AMIDST prayers and songs of worship as the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Women’s Army Corps’ celebrates its 49th Anniversary, Chief of Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips declared that women will soon be placed on Guyana’s borders, to assist with the defence of the country’s national sovereignty.

This declaration comes as the Chief of Staff signaled his aim to promote gender equality within the army.

“The women officers are no less able than the men; therefore we expect equal participation in all areas of work. Thus soon we will be deploying women on some of our border locations,” said Brigadier Phillips.

His announcement was welcomed by much applause not just from the women, but also the men, who were part of the thanksgiving ceremony at Camp Ayanganna.

The establishment of the GDF’s Women’s Army Corps in February 1967 was as a direct result of Venezuela’s seizure of Ankoko in the Cuyuni River in October 1966.

During the year of Guyana’s independence, the GDF had barely established its first battalion of fewer than 500 men when it was forced to deploy troops to Eteringbang on the country’s western frontier to confront Venezuela’s aggression.

The sudden removal of such a large number of men from such a small force had severely impacted the work of the GDF, as some recruits were still undergoing basic training. Others were deployed along the coastland, which, only two years earlier, had been the scene of murderous ethnic strife, creating huge manpower problems.

Soldiers had to be found quickly to secure the borders and others had to take their place in the camps. The GDF’s solution was to recruit women.

On January 30, 1967, just three months after the Ankoko incident, four women – Captain Joan Granger and Officer Cadets Brenda Aaron, Clarissa Hookumchand and Hyacinth King – started training at the GDF Training Wing at Timehri.

On February 6 of that year, 56 other women joined them as recruits.

After six weeks of training in drills, field craft, skill-at-arms, shooting, and physical fitness, the 60 women were formally inducted into the GDF at a parade in March, which was inspected by Mrs Winifred Gaskin, the then Education Minister.

Since then, female soldiers have been making strides, proving that they were no less incapable when compared to their male colleagues.

Thus, Brigadier Phillips called on women soldiers to take advantage of all what the army offers, that is, to study at the University of Guyana, Carnegie School of Home Economics so that they can be qualified in many areas and help the force to fight off any threats.