The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, has called on personnel in the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to document their experiences to advance the frontiers of military knowledge.
He explained that, books which mostly contain historical truths and factually verifiable information could help eradicate misrepresentations about military and security matters and shape the notion of current and future personnel.
“I see a lot of stalwarts whose personal profiles will not only make interesting reading but also teach life changing lessons to posterity while immortalising your memory in the annals of literary works,” the CDS said in a statement read on his behalf by the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Issah Yakubu in Accra yesterday.
He was speaking at the launch of a 202 page book authored by Brigadier General Daniel Kwadwo Frimpong (Rtd).
Titled, “The Military My Life,” the book chronicles the life and career experiences of the author during his early years in school through his 43-year military career.
It contains information about some of the major historical events of the 1970s and 1980s and also gives a personal experience of the dramatic, and often tragic events of the 1979-1982 period when attempted coups, coups and counter-coups were the order of the day.
The book provides firsthand accounts of events during the revolutionary period and highlights roles some officers played in the captured happenings of the time. “The pen is mightier than the gun. Through it, we are able to pen down our memoirs like what Brigadier General Dan Frimpong has done and contribute to public discourses on topical national and global issues which create long lasting impact on generations yet unborn and that is a value that no amount of money can buy,” Vice Admiral Amoama stated.
Brigadier General Frimpong (rtd) also reiterated the need for personnel to write down the knowledge and experiences gathered during their career course.
He explained that documentation of experiences help to protect and safeguard history and prevent others from twisting occurrences to meet their interest.
“We must prevent others from re-writing our own history. If we write down our history, the fact is kept and not twisted.
“The absence of books on career knowledge means we must always reinvent the wheel. So long as we do not write, we will always go back and that’s not helpful,” Brigadier General Frimpong (rtd) stated.
Additionally, he advised current military personnel to maintain high professional standards in their workings saying that, professionalism was key in promoting the values of the GAF.
He said, professionalism could be realised through the personnel keeping a high level of integrity in their dealings.
“The work of a military thrives on intelligence, knowledge and many other skill. However, without integrity, professionalism is discarded which reflect badly on any military personnel,” Brigadier General Frimpong (rtd) stated.
BY CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS
