To Tobago with Love

By wildgirl -

A long way from home, Richard JackJames sends Christmas greetings to Tobago from South Korea where he is stationed with the US military, his employer for the last eighteen years. Pat Ganase found him on FaceBook where he has been posting stunning aerial photos from all the places he visited, but especially Tobago. This was featured in the Newsday Tobago December 24, 2020.

 

                                                        Richard JackJames “shouts out” to Tobago from South Korea.

 

 

I was born in Hopeton, Bethel. I grew up with my two younger sisters and my parents who are now both deceased. My father Claude Jack was a fireman and my mother Roslyn James-Jack was self-employed, “a jack of all trades” and business woman.

 

I attended Scarborough Secondary School and I graduated in 2001.

 

My strongest childhood memory was just sitting at the airport every weekend and watching airplanes take off and land. I always dreamed about becoming a pilot. Even though I had a complete career change, I still love planes and airports. I still have that perspective of seeing things from up high. My sister, my grandmother and plenty extended family are all still in Tobago.

 

My sister Shervelle JackJames is the keeper of the family business. My other sister Nigelle JackJames is a Master Sergeant in the US Air Force based in Hawaii. My mother, my uncle Carlton James Jr., my aunt Merle James and her husband Eddie Fowler were the ones who laid the foundation for my going to Hawaii to start my American journey.

 

The first time I left Tobago was in 1991. I visited my aunt Merle in New York, that was my first experience. I was seven. I didn’t understand but I got to see the Statue of Liberty, World Trade Centers and sights around New York City. My second trip abroad was when I left in 2001, almost 10 years to the date. (I travelled before 9/11, the experience was way different compared to months after.) I travelled to Hawaii with my aunt and uncle who were residing there and that’s where my journey began into the US military and to see the world. It was a short eight months to transition to the military.

 

I joined in April 2002, while I was in Hawaii. It was a chance to do something different and to make a career. I was trained as a geospatial engineer who helped to create specific maps for different military units. A geospatial engineer is someone who analyzes the terrain and weather, and uses this data to create maps and databases. Training takes about 20 weeks and the rest is on the job training.

 

 

                                                    Richard JackJames at Camp Eggers, Afghanistan, 2007

 

Actually, since I'm on active duty in the military, I move around every two or three years. I have been stationed in Germany, Texas, Alaska, South Korea (twice), North Carolina, Georgia. I was in units deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

 

I would say I enjoyed Alaska, Germany and South Korea the most. These are different and unique places but have one thing in common, they all have four seasons which I liked. The winter in South Korea can be very cold.

 

                                            Richard with the Airshow Gang, McEntire Air National Guard Station, May 2017

 

 

       Gwangandaegyo Bridge is in the southern city of Busan, July 2020. Photo by Richard JackJames 

 

After my second deployment to Iraq in 2006, I decided to start photography and document my travels. When I moved Alaska, it evolved quickly as photography technology improved. Drone photography was my next option and I realized how different things look from above.

 

I was last in Tobago in June 2019. I have tried to return regularly; family ties are very strong in Tobago. I enjoy good Tobago saltfish and provisions, made by my aunt Merle. And at Christmas, I especially miss the food and drink, sorrel and ginger beer, and the smell of ham the way we cook it with cloves!

 

I expect to return someday, maybe within the next three or four years. I would continue to be a photographer, showcasing the landscape and the hidden beauty of our beloved island, spreading our story with pictures. There’s even the possibility of opening up an eco-lodge. One thing I would bring back is better understanding of cultures and the need for conservation of our heritage and nature. South Korea is big on preserving its cultural identity and keeping its history alive even in modern times and transforming it into tourism marketing strategy.

 

I want to send a shout out to my grandmother Cecilia "Dolly" James, sisters Shervelle and Nigelle and my uncle Carlton James Jr and Uncle Rankie.  And to wish all the Jack and James sides of the family the best for the next year. Thanks for keeping the family strong in Tobago!

 

St Patrick’s Anglican Church, Mt Pleasant where his grandmother’s “Moore” family has extensive ties, is a Tobago icon for Richard. Photo by Richard JackJames

 

 


 

 


 

 

 

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