BASE Camp Stephenson at Timehri yesterday again created history when the Guyana Defence Force commenced what is a first for both Guyana and the English-speaking Caribbean region — the Leader Sergeant’s Course 01, brainchild of GDF Chief of Staff, Commodore Gary O.R. Best.

Commanding officer of the GDF Training Corps, Colonel Kemraj Persaud, in his remarks at commencement of this course, noted that he was delighted to be present and to share some thoughts with the participants of the course.
He praised their personal will to be part of this ground-breaking course, and spoke of the experience they would have gained over time.
He praised the bold initative taken by the current leadership of the GDF in establishing a Sergeants Academy, and indicated his personal conviction is that it is a step in the right direction, and, like anything new, it would have its difficulties; but with proper direction, would yield the kind of results all are desirous of having, and would make the army proud in the future.
He added that the Sergeants Academy would remain a legacy of our Guyanese culture even as it stands as testimony to the tenure of Commodore Best as head of the GDF.
He congratulated all the minds that had assembled at the course, and mentioned that their being there was a shift in what they had been accustomed to. He advised them to expect physical and mental challenges, strains and stresses, and to expect weaknesses and unfamiliarity to prevent them from having maximum control of their own bodies; but he encouraged them to persevere and so be successful.
Chief of Staff Commodore Best, in his feature address, described the day as historic for the GDF, as it was the first time that young men and women were being trained to graduate as sergeants.
He said the Sergeants Academy, responsible for conducting this course, is also historic for the GDF, and would be commissioned at a later date.
He described the sergeant as the backbone of any military organisation, saying the sergeant is really the apex of middle management of the corps of other ranks.
“With this course, we now have three levels of military training: one that graduates private soldiers, one that graduates sergeants, and one that graduates officers. The design and implementation of this course was driven by a need to, in the first instance, develop leaders at the middle management level to serve across the GDF; secondly, to provide opportunities for young men and women with academic skills to hone those skills into leadership outcomes at the level of a sergeant; and thirdly, to capture those young men and women who are over-qualified for the basic recruitment course and under-qualified for the officer cadet course.
“Over the next five months, you will be tested in every way possible – physically, psychologically and mentally. In the end, our desire is to graduate the best. Only those who succeed and only those who made the ultimate sacrifice will be successful.
“Your training will focus around four themes: competence, leadership, loyalty, and discipline; with leadership being the main focus. As you continue on this programme, you are advised to remember these four themes. Your effectiveness and successful completion of the course will enable you to lead your subordinates in the absence of the officer.
“This is a critical quality in any sergeant – the ability to lead in the absence of the officer; and permit me to refer to a saying from our IG, and I quote: “The test of discipline is evidenced when ranks do the right thing unsupervised”. As a leader sergeant, you will be expected to do the right thing when unsupervised. As a leader sergeant, you will be expected to supervise when unsupported; and as a leader sergeant, you will be expected to uphold the standards of the GDF.
“What tools can you use to assist you in this quest to be successful on this course?” he asked. “In this regard, I refer you to the values and standards of the GDF. You must ensure that a sense of duty is always foremost in your minds. It therefore means that you must be prepared to lay down your lives to achieve the mission.
“You must obey all orders and commands given, and demand obedience when you issue commands. Your execution of commands and orders given to you should display your trust and confidence in them.
“You must be truthful and honest throughout this training and your career. Your honesty and truthfulness will continue to strengthening the chain of command.
“You must act responsibly at all times. And what do I mean by that? I mean that you are accountable at all times for your actions, and must accept when you are in breach of conduct. The Force has standard operating procedures for every aspect of our military service. You need to know them, you need to follow them, and you need to be courageous and enforce them.
“Putting it another way: in order to give orders, you must first demonstrate that you can take orders. You are required to respect your seniors, equals and juniors, and conduct yourselves appropriately in and out of uniform. These tools, if applied, will significantly contribute to your success on this course.”
Concluded his address, the CoS wished all the participants God’s blessings.
Major Joslyn Assanah, Commanding officer of course 01, outlined in detail the course preview and staff who would be responsible for producing high quality sergeants.
He mentioned the need for the course to be supported by a vehicle to provide transportation besides other logistics.
The course, which began yesterday, presently has twenty-seven aspirants who will graduate at conclusion of the course in May 2013.