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.”