Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Efficiency Decoration & Efficiency Medal Parade 2022. (Final Day)

Message from Her Excellency Paula-Mae Weekes O.R.T.T., President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces on the occasion of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Long Service Awards 2022
“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well”.
Voltaire’s insight captures perfectly the spirit of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Long Service Awards, and as your Commander-in-Chief, I am delighted to participate in this recognition of the outstanding servicemen and women whose long and meritorious service has earned them the prestigious distinction being bestowed upon them today.
In a momentous first for the TTDF, one thousand two hundred and forty-two of its members are being honoured over four days in March 2022. The Long Service Awards are usually held regularly—the last being in 2016—but the seemingly unrelenting arm of Covid-19 occasioned the postponement of those now being staged. It is indeed a pity that the sheer number of servicemen and women that fall to be recognised precludes the kind of individual laudation and celebration of each recipient that are war- ranted, as well as unfortunately, the traditional cocktail reception.
Awardees, rest assured that the different, and hopefully temporary, format in no way dims the glow of your accomplishments. Whether receiving Efficiency Decoration or Efficiency Medal, you are being acknowledged for serving this country long and meritoriously, defending us against internal and external threats, securing our national interests and supporting the State in its pursuit of national development. Your discipline, loyalty and commitment over the years have enabled the wheels of the organisational machinery that is the TTDF to continue to turn, and for that the nation and I salute and thank you.
We all rest easier knowing the calibre of men and women who populate the ranks of Trinidad and Tobago’s armed forces, especially given that all of the awardees have enjoyed a period of either at least eighteen (Efficiency Decoration) or twelve (Efficiency Medal) years’ service with creditable record. You have given of your time, physical strength, mental capabilities and private life, and now that you have arrived at this seminal juncture, your family, friends and the country are justifiably proud, as I am sure are your Chief of Defence Staff and Formation Commanding Officers.
These awards are the fruit of years of dedication, sacrifice and missed family gatherings. Your loved ones, who have borne the burden of spending long periods apart—one of the less pleasant, but necessary, features of military life—can now, together with you, find a measure of joy, satisfaction and comfort in this public recognition of your years of selfless service.
On behalf of the citizenry, I extend hearty and unreserved congratulations to you, members of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, on achieving this momentous milestone and express our sincere gratitude for your unstinting service to the Force and nation.

source