By Edward Acquah
Accra, Aug. 10, GNA – Brigadier General Daniel Frimpong (Retired), a Former Deputy Commandant of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, has encouraged young officers in the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) to write about their experience in service to contribute to history and knowledge.
Brig. Gen. Frimpong, who was enlisted into the GAF in 1970 and served for 43 years, said documenting experiences of officers would help to prevent others from “rewriting history” and cautioned that “if we don’t write, we will continue to reinvent the wheel.”
He was speaking at the launch of his memoir titled: The Military, My life: 43 years-5 months-25 Days at the Burma Camp in Accra on Thursday.
“I crave your indulgence that please write. That is the way we will keep history intact.” Brig. Gen. Frimpong said.
He also charged young officers to be professional and embrace integrity throughout their service to the GAF as a key tenet to building a successful military career.
The book, which is the fifth by the author since 2010, shares the life story of Brig. Gen. Frimpong from his primary school days across Ghana, his secondary education and enlistment into the Ghana Armed Forces in 1970.
The author discusses his long career in the military, community service, diplomatic life, incursions into academia, retirement in 2014 after over forty-three years’ service, and life after retirement.
Brig. Gen. Frimpong also discusses his sojourn in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Canada and the United States of America and shares useful lessons for both officers and commanders to make informed decisions.
Vice Admiral Seth Amoama, the Chief of Defence Staff, in a speech read on his behalf by Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu, the Chief of Naval Staff, described Brig. Gen. Frimpong as “a personification of the word prolific” and “well-grounded military officer and academic.”
Vice Admiral Amoama said a lot of misrepresentations are churned out about security matters and encouraged officers to publish their experiences in the military to help others understand and appreciate the nature of the work of the security agencies.
“Penning down our memoirs and contributing to public discourses on topical national and global issues creates long-lasting impact on future generations,” he said.
Brig. Gen. Frimpong commissioned as an Armoured Reconnaissance (Recce) officer in 1973 after his cadet training in Ghana and Canada and retired in 2014 as the Deputy Commandant of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College.
He commanded the Ghana Military Academy from 1998 to 2002 and was Ghana’s first Military Adviser at the Permanent Mission of Ghana to the United Nations from 2002 to 2006.
Between 2008 and 2009, he served in Uganda as the UN’s Senior Military Adviser to former President of Mozambique Joaquim Chissano.
GNA