On this the last Sunday before Christmas Day, put yourself in the shoes of one of the family members of the five brave soldiers who died in that fateful helicopter crash last month.

Lieutenant Colonels Michael Charles and Michael Shahoud, Retired Brigadier Gary Beaton, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Welcome and Warrant Officer Class II, Jason Khan died in a war that never was, but in the middle of the ongoing and never-ending battle of keeping Guyana’s borders safe and guarding the nation’s territorial sovereignty.

Two colleagues survived – Corporal Dwayne Jackson and Lieutenant Andio Crawford – but they too also sacrificed their lives to ensure Guyana’s borders are always safe from any external intervention, whether by land, air or sea.

None of the valiant Guyana Defense Force (GDF) soldiers on that fateful flight ever imagined what happened, but each was always aware that every flight in Guyana’s defense is part of a lifelong personal and boundless sacrifice.

None could have imagined not returning home safely, or not seeing Christmas, or not celebrating the New Year’s.

None of the brave soldiers’ families, on saying goodbye that fateful day, could or would have imagined it would have been the final hug or kiss.

From the beginning of the latest threats of territorial aggression from next door, our valiant GDF’s Chief of Staff assured that Guyanese, at home and abroad, could count on Camp Ayanganna to monitor the situation on our borders and advise the nation accordingly.

The GDF, born partly out of the border controversy after 1966 when the new nation promised ‘Not a blade of grass’, has valiantly guarded our borders in the 57 years since; and it’s to the valiant soldiers in uniform that the daily duty falls to ensure that the Golden Arrowhead continues to represent all of Guyana’s 83,000 square miles or 616,000 square kilometers.

We will never part with two-thirds or five-eighths of the One Guyana we’ve lived and grown with.

The five departed soldiers will not see tomorrow, but the ultimate contribution of their lives to the cause of protecting the Motherland will continue to ever light our way, and way beyond Christmas 2023 and the 2024 New Year’s celebrations.

Fortunately, the political directorates have lowered the heated temperature, but it still remains the task of every soldier, in and out of uniform, to always be on guard, in all circumstances, which is what the GDF’s ultimate mission is all about.

Even on Christmas Day tomorrow and New Year’s Day next week, our men and women in fatigues will be guarding our borders and keeping them – and us all – safe and secure, while we eat and drink, sleep and awake, making merry.

But those who died, those who survived and those who serve in the land, sea and air units of the national defense force – and indeed all our men and women in our uniformed discipline services – can rest assured that this Government of Guyana will leave no stone unturned in ensuring continued enhancement of our national defense capacity.

Our five faithfully departed soldiers have been nationally honoured and their families and friends — and all Guyanese — will forever remember and appreciate the ultimate sacrifice they made in the never-ending war of always ensuring Guyana can defend itself. Our faithful five will eternally rest in peace; and all external designs on Guyana will also always rest in peace!