The 60th Anniversary Celebrations of Intake 7 of the Ghana Military Academy (GMA) was yesterday launched in Accra.
The celebrations include a thanksgiving service on Sunday, November 23, at the Garrison Methodist Church at Burma Camp, to be followed by a grand luncheon at the Airforce Officers Mess.
The Acting President of the Intake, Brigadier General Joe Kwarteng (Rtd), said as part of the celebrations, a presentation of an undisclosed amount of money would be made to the best officer cadet in leadership of the graduating intake.
He noted that the story of Intake 7 Association was indeed one of service to mother Ghana and the world at large.
The President of the Association indicated that prior to the Intake’s graduation in November 1965, they were privileged to provide Guards of Honour Parades for visiting African Heads of State and governments who attended the 3rd Summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). As such, 60 years in the life of any organisation is worth celebrating.
“The two-year training the regular cadets comprising the Army, Navy and Airforce went through, was not only rigorous, intense and challenging, but more importantly it gave them the required grounding for successful careers in the Armed Forces and beyond.
“GMA Intake 7’s uniqueness is rooted in its composition, as it hosted the first foreign cadets from Uganda who trained with them, while the President then, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, also decided that women should train with them — which led to the formation of the Women Auxiliary Corps, the first batch of women cadets to join Intake 7,” he added.
Dr Nkrumah, he explained, also established the Reserves Officer Training Corps which was drawn from the campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, comprising academic, administrative and staff of Technology Secondary School, adding that “the batch was commissioned by President Nkrumah in November 1965 before his overthrow in February 1966.”
Brig. Gen. Kwarteng said the highest positions the Armed Forces members had achieved include the Chief of Defence Staff, Service Commanders, Commandants, Chief of Staff, among others, while others served on several peacekeeping missions.
He indicated that 10 out of their Airforce colleagues, after advanced training in Italy, formed the nucleus of the No. 4 Jet Squadron, with the Chief of Defence Staff who became the Chief of Staff and a member of the Council of State.
The President of the Association expressed appreciation to the GMA for their immense support and cooperation by putting their facilities at their disposal and assured of maintaining that close collaboration for years to come.
The Commandant of the GMA, Brig. Gen. Cornelius K. Lithur, said 60 years in the life of an association was a monumental achievement worth emulating by those in active service, especially for their unity, sacrifice, and exceptional commitment to the colours.
BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU
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