Continued high expectations as Women’s Army Corps celebrates half-century

Feb 08, 2017 News

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Women have over the years defied the odds and have done what some once thought was unattainable – match their male counterparts in the world of work.

This evolution was emphasised when the observance of the 50th Anniversary of the Women’s Army Corps got underway earlier this week.
The week kicked off with a Thanksgiving Service at the National Cultural Centre where it was emphasised that women since the biblical days were able to infiltrate roles that were designated to the male gender. There was talk of ‘Deborah the Prophetess’ who was not only a judge, but went to war and triumphed.
First Lady, Sandra Granger, who delivered remarks at the Service, threw out a challenge to the hierarchy of the army to have more women soldiers be sent to senior staff courses and be placed in command of certain things. She even expressed hope that one day that there will be a female Chief of Staff.
It was with pride that Cheryl Moore sat in the audience and listened to the ambitious expectations being embraced for female soldiers. She herself is a living example that women have tried and surpassed expectations in arenas not traditionally meant for them.
With more than 30 years in the aviation industry, Mrs. Moore has been recognized as one of the better female pilots to have emerged from these shores. Her journey has seen her hopping into the cockpit of one of the smallest Cessna aircraft and transitioning to airplanes as big as the Dash 8 300 (50-seater). This she was able to achieve through her involvement with the Guyana Defence Force.
In 1973 she made the bold move of venturing into the GDF where she assumed the position of Personal Assistant to the then Commander, Colonel Ulric Pilgrim. She was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in January 1974. At the time there were not many female officers, and apart from carrying out the duties as Personal Assistant to the Commander, she conducted interviews, assessments, and training for new inductees in the Women’s Army Corps.
As Second Lieutenant she was tasked with being the colour ensign in the first all-female Guard of Honour which was assembled at the then Timehri International Airport, in 1975, during the visit of the world’s first elected woman Prime Minister, Sri Lanka’s Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
Prior to that event, all colour parties consisted of male soldiers only.
Being a standout officer in the military did not allow Moore to remain idle, but rather, she considered diligently how she could elevate herself. Her next move was to attend the University of Guyana where she commenced the Diploma programme in Social Work. But it was soon after starting this course that she would be given the opportunity of a lifetime.
She recalled that this chance came knocking in 1975, which was designated International Women’s Year. This was the year that the government decided to grant scholarships to several females to attend flight school to qualify as pilots.
Cheryl opines that it was perhaps her “fearless and adventurous” nature that enhanced her chance of selection for the scholarship. In fact, some time before her selection, she was involved in a GDF demonstration of the Bell helicopter, in which she was let down on a rope from the side of the helicopter.
Although she had never envisaged a career in flying, she recalled that it was following the selection process that she and about 10 others were awarded scholarships to attend the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Daytona Campus in the United States in 1976.
Armed with her pilot’s licence, Moore became part of the GDF’s Air Corps, and in fact served as its Executive Officer for a period of seven months. As a pilot she was able to soar the skies in the Twin Otter, Britten-Norman Islander, Avro and the DHC-8. She noted that while Skyvans came into play a few years later, it was the Islander that was the primary mode of transporting soldiers and supplies into interior locations while she served.
Moore recalled that although there were not many female officers, and no female pilots within the military at the time that she joined the GDF, at no point was she subjected to situations of gender bias.
”I would say I was treated fairly, but in any profession you are going to have challenges, whether you are male or female but I would not attribute any of the challenges that I had in my career to being a female,” said Moore, as she added “the camaraderie was always good ,it was a very closely knit family.”
She recalled recently that while there were not many officers as there are now, especially on the female side, my experience with the males is that they treated me with utmost respect.
My experience was a happy one, I really enjoyed the camaraderie and the fellowship; they really looked out for you,” she asserted with pride.
Although she left the GDF in 1989 and opted to become a pilot for the LIAT where she stayed until her retirement, Moore is currently embracing a mission to sensitise young girls. She has plans to reinforce the notion that “they can become whatever they want to be once they put their minds to it. Once they focus, they don’t have to choose the army, but they can focus and get into any field that they choose; it wasn’t impossible then and it certainly isn’t impossible now.”
It is her expectation that she will be given the opportunity, in the near future, to have talks at various schools to reach out to young girls in this regard. She is optimistic that her experience will help to boost their confidence.

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