By Ebrima Conteh
Sam Sarr should do himself and Gambians a big favor and keep quite; this is the most politically correct way I can make this statement. The 22 July revolution was due to massive failure in leadership, Sam Sarr should own up to this fact, accept it and move on. He is addressing Gambians as if we are stupid. No excuses will abdicate him from the responsibilities entrusted in him and his fellow Officers. He is not the first Gambian to lead soldiers, the manner in which he rants in the online community makes me question if he was a real Military Officer. It is uncharacteristic for a military leader not to accept his responsibility.
The first thing US Officers are taught at the Academy and Officer Candidate School is to take full responsibility of their actions and not make excuses for their action. That is lesson number one; Sam must have missed that day wherever he had his military training. An officer is first and foremost a leader of men he cannot manage his command to effectiveness; they must be lead. There was a failure in leadership and hence a break down in the chain of command that led to indiscipline Soldiers to over throw a democratically elected government. To sum it up, 22 July 1994 was a catastrophic leadership failure period, please accept it and move on.
The history of the American Army is full of examples of real soldiers who, in the face of unbelievable odds, when it seemed all might be lost, managed to carry on nonetheless out of a sheer sense of DUTY. Whether it was because they felt the call of patriotism or a sense of duty to their fellow soldiers or a sense of duty to their country. The true ultimate test of a soldier is in times of crisis; Sam and his fellow GNA soldiers have shown us their score.
Words cannot describe the motivation and the intense desire that brave soldiers have when the need arises to do what it takes to defend their country against all odds. If you were to ask a bona fide and a seasoned war "hero" why he or she did what they did, they'd probably have a hard time explaining it. There's a good chance they'd say: "I don't know about being a hero. I was just trying to do my duty."
“Duty, Honor, Country: Those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. They are your rallying points: to build courage when courage seems to fail; to regain faith when there seems to be little cause for faith; to create hope when hope becomes forlorn.” General Douglas MacArthur.
These lessons are basic in Officer training school; it is evident that he missed the fundamentals that make a military officer.
At the end of World War II, many in the US hailed the Commander of Allied Forces in Europe, GENERAL DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, as a national hero. He didn't quite see it that way. His response was: "I'm just a Kansas farm boy who did his duty."
"Do your duty in all things," the Confederate GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE is said to have advised his son. "You cannot do more. You should never wish to do less."
GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, JR., another acclaimed hero from World War II, also believed strongly in the importance of doing ones duty. "If I do my full duty," he said, "the rest will take care of itself."
If we use Patton’s theory then some one failed Gambians. Some one failed to do his duty and the result is catastrophe. No excuses will free those who were entrusted with the security of our country of that responsibility, so my advice is to stop the babbling and take responsibility. The Gambian Army failed on July 22 1994, it is not personal it is a fact; it is about time he accepts his failures.
Anyone who has thought about soldiering knows the importance of COURAGE both on an off the battlefield. It takes courage to withstand the rigors of war. It takes courage to assume responsibility for life and death decisions. It often takes courage to "do the right thing. In addition to failing to execute the duty of defending the constitution, I believe GNA soldiers lacked the courage to do what was right.
Here are some famous quotes on courage from past military leaders:
"Never take counsel of your fears."
"Stonewall" Jackson
"Untutored courage is useless in the face of educated bullets."
General George S. Patton Jr.
"All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened. The courageous man is the man who forces himself, in spite of his fear, to carry on."
General George S. Patton Jr.
By the way why do we address Sam Sarr as Lt. Col Ret? Correct me if I am wrong but I do not think he retired. I stand to be corrected. That title is for soldiers who served honorably and retired after years of honorable service. Technically Sam Sarr does not deserve that title because he did not retire honorably.
Editors note: Mr. Conteh thanks for the masterpiece. We agree entriely with your observation regarding fired army officers calling themselves retirees. To the best of our collection, Sam Sarr was fired from the army and not retired as portrayed.
For the records, we believe that such misinformation needs to be corrected to pass the test of time.The onus lies on Sam and other fired officials to present themselves as ex fired army officials or use the word former army officer. The word retired is not the right discription for the situation at hand. Sam was never retired.
Many a time people tried to abuse words without trying to find out its meaning. Lets keep things real and avoid distorting history.We need evidence and not mere titles without proofs. Few officers were retired by Jammeh and Sam Sarr was never part of that group. We were on the ground at the time of Sam's removal. We harboured no grudges against Sam Sarr, but the truth must be reported no matter what. Thanks for making such an important observation. There is nothing more honourable than to tell the truth. Lets justice guide our actions. Just a thought!!