PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
THE MINISTRY HAS NOT YET RELEASED AN APPLICATION FORM FOR THE NEXT RECRUITMENT INTO RSLAF...
REGIMENTAL DINNER FOR NEWLY COMMISSIONED FEMALE OFFICERS ON WEDNESDAY 18 SEPTEMBER 2019 AT THE MYOHAUNG OFFICERS MESS WILBERFORCE BARRACKS
On Wednesday 18th September 2019, as tradition demands in the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence and the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) organized a regimental dinner in honour of Thirty-Eight (38) newly Commissioned Officers at the Myohaung Officers Mess (MOM), Wilberforce Barracks Freetown. The dinner was designed to create a forum where the Young Female and Senior Officers within the force interact with one another as a way of showing earnest appreciation of good and cordial working relationship that would exist between them.
In the Military, regimental dinners are organized periodically, at least once a year as part of regimentation. Therefore in the RSLAF, VIPs, Young Officers from cadet training, Officers assembled for certain courses and visiting Senior Officers from other Countries are dined regimentally in the MOM. This is to welcome them into the officer corp and on completion of service, course or visit, they are also dined out regimentally to appreciate their services. The RSLAF therefore, like other militaries in the sub-region continues to uphold such mess customs as was evident on Wednesday 18th September 2019. This event took place at a time when the Guest of Honour, Madam First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Mrs Fatima Bio has boasted the morale, confidence and respectability of female RSLAF Soldiers and Officers. As she spearheaded the 2019 special female Recruitment into the RSLAF with the assistance of International Security Advisory Team (ISAT), which retreated His Excellency the President’s vision on the empowerment of women in national development. The RSLAF is a legacy of the British Royal Army. This is the reason why it is patterned closely after the British. The RSLAF evolved from the early colonial Para Military Units established under the British. It means that whatever today are the customs and traditions of the RSLAF, were largely inherited from the British Royal Army. The under mentioned therefore, serve as paramount or useful purposes for organizing regimental dinners as and when required: a. It allows Commanders to be able to assess the morale of officers under command. b. It allows Junior Officers a forum of relaxation in the fraternity with their seniors. c. It allows Senior Officers to mingle with their Juniors and enable them to see the potentials of each Officer especially in such environments that are free from the weight of Commanders. d. It affords Commanders the opportunity to assess the loyalty of their Officers to the C-in-C and the instinct to which they belong through the administration of the “Loyal Toast” e. It also forms a forum for Officers from different arms and other disciplines to converge in one location and interact in a less formal manner. f. Individual attitudes of Officers at all levels can be assessed to enable the Commander to know their men and women more. This may help to determine what task could be assigned to whom, where and when, all geared towards the success of Command that can hardly be achieved otherwise. The above reasons or purposes become a central object of loyalty, pride and espirit de corps of Officers and also as a process of instilling military spirit. Regimentation and esprit de corps are enhanced by a healthy mess life. For Junior Officers, dining in the mess unite them as one family. Finally, in order to promote and uphold regimentation in the present dispensation, the MoD/RSLAF needs to revive most of its relevant traditions and ethics and also insist on their practice with service personnel force wide. JOHN ALFRED SAHR GBONDO Group Captain Director Public Relation and Information
