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Cadet force can transform youths

Published:Thursday | June 14, 2018 | 12:00 AM

THE EDITOR, Sir:

We must give greater attention to the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force (JCCF), which might very well be the tool to maintain our social fabric.

My time as a member of my high-school cadet unit was perhaps the most crucial time of my adolescent life. I was quite a disruptive young man and my teachers faced the brunt of my rowdy behaviour. This changed over time, as being a cadet instilled discipline.

The JCCF is a voluntary youth organisation that was founded in 1943 and has been moulding the lives of many young Jamaicans since its inception. Greater value and emphasis must be given to its role in our social structure.

The Prime Minister's move to introduce the Jamaica National Service Corps must complement the existing JCCF. Credit must be given to former senior and junior ministers of national security, Robert Montague and Pearnel Charles Jr, for the strident work they have undertaken to revive the cadet force. The organisational restructuring of the JCCF that took place in 2016 is encouraging.

I am extremely happy with the establishment of the Alumni Registry and the JCCF website(http://cadetforceja.org), which provides timely updates on activities surrounding our cadet force.

I am encouraging all young people to get involved and I am pleading to former cadets to support the activities of the JCCF. Our lives were transformed, so let us help the current generation.

LEEROY BAILEY

Former Corporal

Jamaica Combined Cadet Force