The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) honoured five officers and 27 other ranks for exemplary service at its 43rd anniversary medals presentation ceremony.
In a press release the GDF said too Chief of Staff Commodore Gary Best also decorated 14 soldiers with Border Defence Medals (BDM) and another 18 earned Military Efficiency Medals (MEM). Best commended them for their invaluable and valued contribution to the army. In his address he said “Individually and collectively, you have provided vital support to this organisation to the extent that you are being recognized at the highest level in the Force.”
He also told the Force that their dedication and hard work has allowed the GDF to fulfil its mandate. “We salute you and hope that others will learn from you and emulate your attitudes and so move toward their own levels of higher achievement….”
According to the release the BDM is awarded to soldiers with an accumulated 365 days or more service at the GDF’s border locations. Soldiers who received this award were from Jaguar Company, they are 99316 Major Denzil Carmichael and 17550 LCPL Malvern DeJonge; from Labaria Company: corporals 18074 Sithole George, 18839 Troy Morris, 17200 Eaton Simpson, 17550 Mark Knights, lance corporals 20034 Romel Shaw, 20412 Joseph Benn, 20324 Jermaine Richards, 20436 Peon Lee and 19453 Orin Elias and from Support company 19206 CPL Orwin Woodruff and 19475 LCPL Lloyd Coxall.
The release said too the MEM is awarded for a minimum of 10 years of unbroken exemplary service within the GDF. The soldiers who received this award are 99308 Major Dwain Nurse of 21 Infantry Battalion (Res) 99211 Lieutenant Commander Lalta Seenarine (CG) and Coast Guard lieutenants 99418 Ron Charles and 99575 Andrea Cush; from Four Engineer Battalion corporals 16439 Shawn Samuels, 19198 Clinton Hollingsworth, 17576 Neville Bastiani and LCPL Troy Mitchell and from Support Company 18191 CPL Odinga Monker. From Base Camp Stephenson Women Corporals 17868 Vanessa Brummell and 18148 Teshina McCalmont; from PRED 17618 Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Troy Gaskin and W/SGT Carlyn Dover; from Air Corps sergeants 17706 Michael Joseph and 16920 Desmond Joseph. The release said 16279 SSGT Bevon Connelly of the Finance Department, 16919 W/SGT Glennis Joseph of GPD and 18586 W/SGT Felene Joseph of 2 Infantry Battalion (Res) were also decorated. It also said 18100 CPL Sherwin Trotman of Support Company earned both the BDM and the MEM.
The ceremony was hosted at Base Camp Ayanganna.
