Saint Lucian receives Veteran of the Year award in Britain

Lester Francois, a retired warrant officer class one in the British Army, received the Veteran of the Year award last week at the Leavers to Leaders (LTL) Awards. This follows a 24-year career in the British Army, during which he received 10 medals and several commendations. The LTL awards recognise outstanding service leavers, veterans, and military community members from the UK and wider Commonwealth. “I was quite surprised when I heard that I was nominated for the award of veteran of the year and even more surprised to have actually won the award,” Francois told St. Lucia Times . “As a Saint Lucian, it was quite an honour, knowing that I came from a small island, started at the bottom and moved to the top, where I was told that only about 25 per cent of those in my era make it to the top,” he said.

The award ceremony was held during the LTL Summit in Tidworth, Wiltshire, England, and celebrated nominees from nine Commonwealth nations, including Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Fiji, Ghana, Guyana, and Mauritius. Francois, who was born in La Fargue Choiseul, grew up in La Ressource, Vieux Fort, before migrating to the UK after being recruited to join the British Army in 2002. His distinguished military career started within the Royal Logistic Corps, specialising as a supplier. Through determination, professionalism, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to service, he progressed through the ranks to achieve the rank of warrant officer class one. During his twenty-four years of military service, he served across the UK and elsewhere, including Germany, Cyprus, Nigeria, Canada, Iraq, Afghanistan, The Gambia, and Belgium. He also served as a UN peacekeeper in Cyprus. Reflecting on his military career, he said it had served him well, motivating him,…