Kofi Ampeah Woode
Ghana Army’s Artillery Training School (ATRS) has held a ceremony to close its Advance and Basic Gunners Course 1-2024, which was aimed at achieving prescribed objectives, such as manhandling of heavy weapons in transitional, offensive and defensive phases of war.
Fifty-six (56) All Ranks, on Thursday 26 September 2024, successfully completed the 12-week rigorous training regime at the ATRS, Akoefe, in the Volta Region, with the Commander, Army Training Command (CATRAC) – Brigadier General (Brig Gen) Stephen Woseadzikpo Kwaku Parbey, as the Guest of Honour.
Brig gen SWK Parbey said in his speech that the training was not merely meant to satisfy the requirements of the Armed Forces training calendar, but an imperative that caused the Military High Command to provide logistics for the smooth execution of the course.
In congratulating the participants for completing the training, Brig Gen Parbey accentuated the need to undergo the Artillery Basic Course, which he said provides the building blocks for foundational knowledge and skills to kick-start the career of a gunner, whiles the Advance offers the abilities necessary for more demanding roles.
He said further that the course – which had a final field training exercise at the Battle Training Camp, Bundase – also prepared students individually and more importantly, to perform tasks as gunners, and to be familiarized with core skills required to operate with various weapons.
He commended the Commanding Officer (CO), ATRS – Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Patrick Atuiri, for seeing through the physically and mentally demanding course successfully, and acknowledged CO, 66 Artillery Regiment – Lt Col Jalali Din Ibrahim, for supporting the smooth running of the course.
At the Awards; in the Basic Artillery Course category, Gunner (Gnr) Osei-Owusu Foujour won First place; Gnr Agyemang Eugenia won Second, and Gnr Ati Mercy got Third position. In the Gunners’ Advance Course category, Lt Sandra Addo placed First, followed by Lt Abdul Jabal Mumuni, and Gnr Abangah Prosper in third position.
The closing ceremony was graced by the General Staff Officer Grade 1 of 16 Artillery Brigade Headquarters – Lt Col Felix Opoku, as well as staff and students of both the 66 Artillery Regiment, and the ATRS.
Credit: 7 GAR PR DET
