Mr Ebou Colly Its always a pleasure to read your postings on " Coup in the Gambia". In fact I was looking forward to your postings on what happened on the 6th September 1994 but one could understand your change of circumstances; your fellow colleague has just lost his brother in a tragic incident. However, allow me if I alert your attention to a typographical error on your last posting You wrote "Captain Johnson's outstanding career began to shine in the GNA when in 1996 in a class of robust young officers undergoing officer training course in Fort Benning, USA...." Am I right to suggest that you mistakenly stated 1996 rather than 1986? Just a thought. Sanusi > COUP IN > GAMBIA NINE > To begin with I cannot but use a good part of this > week's narrative by extending my heart-felt > condolence > to Captain James Johnson and family for the tragic > death of Simon Johnson in Atlanta a couple of weeks > ago. The sadness that struck me when I heard about > the > senseless killing of such a fine young man brought > me > back horrifying memories of the global nightmare > that > has hit this god-fearing family in the past seven > years. For a fitting tribute to this special brother > Simon, I would tell the sad story of Captain James > Johnson, a brilliant soldier whose life was almost > shattered to pieces from the very moment Yaya and > his > gang of criminals hijacked our country in 1994. So > my > readers have to bear with me with the understanding > that only the soldiers could tell their own stories. > And that Captain Johnson's story deserved to be > documented and heard forever. > Capt. Johnson's outstanding military career began to > shine in the GNA when in 1996 in a class of robust > young officers undergoing officer training course in > Fort Benning, USA, the American training faculty > singled him out as the best international student in > that class. It was an achievement of high > prestigious > value bestowed to few foreign students in a school > the > Americans proudly designated "Home Of The Infantry". > An infantry officer of Capt. Johnson's personality, > both in ability and ethics, was the right stuff all > commanders wished to build in a reliable combatant. > . > He was the kind of person anyone would want to > associate with when it came to real military duties. > Put him on the toughest terrain and give him orders > to > perform and his ingenuity and endurance would stun > you. Hand him over any kind of modern assault weapon > and point to him a target to shoot at, and he would > hit it with a bull's eye. Put him on a running track > and you would end up wondering whether the man was a > machine or robot. Yet he was extremely discipline > and > had great respect for everybody, his peers, seniors > and juniors all alike. His love for his friends and > family added a considerable element of humanity in > his > simple world. And stay close to Capt. Johnson for a > short moment and soon you would hear him sharing one > or two of the numerous experiences he had shared > with > his loving wife Cicilia or brother Simon. That was > how > we all come to know about Simon in one way or the > other. If we did not meet him physically, by Capt. > Johnson's good words about this brother, Simon was > virtually part of all of us in the GNA. > Anyway when the captain returned from training in > the > USA, further decorated with the medal of an > outstanding parachutist who could jump from all > kinds > of troop-deploying-military planes, the Gambia Army > rightly put him in charge of the overall local > training of every new soldier. However before long > the > BATT officers handpicked him out of the pool of > officers and gave him another job when the > president's > office demanded, on an urgent request, to have a > good > officer sent to the State House as ADC to Sir Dawda. > There again, Captain Johnson for two years served > the > office of the president in a manner that boosted the > image of the GNA officer corps in both his domestic > and foreign performance. > In 1990, the very year he completed his ADC tour of > duty, the captain got orders to command "C" company > that was first sent to Liberia as part of the ECOMOG > peacekeeping force. He came back home with genuine > ECOMOG medals earned in the heated center of the > Liberian holocaust. This Captain did not shamelessly > steal a medal and pin it on himself without meriting > it. He never tried to deceive anyone with > pseudo-gallantry image when in reality he was not. > No, > Capt. Johnson was the true believer and a genuine > action-oriented officer whose actions merited every > award thinkable for a dedicated, honest and hard > working officer. > Upon his return from ECOMOG, he was again appointed > commandant of the GNA training school. But > unfortunately for him in 1992, while traveling from > Farafenni Barracks to Banjul, the jeep he was > driving > got a road accident. It was a rather fatal accident > that took the life of another very good young > officer > Lieutenant Darbo Jarju of Kartong Village. Captain > Johnson and Lieutenant K. Jaye sustained severe > injuries that the doctors in The Gambia lacked the > facilities to treat them. They were thus referred to > more competent surgions in the United Kingdom. As > for > Lt. Jaye, his injuries had to eventually force him > to > opt for early medical retirement from military > service. He was later re-deployed to the civil > sector. > As for Captain Johnson, despite the marked reduction > of his performance level by his injuries, he chose > to > stay in the military profession he had loved so > dearly. But medical advice put him on relatively > light > duties that basically made him an administrator. He > was again like a genius in that area performing his > duties efficiently and diligently. It was however > said > that on a follow-up treatment to London scheduled to > have taken place by September 1994, the chances were > there for him to regain the best part of the skills > he > had lost as a result of his injuries. > Then came July 22nd, the day of calamity the robbers > surfaced. The captain was on duty at Yundum that > day. > However, upon evaluating the situation at the very > beginning and realizing that the Nigerians who were > suppose to take charge had disappeared, he quietly > walked out of the camp and went home to his family. > Physically, his condition would not have allowed him > to do anything otherwise or be caught up in a > disruptive atmosphere that would simply render him a > victim of nothing logical. And knowing the > no-nonsense > person he was, there was no way a young lieutenant > would have tried to force him into taking any part > in > that mutiny. > However, when the tension subsided, Captain Johnson > went back to Yundum. He was immediately arrested and > taken to Mile Two, accused of treasonable actions. > On > what, nobody could come up with a case. Even Fafa > Mbye > who was at the time arming the devils with all kinds > of vindictive decrees could not fabricate a case > against the innocent captain. > In mile two however, nobody gave a consideration to > the medical condition of the gentleman. Therefore > within a short time, his condition drastically > worsened. The hard wood we were all forced to sleep > on > as beds mainly contributed the problem. He was > denied > his recovery medicines. Hence, within few months, > the > captain's nervous system became badly affected, > first > immobilizing one of his legs, then the other. > Doctors > from the International Red Cross visited him in the > prisons and left a strong recommendation to the > AFPRC > government that the captain must be evacuated to a > hospital or face the possibility of suffering > irreparable or permanent injuries to his body. By > then > Sabally and Haidara's orders forbidding sick > detainees > from being evacuated to a hospital to see a > physician > outside the prison was in full effect. And even > after > their welcomed detention on the 27th January the > order > remained the same. > It was like those horror stories where an evil > monster > is hell bent on destroying anything that was deemed > human and good. It was pathetic to see Captain > Johnson being dragged from his tiny concrete hole in > that dungeon for him to have a simple shower in the > morning. He was in pain that was totally > heartbreaking. His legs were limp and powerless. Yet > we could not do anything but sympathize and share > the > bitterness. > At one time his condition got so bad that the prison > officials had no choice but to take him to the RVH > for > doctors to look at the helpless man. I think it was > === message truncated === ____________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? 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