Singing Soldier

Former President Arthur NR Robinson requested to have a word with recruit soldier Tessa Richardson. She almost went weak at the knees.

The occasion was the Farewell Ceremonial Parade for the outgoing Head of State and Tessa had just given her goodbyes to her Commander-in-Chief in song. With the words to “Go Light Your Candle” she said, “my message to him was to light up wherever he is, wherever he’s going...it’s not the end.” In kind, a very enthused Robinson relayed the words: “Oh my gosh, you have a wonderful voice!” The recruit soldier beamed from head to toe. Her brilliant smile couldn’t outdo the shine on her boots and buckle on her belt. Her white kit — long sleeved jacket and skirt complemented that moment of virtuosity. The former President continued: “I want you to expand yourself. Go to a singing school. That was a wonderful song...the words went deep,” bestowing other commendatory words along that line.

Tessa felt great. “I felt lifted. I wish I could have taped him,” she said. “It was an honour, like whey boy! I know it wasn’t the peak but the beginning.” She also felt relieved. That was one down, one more to go. The former Amalgamated security officer, who was sought after to hold the post of specialist vocalist with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force band was again requested to sing at the inauguration of the new President His Excellency George Maxwell Richards. Her rendition of Psalm 121 “My Help Comes From The Lord” had the Editorial staff of our office in a buzz. Who was that girl with the beautiful voice?

I got to find out. She’s the humble, 24-year-old from Princes Town, the third to last of eight children (two girls and six boys) who discovered her natural singing talent from “childhood, singing in the Pentecostal church” and vowed to go wherever the music would take her. She described it (singing) as “a love and part of me, part of my career”. Her mother’s side of the family is musically inclined. Her uncle Cerwin Callender is a musician/singer and a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service. Tessa confided that if she had known the trials she would eventually endure, the terrain she would literally climb to get to where she’s at now, to pursue that “love”, she would’ve retired there and then.

Discipline. That’s a powerful word in her vocabulary. Her parents (Eileen and Vernon Richardson) are to a large extent responsible for that, but following orders took on a whole new meaning when she signed up with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) a few years ago.  “My parents taught me the Bible, how I should speak, how to approach people, to respect them, to show love and go to school and make the best of what I do,” Tessa said. But there was a leaning towards having her “own way” at times, like when her mother wanted her to wear a particular dress and she would wear what she liked. “I was my own individual,” she said. “But I learned a lot more about discipline in the ‘Corp’ (CCC). Military discipline is about following instructions.” She explained: “At home when you break the rules, you get licks, you break it again you get licks until you decide for yourself that you’re going to follow instructions but at CCC you do what you’re told. You learn how to take orders.” She was “fed-up with cooking” after putting her Food and Nutrition skills (learned at Princes Town Senior Comprehensive) to use, operating her own catering service. So, when a friend of the family Cpt Sherwin Stevenson highlighted the CCC, suggesting it was a good opportunity to further her singing, she signed up immediately.

Tessa’s three months of survival training was extended to nine months and at the end of the course she stood the chance of being “drafted into the army”. Instead, Tessa joined Amalgamated Security Services, formed the band “Matrix”, which no longer exists, still keeping in touch with members of her batch at the CCC. Then, that life-altering call came. It was Commanding Officer Col Peter Joseph on the line extending the offer to join the Defence Force. She was happy. Her parents were overjoyed. “They said if that’s what you want, go for it! It was another opportunity to climb,” said Tessa. And climb she did! The rigorous training she underwent was “hard”. A typical day of recruit training began at 4.30 am. “You had to be up by 3.30 am to clean the room and from 4.30 it was intense running, push ups, sit ups. Ration (break) was at 6 am,” she winced as she was reminded of the sausage or tuna sandwiches served with juice at breakfast. “At nights we had the shining parade at 10 or 10.30. Your kit (uniform) had to be well put together and after that we would have the battle order where they would tell you to run into the sea or run up the hegie (hill)... Everyday you feel you want to die, leave, all kind ah t’ing. You want to leave up until the day you pass out. I never thought I could do all those things. If I had an insight before, I would never go into it,” said a relieved Tessa, a year and three months later. “Now I have an appreciation for it. In training you learn that nothing is impossible. A soldier could never go hungry; he will always make what he has do.”

Tessa passed out as having completed her training as a recruit on December 12, 2002. Now she, one of two females, functions out of the 33-member Defence Force band of the Support and Service Battalion at Teteron Barracks, Chaguaramas. She still has to undergo physical training (referred to as PT on the camp), a personal routine required by each soldier. Tessa’s also learning to play the flute and piano, the latter on her own time. She’s also required to perform “guard duty”, bearing arms and all, when called upon. She’s still recuperating from all the training, though. She related: “When I came out, I was damaged...marching when you come out of a car in public. I was talking to my aunt at home and I was saying ‘Ma’m’ and ‘No Ma’m’. I was asking Auntie ‘permission to go to the toilet Ma’m’. You does be jumpy.” Tessa lost weight too! On entrance at Teteron she weighed 183 lbs and passed out at 141 lbs. Any chance she gets, when she returns home on evenings, is spent relaxing, sleeping and going to church. She’s now more disciplined, determined, stronger and still modest Tessa. Her future, should she decide to leave the Defence Force, she said: “I’m not thinking about it right now...but my future is definitely music.”