Willis, whose face has been blasted by an M 70 weapon, severely affecting his trachea and ability to breathe and speak, has had already had two surgical procedures done. The first was initial facial repair and fitting him with a respirator, and the second – the implanting of a replacement device for the trachea which would help him breathe.

Two weeks following the incident, Willis is still unable to speak, and his entire face is bandaged, allowing space only for his eyes and mouth.

Reports are that the young soldier was on duty as a sentry at the Coast Guard location on May 2 when, shortly after 20:00 hrs, a gunshot was heard. Soldiers who heard the explosion hurried to the scene and found him lying in a pool of blood and his weapon by him.

The injured soldier’s parents – Howard Willis Snr., a Medex attached to the Mabaruma Hospital in Region One, and wife Olive Willis, who are at his bedside daily, are concerned over his condition and are hoping and praying for his recovery.

While there were unconfirmed reports that the soldier may have attempted to shoot himself, a retired senior army rank who has assessed the injury carefully said that it is clear that it was an accidental shooting, inflicted by Willis’ weapon with which he was guarding at the time. He surmised that the weapon must have dropped out of the rank’s hand, or he may have planted the butt heavily on the ground, causing it to go off.

No soldier wanting to kill himself will aim so as to shoot his nose and lips alone, he commented.

Willis, from Mabaruma, North West District, has been a member of the Guyana Defence Force for about two years.