Maj Gen Clayton Yaachie, delivering an address
A military parade was held at the square of the Second Battalion of Infantry (2BN) at Apremdo, near Takoradi yesterday to mark the 73rd Myohaung Day.
The anniversary of the battle of Myohaung has been chosen as an annual remembrance day to honour the heroes of the two West African Frontier forces that emerged victorious in the ancient capital of Myohaung of the Arakanese Kings that lies in the valley of the River Kaladan in Burma, now Myanmar. The 81st and 82nd West African Forces advanced on the contingent from the axis and defeated Japan during World War II in 1945. Troops from West Africa, including the Gold Coast, now Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and the Gambia, fought for the British Empire.
Although all the battles that the Gold Coast Regiment fought during the Second World War in the jungles of Burma were tough, the Battle of Myohaung was on record as the fiercest.
Yesterday’s ceremony brought together all the heads of the various security agencies in the Western Region.
Major General Clayton Naa Boanubah Yaachie, a former Army Chief, was the guest of honour.
The contingent on parade performed drum drills and displayed the beautiful colours of the military.
A minute silence was observed in memory of the heroes who lost their lives and the surviving ones.
The clergy- Garrison Chaplain Rev Thomas Canon Annan-Forson and Garrison Imam, Capt. Mohamed Alhassan- prayed for continuous peace in Ghana and sound health of the veterans.
Some of the dignitaries that attended the ceremony were Gifty Eugenia Kusi, Deputy Western Regional Minister, Commodore Osei Kufuor, Flag Officer Commanding the Western Naval Command and Group Commander Felix Adom Asante, Takoradi Airforce Base Commander.
The rest were Lt Col Emmanuel Opare Nyante, Commander of 2BN, Capt (Rtd) Edmund Ben Duah, Executive Director of the Veterans Association of Ghana (VAG), as well as heads of other security services.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Apremdo