Military Strength on Display in Mobay

Hundreds of soldiers attached to the Second Battalion, Jamaica Regiment, displayed their full military might in a Battalion March Past in downtown Montego Bay, St. James, on Wednesday, May 15.

The event was staged to reassure the citizens of the Second City of the Jamaica Defence Force’s strong presence in western Jamaica. It also doubled as a celebration of the Unit’s 40th anniversary since its inception in 1979.

“It’s just a show of strength and show of numbers to reassure the citizens that the army is here,” Sergeant Jason Lampart told JIS News.

Meanwhile, Montego Bay Mayor, Councillor Homer Davis, said the march past comes at a very critical time, given the current States of Public Emergency (SOEs) in St. James, Hanover and Westmoreland.

He noted that the Second Battalion’s show of strength sends a strong signal that the Unit is “prepared for anything within St. James”.

“They can suppress any criminal activities in St. James, and this should be a reassuring moment for the citizens of this parish to say, ‘we have the support of the military’,” said Mayor Davis.

“We [also] have the support of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, because they also will be showing their own strength in short order. So, this to me and the citizens, is a very welcome sight to show Jamaica and to show St. James that they [should] have no fear, because the military and the police are here,” he added.