COAS presenting a medal to Maj Nyuur
The first Ghanaian Peacekeeping troops of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission In Mali (MINUSMA), Ghana Engineer Company 1 (GHANEGCOY1), who successfully completed their one year duty tour and returned home early this year, were on 30 September, 2014, presented with their United Nations medal, at the 48 Engineer Regiment, Teshie, Accra.
The 125 all male contingent, under the command of Maj Ernest Nyuur of 48 Engineer Regiment, which formed the nucleus of the contingent, came back home without their medal in the mission area due to the fact that the mission had to transit from African-led International Support mission in Mali (AFISMA) to UN (MINUSMA), and by the time the process of take-over was through, the troops were due to be rotated without the medals being ready.
They, therefore, came home without receiving their medals, which were presented to them yesterday, 30 September, 2014. The presentation ceremony was planned to coincide with the visit of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj Gen Richard Opoku-Adusei, who decorated 17 of the 125 personnel on parade, after he had inspected the guard of honour mounted by personnel of the unit.
He commended the personnel for raising the flags of Ghana high among other contingents in Mali and also for exhibiting a high standard of discipline without bringing the Ghana Armed Forces as well as the nation’s name into disrepute. He, therefore, entreated other peacekeepers to emulate the examples of MINUSMA GHANENGCOY 1.
Maj Gen Opoku-Adusei used the occasion to commission a refurbished multi-purpose Unit Hall, executed from the Unit’s internally-generated funds.
Later at an all ranks durbar, the COAS charged soldiers to try to build upon the existing cordial civil- military relations, and should not engage in acts such as bullying civilians to destroy the relationship.
He commended the Unit for wining some contracts and was happy that most of the contracts had been successfully executed, saying that was good for the image of the Unit in bidding for future contracts.
The commanding officers of 48 Engineer Regiment, Lt Col Richard Kinney, briefed COAS on the achievement and challenges of the unit and appealed to him to help in solving them. He congratulated the troops of the MINUSMA for their immense contributions.
COAS rounded his visit up with an inspection of some heavy equipment in the unit, such as Military Boats, Mantrac Vehicles, and Bridging parts which were brought into the country through a memorandum of understanding between the government of Ghana and the German Military Advisory Group, led by Lt Col Juergen Kunz, to train the Ghana Engineering Component of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Standby Force.
THE Director of Administration at the Army Headquarters, Col John Asabre, the Army Secretary, Col Johnson Akou-Adjei, the Director Army Operations, Col Robert Yaw Affram, and some senior officers were present during the visit.
