The Royal Bahamas Defence Force held its annual church service at Living Waters Kingdom Ministries over the weekend.

The service was attended by Prime Minister, the Hon. Philip Davis; Minister of National Security, the Hon. Wayne Munroe, representatives of the uniformed branches as well as other government officials.

During his remarks Munroe commended an officer for his dedication to service. He said, “I would wish to single out Force Chief Petty Officer Farquharson who was appointed the Regimental Sergeant Major who amplified the service that this organization gave by deploying with his comrades before Thanksgiving, before Christmas knowing that his mother was terminally ill and had to be airlifting back ahead of the deployment to be with her for about two weeks before she passed two days ago, that is the epitome of service.”

Prime Minister Davis told officers that investing in the security of the country remains a priority for the government. “The National Youth Guard which we launched in October 2022 is our country’s first national service program. I’m incredibly proud of the more than 300 graduates of the first five cohorts and of the cadets currently undergoing rigorous training in the sixth cohort. I want to note too that the cadets come from across our islands from Grand Bahama in the north to Inagua in the south to Acklins, San Salvador and Cat Island.”

A moment of silence was held in memory of the officers that lost their lives in service.