence Force Cadets. “On behalf of the Government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and on behalf of the Minister of National Security, Minister Wayne Munroe and all of the members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, we salute you, we are proud of you, we encourage you and we want you to continue this journey,” Minister Moxey told the new recruits during the ceremony on Saturday, May 13, 2023, at Workers House in Freeport.

“You offer so much to this country, and you are the future of this country. We are cheering for you.”

The event culminated weeks and months of training for the new recruits, encompassing leadership skills, character building exercises, physical training, drills and discipline. 

The Grand Bahama Minister said that she was excited, happy an proud to be filling in for National Security Minister, Wayne Munroe, to witness the advancement to a new level of training for the young recruits. 

Sharing a brief history of the program, which has existed for almost three decades, Minister Moxey noted that since 1995, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Ranger Program has had a rich legacy of transforming the lives of Ranger cadets, by empowering them through leadership training, military discipline and civic, community, cultural, spiritual and sporting activities. 

The program was first introduced at D.W. Davis Secondary school in Nassau, with the initial goal of redirecting the path of challenged male students at the junior high level towards the path of becoming more productive members within their schools and communities. 

“Since that time,” Minister Moxey pointed out, “the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Ranger Program has evolved into a vibrant youth organization, with students participating from 40 schools in New Providence and 24 schools in some of the Family Islands, namely Abaco, Grand Bahama, Eleuthera and Andros.”

She said that in addition to leadership training and the development of core values, the program aims to prepare young Rangers for employment in the wider community, with particular attention to deployment to the Defence Force, and the commercial maritime sector. 

During the brief graduation ceremony, the new recruits displayed for the Minister, Commanding Officers and their parents their newly acquired skills in parade drills, physical fitness, discipline, and musical talents. As this year’s Rangers graduate to full Defence Force Cadets, a new corp of recruits will be enrolled for next year’s training program. 

Minister for Grand Bahama, Hon. Ginger Moxey (center) sits with Commanding Officers of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, surrounded by newly graduating recruits of the Ranger Program, following the official graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 13, 2023 on the grounds of Workers House, Freeport. Minister Moxey was the keynote speaker at the graduation.

Minister for Grand Bahama, Hon. Ginger Moxey talks with the smallest recruit in the graduating class as they prepared for a group shot on following the graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 13, 2023.

(BIS Photos/Andrew Coakley)