President Bharrat Jagdeo congratulates Best Student Second Lieutenant Quincy Agard as Chief-of-Staff of the Army Commodore Gary Best looks on.

The Drill Square of Camp Ayanganna was yesterday afternoon the scene of a colorful Commissioning Parade of forty ensigns who were promoted to officers after successfully completing the ten-month long Standard Officers Course of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

Prime Minister Sam Hinds, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Senior Members of Cabinet, including Head of Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon, as well as Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Robert Corbin, were among relatives and friends of the ensigns who witnessed the event.

The officers were decorated with badges of ranks as second lieutenants by President Bharrat Jagdeo after the ceremonial parade and march past in which other contingents of the GDF participated.

The forty newly commissioned second lieutenants comprised 17 ranks from the GDF, 16 from the Guyana Police Force, three from the Belizean Defence Force, two from the St Kitts and Nevis Defence Force, two from the Guyana Fire Service, and one from the Guyana Prison Service.

The course had started in March last year with 60 participants, but 20 dropped out for a number of reasons, including failure to meet the high standards of physical fitness and discipline required.

The newly commissioned officers included four females, three from the GPF and one from the GDF.

Under Officer Quincy Agard of the GDF was adjudged Best Student.

Officer Agard also won the Sword of Honour and the Brazilian Armed Forces and Venezuelan Armed Forces Awards.

Ensign Otis Garraway of the GPF was adjudged runner-up and also won three awards for Best Military Knowledge.

Ensign Suresh Persaud of the GFS won the award for Best Drill.

Congratulating the Officers on the discipline and determination which had seen them through the rigorous training, President Jagdeo urged them to make similar commitments to their families, the disciplined forces, and to the nation.

He stressed that they had an important role in improving, sustaining and transforming the agencies in which they will serve.

“Pledge to never betray your nation’s confidence nor undermine its trust in you and the Joint Services. Pledge to always provide credible and honourable discharge of all your appointed tasks,” he said.

He urged the senior leadership of the Joint Services to see the new officers as resources which should be nurtured as the management of the future.