Accra: For men and women with battlefield experience, patriotism, sacrifice, and service are not just abstract ideas; they are lived experiences deep-rooted in hardship and sustained endurance in the line of duty. Such lifelong duty goes beyond the uniform to include the values of duty, honour, and commitment, long after active military service.
According to Ghana News Agency, such has been the life of Ex Lance-Corporal Wisdom Edmund Kudowor, a 97-year-old World War Two (WWII) Veteran, who volunteered for recruitment in 1943 at the age of 15. He was trained and enrolled as a soldier and tradesman for the Artisan Work Company of the then Gold Coast Regiment. Though looking frail after recent head surgery, the ex-serviceman's ability to recall his past experiences was exceptional.
Ex Lance-Cpl Kudowor lived in an era that saw many young Africans recruited to fight for their colonial masters in a war that ravaged half of Europe and claimed almost 85 million lives. In an interaction with the Ghana News Agency, he expressed no regret in volunteering, despite the imminent danger and harrowing stories about WWII at that time. Surprisingly, he maintained a nonchalant attitude towards not being put on a pension immediately after service, expressing neither bitterness nor pain. He returned to the Gold Coast in 1946 after four years of service without benefits until two years ago when he began receiving an annually paid British grant, recently increased to 1,350 pounds sterling. Though the grant did not match the sacrifice, 'it is still better than nothing,' he said.
Despite his past experiences, the old veteran's patriotism, sacrifice, and service did not wane after his return in 1946. He gained a scholarship to further his education and served his country for almost half a century, first as a pupil teacher and later rising to become the Headmaster of the Kpando Secondary School. He also headed other educational institutions and retired as a civil servant.
The veteran expressed concern over the decline in patriotism and sacrifice among young people in contemporary Ghana. Listening attentively due to a hearing challenge, he pointed to the attitude of the current generation, most of whom are unwilling to go the extra mile to support their country. He expressed worry over their focus on immediate gains and monetary rewards for little services rendered.
His observation was corroborated by Captain Ben Edmund Duah (Rtd), a veteran who began his service with the Field Engineer Regiment soon after being commissioned as a young officer in the early 1970s. He stated, 'Patriotism is non-existent in today's Ghana, unlike our time when we took pride in openly exercising these values.' However, he did not entirely blame the youth for not exhibiting such traits, attributing the seeming non-patriotism to the struggles veterans go through just to survive after sacrificing for humanity.
Captain Duah (Rtd) emphasized the urgency for the country to pay more attention to the concerns and needs of veterans. 'We should see them as people who voluntarily decided to sacrifice their lives for us. If anybody does this for you, you should be fair enough to look at his interest.these are people who have devoted their lives to save us, therefore we should be nice to them in the form of caring for them,' he noted.
When asked about the trend of youth seeking greener pastures abroad due to lack of confidence in the economy, Capt Duah and L/Cpl Kudowor both agreed that Ghana was still worth sacrificing for, despite the challenges. Captain Duah particularly stated that giving up on the country and seeking greener pastures elsewhere was not the 'right approach'. 'If you all travel or leave, who will be here to help develop this country?', he questioned.
Capt Duah urged Ghanaians to respect, recognize, and support veterans because the government could not shoulder the responsibility alone. 'Citizens should realise that these are people who, some time ago, in their youthful years, sacrificed their precious lives to save others.We expect that as veterans, people will respect and admire them for their values and bravery,' he said.
'I will advise the youth to utilise existing opportunities as a means to serve Ghana. Service to the country, I believe, should be the youths' primary goal,' Ex L/Cpl Kudowor said. The two justified the continuous celebration of Veterans Day on the 28th of February as a step in the right direction. This serves as a platform for the youth to learn about the three values of patriotism, service, and sacrifice, the history behind the celebration, and the need to respect veterans.
On February 28, 1948, veterans of World War II, who had fought with the Gold Coast Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force, organized a peaceful demonstration, marching to the Christainborg Castle at Osu in Accra, the capital of the Gold Coast, to hand a petition to the colonial governor, demanding their end-of-war benefits, which they had been promised. Before reaching the castle, the veterans were ordered to disperse by the colonial police chief. When they refused, he opened fire on them, instantly killing three of the ex-servicemen - Sergeant Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe, and Private Odartey Lamptey. The 28th February Crossroads Shooting is commemorated every year to honor the veterans for their sacrifice to the country.