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Retiring after 22 years
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Two soldiers who joined the Gibraltar Regiment together in 1987 and who marched together in the 70th Anniversary Parade are about to retire from the Regiment at the end of their 22 year Army careers.
Warrant Officer Class 2 Ken Fortunato was already a qualified motor mechanic when, in October 1987, he signed up to be a Vehicle Mechanic. As well as his time in Gibraltar, he has also had tours of duty with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers in both UK and Germany and he deployed on two operational tours of duty in Kosovo. In more recent years, Ken moved into a variety of jobs within the Royal Gibraltar Regiment: he was once the Regiment?s Recruiting Warrant Officer and he has been both the RQMS Technical and the RQMS Main. He even went to Bermuda to train the local Defence Force how to fire their official Gun Salutes!
?I?ve really enjoyed my time in the Regiment,? said Ken. ?I will be keeping my family connection as my son Karon has just been promoted to Lance Corporal.?
Ken and his wife will now spend some time touring Europe before he looks to start a new career in the field of Health and Safety.
Also retiring from the Regiment is Warrant Officer Class 2 Francis Mauro who also joined as a Vehicle Mechanic. Despite always staying close to his engineering roots, Francis spent six weeks on public duties at Buckingham Palace after completing the Army?s Advanced Drill Instructor course. ?I remember shaking hands with Prince Charles one day when he popped into our Guardroom at St James? Palace,? adds Francis.
In 1999 Francis spent three months in Ballymena when he was attached to the Royal Irish Regiment and, after his return to Gibraltar, he was selected to be the Port Sergeant and it was during this job, in 2004, that The Princess Royal paid her visit to the Rock.
Francis was part of the very first BMATT in The Gambia where he set up a course which provided training the Gambian vehicle mechanics. ?It was during this time that one of my Gambian soldiers named his new-born baby after me,? says Francis proudly.
The two Warrant Officers are quick to point out that, whilst the RG are an infantry regiment, on operations and on exercises, the infantrymen depend on their logistics and maintenance support. ?Between us we?ve covered most of the logistic tasks required by the Regiment,? they stress. ?And we have to be more flexible than soldiers in many British units.?
Having joined together in 1987, Ken and Francis were still together for the Regiment?s 70th anniversary. ?We marched along Main Street next to each other, feeling very proud and with our heads held high.?
RECRUITS
As the two Warrant Officers prepared to leave the Regiment, another eight young recruits were about to join the RGs by swearing their Oaths of Allegiance. Later this month they will leave Gibraltar to start their 6 months recruit training course at the Initial Training Regiment in Catterick.
?But I still have a list of twenty young men waiting to join,? said Recruiting Warrant Officer WO2 Winston Payas. ?The RG is probably the best recruited Infantry regiment in the British Army,? said Winston. ?We have a waiting list because we can only accept a new soldier when someone leaves the Regiment and a vacancy is created.?
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