Rear Admiral Bonsu pulled out of MATS
A pull-out ceremony has been held to mark the retirement of the Commandant of the Military Academy and Training School (MATS), Rear Admiral Emmanuel Akoto Bonsu.
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Rear Admiral Bonsu stood in a port security boat of the Ghana Navy which had been hooked to an armoured vehicle, while senior officers pulled the vehicle by ropes tied to it.
A military parade, also held in his honour, formed part of the ceremony that was held at MATS on Thursday.
It was a solemn ceremony.
Prior to that, Rear Admiral Bonsu had handed over the baton of leadership to his successor, Major General William Azure Ayamdo.
Rear Admiral Bonsu is retiring from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) after 40 years in the Army three of which he served as the Commandant of MATS.
Cheers
Officers and men of the GAF and invited guests lined the streets of MATS, cheering the retired Commandant and bidding him goodbye.
After three happy cheers had been said for him, the men and officers of the GAF and guests watched him being pulled out.
Profile
Rear Admiral Bonsu was born in 1954 and got enlisted into the GAF in 1976 after his secondary education. He was trained at the Military Academy and the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, UK, after which he was commissioned into the Executive Branch of the Ghana Navy.
In the course of his career, he held several positions, both ashore and at sea. He was posted to his first command appointment as the Commanding Officer of a Ghana Navy ship in 1993.
In 2001, while commanding the Naval Base in Tema, the then Commander Bonsu was appointed the first Commanding Officer of the Ghana Navy Ship Bonsu.
The senior officer had a stint at the GAF Command and Staff College at the Junior Division from 1997 to 1999.
He also held positions at the Naval Headquarters as Director, Naval Intelligence; Director, Naval Administration, and Director, Naval Operations.
In 2009, he was promoted to the rank of Commodore and appointed Chief Staff Officer (Navy), a position he held until October 2011 when he was posted to Tema as the Flag Officer Commanding – Eastern Naval Command.
He was appointed Commandant of MATS in May 2013 and promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral in June the same year.
Farewell message
In his farewell message, Rear Admiral Bonsu said although his position as commandant of MATS was sometimes challenging, it had been a successful journey.
He thanked the military and civilian staff of MATS for their support and encouraged them to offer greater support to his successor, Major General Ayamdo.
“Give the incoming commandant even greater support to enable us to realise our dream of making MATS an institution of excellence in military training and leadership development internationally,” he urged.
Writer’s email: Doreen.andoh@graphic.com.gh