VICE Admiral Antonette Wemyss-Gorman didn’t bristle when asked to respond to the possibility that her memoir could be interpreted as her portraying the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) as a patriarchal organisation.

“It’s absolutely not meant to paint the JDF as a misogynistic organisation… The JDF is a wonderful organisation. I’ve had wonderful experiences, and I’ve documented those. I got an opportunity to serve in a space where no female had served before,” Wemyss-Gorman, the current chief of defence staff (CDS), responded with a composed confidence that left little room for doubt.

The question was put to Wemyss-Gorman by the Jamaica Observer because her memoir, Life, duty and command, already available in digital format with hard copy release scheduled for another few weeks, gives insights into her life growing up in Top Alston, Clarendon, through to her years in the JDF — from the day she enlisted to January 2022 when she made history by being appointed the only female head of an armed force globally.