Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published Monday, January 24, 2022
By Jean Lowrie-Chin
Jamaican women stood tall as we watched the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Change of Command Parade at which Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss-Gorman was handed the baton by outgoing JDF leader Lieutenant General Rocky Meade to become the first woman chief of defence staff.
We thank Lt General Meade for his brilliant leadership of the JDF over the past five years and his 28 years of service in the force. The holder of a PhD in linguistics and a part-time lecturer at The University of the West Indies, Lt General Meade should have great new opportunities in academia.
In her address, the rear admiral stated that she remains committed to changing this culture of violence. “I joined to serve, and my service continues,” she stated.
Indeed, that service marks nearly three decades of firsts for the career officer, who was trained at the Britannia Royal Naval College, HMS Collingwood, and the US Navy War College. She was the first seagoing woman officer to serve in the JDF, commanding various patrol vessels, the JDF Coast Guard, the Caribbean Military Maritime Training Centre, and the Maritime, Air and Cyber Command.
Among the barriers the rear admiral has broken are the attainment of the rank of commander and assuming command of a unit in the JDF in 2014. She now steps up from the position of force executive officer to the pinnacle of her ‘tour of duty’. The much-decorated Wemyss Gorman has gained respect regionally and internationally and has been a distinguished participant in forums worldwide.
What a momentous week it has been for Clarendon: topping the charts for high school achievement, winning football trophies, and now proud that Jamaica’s chief of defence staff hails from Top Alston district.
Rear Admiral Wemyss-Gorman is married to Jonathan, and they have a 15-year-old son. We wish her many blessings in her historic achievement.
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