By Heppilena Ferguson
Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Chief of Staff, Commodore Gary Best, has vowed that any officer found guilty of inflicting physical violence on recruits will face dismissal.
Declaring open the Basic Recruit Course (BRC 01/2008) at the Colonel John Clarke Military School at Tacama, Upper Berbice yesterday, he insisted that while the army was obligated to train its ranks on entry, officers must be fair to recruits and vice versa.
Some 201 young adults are participating in the course, which includes physical training, open and close country warfare, map reading and navigation, understanding of national policy and the rights and obligations of soldiers. It commenced in March and ends on June 20 with a passing-out parade.
Addressing the recruits seated in a wide open field, Best said that the GDF was committed to providing each soldier with the opportunity to acquire academic education in addition to military skills.
To this end, he urged, “we will educate you right up to university level through our army education programme so that when you leave the force you will be able to maintain a good standard of living and social conduct.”
The army is also focusing on teaching recruits additional skills, which would benefit them in the working world after they would have completed military duties at retirement.
Moreover, Best told the recruits that the training staff had a responsibility to “train and not oppress you” and insisted that the facility was an institution of instruction and physical violence would not be tolerated.
“No physical violence is permitted against any student on any course in the Guyana Defence Force, but they will train you hard so you fight easy. The training staff must be fair and you as students must be fair to them also,” he implored.
Several allegations of torture were recently made by some soldiers during investigations into a missing army weapon and a report on the investigation of the allegations is still to be made public.
The new recruits were also told that they have responsibilities to the force and the country as a whole and were advised that they should never abuse the power and authority given to them as a soldier; they must always put country first and defend it with their lives if necessary.
Best also presented recruits with an ultimatum to leave if they were only in there because the course presented opportunities to use resources such as weapons and ammunition. “If you are here because of those opportunities, decide if you want to be stay. The security of our weapons and ammunition must be taken as a sacred duty when in your care and when used by you… If anyone does otherwise you will be court martialled and find yourself somewhere in jail.”
The army has been dogged by controversy over missing weapons including the theft of 30 AK-47s from Camp Ayanganna two years ago.
Pointing to the recent announcements by Commander in Chief, President Bharrat Jagdeo, to cushion the effects of the cost of living, Best noted that this was an example of social intervention which was necessary for stability of the nation.
However, he said, soldiers would be called upon to ensure that together with the police there was food security in the country.
Prior to the start of the course, the army had made public its alarming examination pass rate of 17.3% among 393 applicants to BRC. The examination is being set at the level of the National Grade Six Assessment.
Asked about this yesterday, Commanding officer of the BRC Captain Joslyn Assannah told this newspaper that the army needed over 300 new recruits to accomplish its work in many departments.
However, he said, many of the recruits already in the course did not meet the stipulated 75% pass rate this year, and so some who achieved lower were still selected.
He pointed out that the army would assist those interested in redoing the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations and would pay the necessary fees.
He told Stabroek News too that the 50% regular pass rate was increased because the army was working to attract a higher level of applicants.
‘Challenging’
Many of the recruits described the training as “challenging”, but have their eyes set on the future and are confident that they have made the right choice to join the military.
Gavin Medas said he was inspired by the way the army has conducted its work over the years and so has his eyes set on his military career. “I always wanted to give back to my country and even though the training is challenging I am coping and I want to be attached to the Air Corps,” the confident young man said.
Shameka Devonish said her inspiration came from an uncle who served in the army for many years. The physical training for her, too, was very challenging but was making her stronger, she said. “I am not stopping here… after training I will rest a little and then move on to the cadet officer training course,” she said.
“I would want to save my country if the opportunity presents itself and I believe that everyone should become involved in some part of law enforcement,” Danny Dave told this newspaper. He said he believed the hectic and challenging training brought out the best in him and would help anyone to become a stronger person.
After training, he plans to move to further studies at the University of Guyana.
Fiona Fraser said she believed military knowledge was invaluable. Her inspiration to join came from the way in which members of the force carry themselves. “It’s challenging but only makes us stronger and the things that we used to find difficult to do as civilians are so easy now,” she said.
Fraser already holds a degree in mechanical engineering and hopes to continue after training.
“I will work hard to achieve my goal and so far it has been adventurous and I like it very much,” Gavin Stuart, who was inspired by his parents, as well as the opportunities the military presents, said.
Serving his country and becoming an airplane technician are Kelvin Morrison’s future goals.
The other recruits with whom this newspaper spoke all noted the challenging nature of the course but seemed excited about the road ahead.
They pointed out that it was not the body but the mind that had to be prepared for such training and were positive that they would adjust to military life.
Woman Sergeant Rebecca Alexander, who trains women in particular, said the recruits were responding well but noted that like nursery school children adapting to school life, civilians would take some time to adapt to military standards.
However, she said that at the end of the training, the recruits would become well-rounded professionals.
