Aviator Judah I. Banx Liburd Banks graduated from the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School (CFLRS) in Quebec, Canada, on May 25, 2023 after successfully completing the eight-week Basic Military Qualification (BMQ) course.
According to Aviator Banx Liburd Banks, “I’m content to make it this far. After all the hard work and dedication, I’m locked in to achieving my next goal with more drive and enthusiasm.”
Born in Canada, he spent most of his life in Anguilla where he graduated from the Albena Lake-Hodge Comprehensive School with CXC CAPE credentials. He has family ties and roots in Anguilla, St. Kitts and Canada.
Banx applied for the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Reserves in August 2020, prior to moving to Canada. After months of paperwork, interviews and testing, as well as delays due to the pandemic, the decision was made to commit to the Regular force. He commenced enrollment on March 22, 2023 as an Aviation Systems Technician in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
Fabiana Liburd, the mother of Aviator Banx and owner of “Why Knot”, exclaimed, “Knowing firsthand all the work, time, preparation and patience it took for Judah to apply for this opportunity, then the commitment, discipline and endurance it took to finish the task of completing his eight-week basic military training from which he successfully graduated, has to be one of the proudest moments in my life. When you know what it is that you want to achieve, you take it step by step until you reach that dream. And this is just the beginning.”
Aviator Banx recalls that during the Basic Military Qualification training, his mental and physical resiliency, along with his capabilities of working under stressful conditions and ability to work as a team, were put to the test. He now possesses baseline military skills to operate effectively in a military environment.
Father of Aviator Banx, Clement Banks, famously known as Bankie Banx, contemporary artist and owner of the Dune Preserve, states, “Judah seems very much at home in his chosen path. Obviously, he grew up at the Dune Preserve, the closest thing to boot camp in this part of the Caribbean. I think he is prepared to take it to the limit if he truly wants to”.
Aviator Banx is on to the next step of his career at the Canadian Forces Base in Borden, Ontario. He will attend the Canadian Forces School of Aerospace Technology and Engineering (CFSATE) and spend time at a Squadron to complete two years of Basic Occupational Qualification Training.
Aviator Banx wishes to extend his deepest gratitude to his family, friends, loved ones and those who supported him. He acknowledges that they have played a significant role in motivating and giving him the courage to push through and he is greatly appreciative.
