Price Barracks

Price Barracks is located at Ladyville, next to the International Airport in the Belize District. It comprises of Force Headquarters (FHQ), Logistics Company, British Army Training Support Unit Belize (BATSUB), Residential area for BDF Officers, Residential Area for British Officers and their families, Navy Army Air Force Store (NAAFI), an infantry Battalion HQ and Barracks, Main Store Room (Stores), Training Company, Army Air Corp Base, Main Fuel Storage, Main Motor Transport Compound (MT), I did three tours of duty at Price Barracks providing support to Logistics Company providing Camp Guard Duty, Police Duties, Parades, Operational Support, Quick Reaction Force (QRF) and support to BATSUB. The first two I hated more than ever. Working with the highest standards possible in OGs (Olive Green hot and tight uniforms that limit movement), properly shaved, and highly shined boots. I didn't like parades either but they were rare. Guard duty was worked at night in 2 3-hour shifts. Starting at 6PM to 6AM rotated between two shifts, three hours each. You were deployed to different sections of the Camp to patrol guard different installations. There was the front gate which had to be more alert than ever because everyone went through those gates every minute. From the highest ranking officers to drunken British soldiers on R&R coming from the Rose Garden. A second section guarded and patrolled the Main Fuel Storage area, stores, mess, and Training Company while the third section was deployed to the residential area. No one was allowed in the British sections of the camp. These were guarded and patrolled by a K9 Unit provided by a private security firm out of Belize City. Each section was commanded by a Junior NCO or NCO while the Guard Commander, or Orderly Officer was a Senior NCO.
I never did like parades but somehow was always deployed to Price Barracks for major parades. I did the Queen's Birthday Parade at the MCC Grounds twice in 3 years. This is the biggest parade with about 3 Companies from the BDF Infantry and Logistics Battalions, members of the Police Department, Fire Service, Ex-Serviceman's League, British Forces, Boy Scouts and just about anyone wearing a government-issued uniform involved. This was done on the Holiday of Commonwealth Day around the 24th of May. The uniform for this was the olive green ceremonial "Number Six" (pictured here) that had gold buttons with the BDF Coat of Arms engraved on them. These were also used at funerals and weddings. The red lanyard of the 1st Infantry Battalion, and highly polished "Number Six" shoes also had to be at the highest standard. Senior NCOs, Warrant Officers, and Officers wore a Tan or slightly grey ceremonial uniform. I think it is called the "Number Nine" but not remember very well. Parades were grueling and tested your endurance very well. The Brits and Police were always the first to faint in the sweltering summer heat. A parade I really hated, also done in Number Six uniforms was the opening day of the Agricultural Show in Belmopan also in the sweltering summer heat but it was only provided by a BDF platoon and as usual I was the lucky one to be in it. The easiest was the Opening of the September Celebrations in San Ignacio done by a BDF Platoon, at that time it was done in the regular Olive Green uniforms, now done in combat fatigues, and looks a lot more relaxed than it did back in my days.
If there was one thing I hated more than parades it was working Police Duties. Jorge Espat, Minister of Defence at the time was impressed with the job we pulled during Operation Mitch and decided to use the BDF on the streets, armed with plastic batons, to assist the police on foot and vehicle patrols. It was annoying and embarrassing because we had to do it in tight Olive Green uniforms that limited mobility and the public used to make fun of us, that is until Chen shot some criminal in the Port Loyola area one night then everyone was afraid of us and demanded the government to remove the BDF from the streets. Nowadays Police Duties are done in combat fatigues that do not limit mobility and everyone is armed with semi-automatic rifles and fragmentation vests. I was also fortunate to participate in a major operation to search the Hattieville Central Prison which yeilded a huge cache of home-made weapons and drugs.
QRF was mounted along with the guards but deployed to the fuel dump area of the camp. You stayed in combat fatigues all day and night with weapons on the ready in case Belmopan sent an emergency call that required the BDF. This included everything from riots to securing drug planes after whoever landed them already took off with the drugs. I was called out once during QRF. A prominent Mennonite businessman had been kidnapped by Guatemalan bandits and we were almost instantly deployed on a search and rescue operation which almost got us all killed.
Price Barracks is one place I would avoid if I could as a soldier.

Photos: Top - Price Barracks as seen on Google Earth; Middle - Me posing in my Number Six Dress Uniform for the Queen's Birthday Parade (Photo by Choc E.). Bottom - BDF Platton at the opening of the September Celebrations 2010 at San Ignacio. (Photo by Aldo Perez)

Cadenas

Cadenas OP is perched on top of a hill on the southwestern corner of the country; right where the western border meets the southern border. The easiest way to access it is to fly in by helicopter and land on the HLS at the top of the hill next to the bunkhouse and observation deck. As you have guessed, this was never an option for the BDF. The way we accessed the OP was by a land transfer to the main dock in Punta Gorda Town, taking a boat transfer courtesy of the Maritime Wing to the mouth of the Sarstoon River then up the river to where it meets the western border next to the Guatemalan Town of Puerto Modesto Mendez. You disembarked at the river bank and walked a few meters to the foot of the hill and ascended to the top. Parts of the hillside are so steep ropes are use to climb among a maze of black poisonwood trees. You climbed taking all your personal kit (weapon, ammo, webbing, personal items) plus rations for the week, including a full medium sized butane tank, divided among the lower ranks. Commanders never backed anything heavy.

The first time I climbed up the hill it took me 1 hour 15 minutes and I was about to die. There is a very narrow path you follow when you reach the peak of the hill. British Army Engineers leveled part of the peak to create an HLS. There was a rock walled bunker built into the side of the hill facing the border and the bunkhouse was built on the opposite side. It was less than 50 yards across with an observation platform cast on top. There were posts of angled iron supporting about 4 rows of barbed wire around the perimeter. The hill sides around the OP were relatively steep with trees growing on all sides. There was also a kitchen where the routine cooking was done.

Looking down the hill you have two views. The southeast side has the Sarstoon River followed by miles of pasture on the Guatemalan landscape. On clear days you can even make out the Caribbean Sea. On the West side you have the Poptun Highway with the Sebol Road forking out of it smack in the middle of Puerto Modesto Mendez, referred to as PMM. There was an even higher hill behind PMM with a GAF Camp at the base. We could see North up to a bridge with a checkpoint.

On top of the hill the heat was intense with doctorflies and mosquitoes depending on you for survival. Stagging during the day was one soldier at a time. We monitored tankers traveling on the Poptun Highway and logged down each one that passed and the direction they were heading. A report based on the logged observations was sent to the office of the Operations Officer at Price Barracks every evening. The idea is that there is an average number of tankers traveling along the Poptun Highway daily. If the idea is that if the number of tankers going South to North suddenly increased it meant the Guats were stockpiling fuel in Peten and thus preparing for an invasion. Apart from observing tankers we also had to patrol around the hill and clean the border marker which was a small concrete structure at a designated way point marking the southwestern corner of the country.

Top photo shows an aerial view of Cadenas OP approaching from the Southwest. Gazelle is parked on the HLS and Guatemala is on the background. This was during the glory days under British control. Photo below is of myself cleaning my personal weapon on my spare time.

Tree Tops

I remember going to Tree Tops OP. Sits right on the border, the village of Santa Cruz on the Guatemalan side is literally a stone throw away. The long bumpy ride on those olive green government issued Bedford trucks from Fairweather Camp outside Punta Gorda to Halacte, actually past Halacte, a Mayan village close to the border. I remember this forest green plywood building with a apex zinc roof. A veranda, bunk beds lied up inside, a dining table, rifle rack with chain and lock where you instantly locked your rifle on arrival. It also had a small radio room and the building was lined with sand bags to give it that military feel. Electricity was obtained through solar panels that charged batteries hooked to an inverter that provided power to the radio and a central light bulb in the main building. The lawn was neatly kept with a beaten down barbed wire fence that had seen better days before the British Army handed it over. There were about three trenches around the building, nothing special, just some holes in the ground with a few sand bags in front, nothing that would stop a .50Cal round or fragmentation. There was a flagpole with the Belize flag flying which was ceremoniously lowered at sunset and raised at sunrise. There were two options for taking a bath. You filled a bucket of water from a shallow well at the edge of the perimeter by some trees or you went down (never alone) to a nearby creek where you could interact with the locals who never gave a fuck where the border was and entered and exited freely into Belizean territory.

There was also a kitchen where Bush Dog, a fellow private from the village Santa Familia, in the Cayo District, prepared some of the best meals at the that Observation Post. Rations at OPs involved canned foods, rice, beans, flour, a few spices and that's about it. We always got veggies and fruits from the locals and even alcohol sometimes.

Our normal rotation was 7 days doing a standing patrol consisting of 1 section (8 soldiers) plus one police officer. Two persons would sit in front and monitor the border area for suspicious activity. We were o an hill and there were hills around providing easy concealment for an ambush. You rotated six hours during daylight and 3 hours at night which could be annoying when u get the middle shift or "stag" as its called.

One night on a stag Myvette, from Corozal, and I were on a stag when we heard some commotion coming from the nearby bushes. We heard something stop right in front of us and growl. When we spotted a light we noticed a jaguaroundi snarl at us and run away. It dropped a freshly killed chicken it had stolen from across the border and we did not allow it to go to waste. I can assure you we never had canned food for lunch the following day.

Life at tree Tops OP was fairly laid back and you were usually sent there just before going on stand down or to relax after after a brutal patrol Like Tres Puentes. The one time I went there was quite relaxing. Spent a lot of time drawing and writing poetry most of which I lost at Price Barracks in Ladyville.

Come to think of it I never really liked Tree Tops since it lacked the action and feel of a military operation. I'm sure several soldiers loved it for the same reason. What a bunch of pussies.

Photo: Me posing in one of the trenches at Tree Tops, photo snapped by Bush Dog using my camera.