Dear Editor,
I refer to the letter captioned “A war hero wannabe” (GC 07.11.19). The writer refers to my response to a letter captioned “Remembrance Day is a colonial hangover” (07.11.05).
R Khan writes, “While I may be fully in agreement with Mr Singh, because I think that there were some Guyanese who fought alongside the British forces I find the letter from Mr Simon completely elicits his colonial mentality. He was taken out of the colony, but it’s hard to take the colony out of him”. In paragraph 3, he interprets that I am supportive of “clearly unjust wars in Iraq and Afghanistan”.
He compared the military capabilities of Venezuela and Guyana and wrote, “May I remind him that Ankoko is still being occupied by Venezuela, even though the Kabaka said ‘not one blade of grass’ was lost?”
I’ll remind the writer of the “focal points”. A Singh attacked the President, officials of our country, the disciplined forces, scout associations, diplomatic corps and especially our “veteran soldiers” for participating in the global exercise by nations remembering and honouring their fallen countrymen in the first and second world wars.
As a colony and member of the British Empire, British Guianese (Guyanese) fought or served alongside the British Forces for the war cause. Honouring and paying tribute to my fallen countrymen does not in any way indicate my thinking as still being colonized. I and past fellow servicemen from the Guyana Defence Force proudly flew the Golden Arrowhead for an independent Guyana at our western, southern and eastern borders and not as a colonial flag.
Although we served our country in that capacity we, past and present (disciplined forces) still have to pay tribute and honour to those before us who died in the wars and citizens must be free to express their gratitude to our fallen heroes without coming under flak from ungrateful persons.
Guyana and other countries have always honoured and paid tribute to veterans of World Wars 1 and 2. Remembrance Day remains solemn.
Yours faithfully,
Ashton Simon
Editor’s note
Guyanese served in both the First and Second World Wars. In World War I they were recruited into the British West Indies Regiment, some of whose members fought in the Middle East alongside Anzac forces. We carried an interview some years ago with a man who was well over a hundred at the time, and who had served with the regiment in Palestine, among other places. In World War II Guyanese volunteers served in various branches of the armed forces, including the RAF.