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THE Guyana Defence Force will today strengthen its human resource capacity when 164 recently-graduated recruits take their oath of office following 16 weeks of rigid training to become soldiers. Yesterday the 164 recruits, men and women, took part in the ceremonial passing out parade on the tarmac of the National Culture Centre in Georgetown,in the glare of mid- afternoon sunshine and the presence of family members and senior ranks of the GDF.
The recruits first showed their interest in joining the Guyana Defence Force when they responded to advertisements in the press inviting interested persons to enlist. The next step was assembling on April 03 at Base Camp Ayanganna, Thomas Lands, which saw a total of 242 persons expressing an interest in becoming soldiers.
The official 16 weeks of training commenced on April 10th and concluded with their passing out parade yesterday. However despite the initial interest of the 242 aspirants, 78 of them were released from the course due to health conditions.
Meanwhile, in what will be his final address to GDF recruits prior to his retirement, Commodore Gary Bess gave the charge in which he called on them to uphold the values of the Guyana Defence Force, as he underscored loyalty, discipline, identity, and integrity in conducting their duties.
The new soldiers were also called upon to live by the creed of the GDF and to understand that they need at all times to remain professional and not just when wearing the uniform.
Commodore Bess explained that soldiers should also understand the importance of service and what it means to serve the people of the nation, while at the same time upholding the standards of the GDF.
The standards he mentioned are responsibility, respect for the rule of law, respect for other citizens, correct conduct and being engaged in appropriate social behaviour.
Living by their oath was another charge given to the recruits by their Chief of Staff, while he implored them to serve their country with honesty and faithfulness and to protect their countrymen from all enemies.
The Chief of Staff told his soldiers that he believes all of them will achieve the things in life they hope to as they continue their journey in the Guyana Defence Force.
However, for this to be a reality, he said there are some very critical questions each soldier needs to ask himself or herself, and once the answers for those question are found and remembered, they will enjoy long lasting careers with the army which will spell success in their lives as well.
Commodore Bess said that among the questions which need to be asked are why the recruits decided to join the army, why did he or she push themselves beyond their own expectations, why their response to the advertisements and what caused them to dream or dare to dream of a life within the GDF.
Those are the questions that the soldiers need to be answered and once those are answered, and the focus is maintained, then they can consider themselves members of the GDF who will not quit, never be absent from work, never give up and never give in, Bess added.
The Chief of Staff also told his soldiers as they ‘stood at ease’ that they need to understand who is a soldier and what is expected of such individuals.
He also reminded the newest members of the GDF that their constitutional duty is to defend Guyana and to maintain order within the country.
NATION’S FINEST
Those two principles, he added, will require much sacrifice on their part but at the end no task should be too hard for them since they have all been trained to deal with the greatest challenges, after all they are considered the nation’s finest.
The 16 weeks of training were conducted at the Colonel John Clarke Military School at Tacama, Base Camp Stephenson at Timehri and the Colonel Robert Mitchell Jungle and Amphibious Training School at Makouria.
The training included foot and arms drills, field craft, skill at arms, physical training, national policy, map reading and navigation, open country warfare, regimentation, first aid, academic education, internal security, swimming, close country warfare, construction of shelters and traps and the preparation of jungle food, along with repelling.
The recruits first showed their interest in joining the Guyana Defence Force when they responded to advertisements in the press inviting interested persons to enlist. The next step was assembling on April 03 at Base Camp Ayanganna, Thomas Lands, which saw a total of 242 persons expressing an interest in becoming soldiers.
The official 16 weeks of training commenced on April 10th and concluded with their passing out parade yesterday. However despite the initial interest of the 242 aspirants, 78 of them were released from the course due to health conditions.
Meanwhile, in what will be his final address to GDF recruits prior to his retirement, Commodore Gary Bess gave the charge in which he called on them to uphold the values of the Guyana Defence Force, as he underscored loyalty, discipline, identity, and integrity in conducting their duties.
The new soldiers were also called upon to live by the creed of the GDF and to understand that they need at all times to remain professional and not just when wearing the uniform.
Commodore Bess explained that soldiers should also understand the importance of service and what it means to serve the people of the nation, while at the same time upholding the standards of the GDF.
The standards he mentioned are responsibility, respect for the rule of law, respect for other citizens, correct conduct and being engaged in appropriate social behaviour.
Living by their oath was another charge given to the recruits by their Chief of Staff, while he implored them to serve their country with honesty and faithfulness and to protect their countrymen from all enemies.
The Chief of Staff told his soldiers that he believes all of them will achieve the things in life they hope to as they continue their journey in the Guyana Defence Force.
However, for this to be a reality, he said there are some very critical questions each soldier needs to ask himself or herself, and once the answers for those question are found and remembered, they will enjoy long lasting careers with the army which will spell success in their lives as well.
Commodore Bess said that among the questions which need to be asked are why the recruits decided to join the army, why did he or she push themselves beyond their own expectations, why their response to the advertisements and what caused them to dream or dare to dream of a life within the GDF.
Those are the questions that the soldiers need to be answered and once those are answered, and the focus is maintained, then they can consider themselves members of the GDF who will not quit, never be absent from work, never give up and never give in, Bess added.
The Chief of Staff also told his soldiers as they ‘stood at ease’ that they need to understand who is a soldier and what is expected of such individuals.
He also reminded the newest members of the GDF that their constitutional duty is to defend Guyana and to maintain order within the country.
NATION’S FINEST
Those two principles, he added, will require much sacrifice on their part but at the end no task should be too hard for them since they have all been trained to deal with the greatest challenges, after all they are considered the nation’s finest.
The 16 weeks of training were conducted at the Colonel John Clarke Military School at Tacama, Base Camp Stephenson at Timehri and the Colonel Robert Mitchell Jungle and Amphibious Training School at Makouria.
The training included foot and arms drills, field craft, skill at arms, physical training, national policy, map reading and navigation, open country warfare, regimentation, first aid, academic education, internal security, swimming, close country warfare, construction of shelters and traps and the preparation of jungle food, along with repelling.
In the end there were awards for outstanding performances in the various areas of training.
The best shot was recruit 22923 Kert Chisolm, best drill recruit 22820 Harold Cummings, best fitness recruit 22765 Moses Brewster, and runner-up student was recruit 22731 Basil Watson, who also copped the best military knowledge award, while the best student for the Basic Recruitment Course was recruit 22896 Shakeel Carol.
