With a replica of the giant anteater in the foreground amid songs and prayers, a tearful President Irfaan Ali last evening named the Eccles-Great Diamond Four-lane road, Heroes Highway in honour of the five members of Guyana Defence Force (GDF) who died in the December 6 helicopter crash, stating that it represented their legacy of strength and hope.
Surrounded by six former heads of the GDF and present Chief of Staff Omar Khan, President Ali honoured Brigadier (retired) Gary Beaton, Colonel Michael Shahoud, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Charles, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome, and Staff Sergeant Jason Khan.
Many paid tributes in songs and prayers to the fallen five and cried at the official opening of the roundabout which will create an interlink with the three counties: Demerara, Essequibo and Berbice. The names of the deceased will be etched on the anteater monument and as soon as today there will be a plinth between Eccles and the present road, which will also have their names and those of any other man or woman in uniform who dies in the line of duty.
The five deceased, along with two others were on a GDF Bell EPL helicopter, which crashed in the vicinity of Arau on December 6. The survivors are Lieutenant Andio Crawford and Corporal Dwayne Jackson.
While he was asked many questions since the tragedy, President Ali said, he has concluded that if the country asks that it be done again then they would do it all over again.
“We have lost, physically, some of our finest and when I tell you some of our finest, I mean some of our finest,” the Head of State said, adding that over the period of his presidency he had developed an “intense bond” with the men and women of the armed forces.
“Because every time I call on these men and women, their immediate response is ‘Yes Sir’ and every time they complete a statement they finish, regardless of how rough the conversation was, respectfully ‘Sir’,” he said.
He emphasised that the nation can learn from them, adding that the members of the joint services are rarely celebrated by the country or even acknowledged. This, he said, was “painfully sad” but he has respect for them since he knows what they do and sacrifice. He pointed out they have spent more time in service to the country than with their families.
Some of the fallen men were to be part of a crew, including the President, to visit Almond Beach on Boxing Day as a form of rest for a day as there is no telephone service there.
Nineteen years
President Ali said that Jason Khan, at 35, had already served the nation for 19 years and had died on a mission to supervise a project to be completed by January to ensure that the troops on the border were better retooled. He promised to stand by Khan’s children as he had made the ultimate sacrifice. Beaton, he said, was on his retirement; he was going into the sunset but he told him he had much more to give and he readily answered and sat as the Chair of Guyana Sea Defence Board and went back to serve the GDF.
“He has given his life for this country, as a matter of fact he would have it no other way. As a matter of fact, he ensured that he was on that flight that day because he wanted the [Eteringbang] airstrip to be completed,” Ali said.
Shahood was referred to as his son by many and according to Ali he was a loyalist to the core and an “outstanding individual”. As he spoke of him he broke down; he said they spent a lot of time together.
He described Welcome as a man of integrity and character who had just completed his masters at the University of Guyana and all he wanted to do was to ensure that the reserves were in a place of readiness for what Guyana is faced with. “He did not want anyone to do it, he wanted to do it for himself,” Ali said.
Charles, the President said, had become his brother and he was not just an officer but a man who allowed every Guyanese to see the country through his lens. “He saw himself as blessed with an opportunity to showcase his country and that he did exceptionally,” Ali said.
He recalled that Charles, in memory of a crash in the same area, had lowered two wreaths for two pilots who had died, 50 years after the crash.
“The chopper crew was very special to me,” he said as the tears flowed, revealing that they might be the only ones who knew what his favourite flower was and every time they went out they would capture the image and send it to him.
“Mike Charles did what he did with love and honour. He didn’t just fly, he flew for Guyanese, every time he flew he flew for Guyana,” he said.
He shared fond memories of the time he spent with ranks and officers on the border of Araru recently.
“I am clear in my mind as Commander in Chief that these men will buckle up and get down to business at the first call of defence of this country. Without a doubt, every Guyanese can go to sleep knowing that they will do it because I know they will do it,” he said.
Referring to Crawford and Jackson as exceptional, the Head of State said when the story was told, the bravery of Jackson would be known. He said the country’s prayers are with them and he was thankful that they lived.
“These men are nothing short of national heroes. These men lived in honour and sacrifice to this country. Their children must grow up to know that their fathers paid the ultimate price for all of us, every single Guyanese. They must know that this sacrifice was not in vain and the only way we can show that their sacrifice was not in vain is if we collectively come together as Guyanese…,” the Head of State said.
Sense of pride
Chief of Staff Omar Khan said that it was with a sense of national pride that he was delivering remarks in honour of his fallen men, more so that he was attired in the same uniform the men had once worn.
“The 6th of December 2023 will forever be etched in the memory of this nation. The men who perished died in service to this nation,” he said, adding that their death occurred at a time when the country’s sovereignty was being threatened and at its highest since independence.
Calling their names, Khan emphasised that the men died doing what they had been doing all their lives since enlisting in the GDF.
“They represent the epitome of military service and I salute each of them as we honour their sacrifices in the line of duty. To preserve our territorial integrity these men, our men, our brothers have given yeoman service to our nation and I know for sure they had not even considered another career other than this one which allowed them to serve with passion, dedication and commitment beyond the normal call of duty,” he said.
But as painful their deaths are, the Chief of Staff said, they would expect their peers to regroup and prepare to continue with the mission as the life of the military is to live to serve selflessly which they do without fear, favour or ill will.
Speaking directly to the Commander in Chief, Khan said: “All your ranks are built from the same factory Sir, producing officers and ranks. The same factory our five brothers came from, Sir. I am built from this factory, Sir. Every serving member is built from this factory and this factory has existed since the 1st of November 1965.”
In 2021, the Ministry of Housing and Water awarded contracts to the tune of $13.3 billion in 12 lots for the construction of the alternative four-lane highway between Eccles and Great Diamond, East Bank Demerara, which is expected to ease chronic, daily traffic congestion on the stretch.
The timeline for completion was given as 18 months, the end of the first quarter of this year. However, there were setbacks and the new December timeline was given.
The four new lanes will complement and connect with the four-lane highway from Eccles to Mandela Avenue, Georgetown which is currently being constructed. The project saw the construction of 9.4 kilometres of reinforced concrete roads, 12 heavy-duty bridges, a culvert, and 12 kilometres of drains.
