Today, the Belize Coast Guard celebrated 15 years of service as the law enforcement agency that protects the country's maritime borders. For the members of this armed force, it is always a time to reflect on how far they've progressed from November 2005, when they were first established, transitioning from what used to be the Belize Defense Force's Maritime Wing.
Today's celebrations were a bit different because they also had to welcome their new civilian bosses from the Briceno Administration. The New Ministers, Florencio Marin Jr., and Oscar Mira, and the new CEO, Retired General Dario Tapia, made their first public appearances as the top officials in the Ministry of Defense & Border Security.
The ministers declined a press encounter this afternoon, but here's how the CEO congratulated the Coast Guard on their 15th anniversary as an institution:
(Ret) Brigadier General Dario Tapia - CEO, Ministry of Defense & Border Security
"Fifteen years is a long way from where they started, and as you heard in speeches, they started with 50, and now, they are just over 500. And I want today to congratulate, on behalf of the ministry, the men and women of the Coast Guard, for carrying out a stellar job in the naval defense of this country."
Commander Gregory Soberanis - Acting Commandant, Belize Coast Guard
"Today really and truly is a remarkable and proud moment for the Belize Coast Guard, 15 years of service to this nation. 15 years of service to the people and country of Belize, and we are proud of that. We are proud of the fact that as a maritime organization, we provide maritime security and safety for the people of Belize. And truly, over the 15 years, the Coast Guard has grown leaps and bounds, and it has to do with one, good leadership. 2, it has to do with great partnership, and 3 the commitment of the men and women in the organization. So, all those components merge together to make us who we are, and have been able to form the foundation for us [as] an organization, and for our growth and development."
"As you know, from the incept we had General Borland, who was first at the helms of this organization, who handed the mantle of leadership to then Captain Borland, who became Admiral Borland. And most recently, in November last year, to Captain Bennett, who we love, respect, and appreciate - value him greatly - in the UK studying, he now is at the helm of the Coast Guard, and will now lead us into the new era and new phase of the organization with his strategic development plan."
"One of the things that we look forward to is the development of Station Big Creek. We really want to look at how we can develop a station there, where we can expand our ability to respond to incidents at sea."
