Cpl Gauntlett & Pte Campbell - Video Series
A finance professional and mother of two says the Royal Bermuda Regiment provides her with experiences beyond her everyday roles.
Corporal Melanie Gauntlett, a part-time member of the RBR Coast Guard, is an investment adviser in civilian life and enjoys serving the wider community when she’s patrolling and protecting waters around the island.
She and Private Eliot Campbell are the latest soldiers to feature in a series of videos that highlight the benefits of joining the Regiment.
The short films are being rolled out on YouTube and social media ahead of the next recruitment intake in February.
Cpl Gauntlett, from Sandys, said: “I’m a working professional, I have two kids at home, I have a lot of responsibilities but I was tired of just being a mom and a worker bee.
“You go to work nine to five and you’re doing your job and you may love your job; I love my job but I wanted something more and the Regiment provided that.
“The Regiment was that outlet where I could be more than just a mom, a worker bee and a wife.
“There, I’m ‘Gauntlett’, I’m part of a bigger picture for the island as a whole.
“If you’re looking for something that almost sets your soul on fire, if you’re that kind of person who is constantly looking for a way to help the broader community, the Regiment is an excellent option.
“You have so many ways to help: you can help with hurricane clean-up, you can do chainsaw work, you learn skills on the job, you meet people that you never would have met in your day-to-day life.”
The 37-year-old has been in the Regiment since 2018 and was a medic before she joined the Coast Guard about three years ago.
She said work in the unit is “extremely rewarding”.
Cpl Gauntlett, who has daughters aged 11 and 7, explained: “You are all day, every day on the water during the summer, interacting with people on some of the best and worst days of their lives.
“You get to see the whole community, across the board – you see everyone out on the water, it’s what we do as Bermudians.
“That transition has been more fulfilling than I think I expected.”
Cpl Gauntlett said her children love that she is a member of the Regiment.
She added: “While I do Coast Guard for the greater community and to a big degree for myself, my girls are seeing that. They’re seeing the example that I’m setting, they know that Mommy goes out in her super-suit and helps Bermuda.”
In the video, Cpl Gauntlett says something unexpected she learned as a member of the RBR was how to properly make a bed.
Laughing, she adds: “I’m a mom-of-two so I thought I knew how to make a bed, apparently I don’t.”
Pte Campbell, 39, a hospital chef, tells viewers: “Someone should join the Regiment if they want to apply themselves further.
“If you feel like your day-to-day is boring and you just need something to pick you up and take you off your feet, the Regiment is something like that.”
The father of two, who is originally from the United States and is married to a Bermudian, enjoys the discipline and physical aspects of the RBR.
He said off-camera: “I always like to better myself.”
Pte Campbell, who joined the Regiment earlier this year, added: “I love being in the field, holding a weapon, going out in the woods.
“Being out with a crew of people, at first you don’t know them well but then you create a bond – I like that feeling.”
The RBR’s next recruit training package will run from February 11 to 23, 2024. All legal residents aged 18 to 52 are encouraged to apply.
- For more information or to join, visit bermudaregiment.bm or call 238-1045.