MFAE
Force Commander of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, Lt. Gen. Mohan Subramanian, cherished the Ethiopian peacekeeping troops’ endurance and determination in achieving their mission in a very challenging condition.
The Force Commander mentioned this during the prestigious UN medal award ceremony of the Ethiopian Battalion 3 peacekeeping troops in Yambio, Western Equatoria State. It is one of the three Ethiopian peacekeeping battalions deployed in South Sudan.
Recalling Ethiopia’s long-standing commitment to peacekeeping operations since the early 1950s, the Force Commander further testified to the countries’ consistent commitment to collective security.
He also appreciated the battalions’ courageous effort in reversing the conflict in Tambura County last year. He said the prompt intervention saved many thousands of lives.
On his part, Ambassador Nebil Mahdi evoked Ethiopia’s relentless contribution to global peace by mentioning the country’s longstanding commitment to global peace and security.
Recalling Ethiopia’s active role in spearheading the mediation effort on the diplomatic front, which culminated in the signing of the 2018 peace agreement in Addis Ababa, Ambassador Nebil underscored the role of the peacekeeping mission as another venture in creating a conducive environment for a sustainable peace in the country. He also emphasized Ethiopia’s continued commitment to lasting peace in South Sudan.
The ambassador congratulated and commended the troops for sustaining the professional ethics, perseverance, and discipline, which he mentioned as the peculiarity of the Ethiopian Army.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Nebil and his delegation also traveled to Tambura County to encourage the Ethiopian contingent that was deployed last summer to calm the conflict situation in the area.
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Who forgets the eye witness account by Brigadier General Samuel Lyman Atwood Marshall where he told us in his memoire ‘Pork Chop Hill’? He could not get enough of talking admirably about our gallant and brilliant soldiers in that war. These were some of his memories about the Ethiopian battalion:
‘If to our side, at the end as in the beginning, they were the Unknown Battalion, to the Communists they were a still greater mystery. When the final shot was fired, one significant mark stood to their eternal credit. Of all national groups fighting in Korea, the Ethiopians alone could boast that they had never lost a prisoner or left a dead comrade on the battlefield. Every wounded man, every shattered body, had been returned to the friendly fold.’
‘Many times enveloped, the Ethiopian patrols always succeeded in breaking the fire ring and returning to home base. If there were dead or wounded to be carried, the officer or NCO leader was the first to volunteer. When fog threatened to diffuse a patrol, the Ethiopians moved hand in hand, like children. Even so, though they deny it, these Africans are cat-eyed men with an especial affinity for moving and fighting in the dark. In most of the races of man, superstition unfolds with the night, tricking the imagination and stifling courage. It is not so with the Ethiopians. The dark holds no extra terror. It is their element. Of this in part came the marked superiority in night operations which transfixed the Chinese. It hexed them as if they were fighting the superhuman. The Ethiopian left no tracks, seemingly shed no blood and spoke always in an unknown tongue. Lack of bodily proof that he was mortal made him seem phantom like and forbiddingly unreal.
That may explain why, toward the close, everything done by the Ethiopians seemed so unbelievably easy, even under full sunlight. We watched them from Observation Point 29 through glasses on a fair afternoon in mid-May, 1953, as mad an exploit as was ever dared by man. Under full observation from enemy country, eight Ethiopians walked 800 yards across no-man’s land and up the slope of T-Bone Hill right into the enemy trenches. When next we looked, the eight had become ten. The patrol was dragging back two Chinese prisoners, having snatched them from the embrace of the
Communist battalion. It was only then that the American artillery came awake and threw smoke behind them. They got back to our lines unscratched. So far as I know, this feat is unmatched in war. How account for it? Either the hex was working or the Communists thought the patrol was coming in to surrender. ‘
Every time I read these and other heroic feats by our gallant and smart countrymen as it was told by the eyewitness himself I get goose bumps. I get huffed up by runaway pride. This memoir was made into a movie starring one of my most admired actors, Gregory Peck. But the heroic feat of our soldiers was intentionally left out by the bigoted Hollywood top brass. Several years after the movie was released Gregory Peck found out about this omission and was said to be very upset about it. He did not read the book and went by the script written for it by studio writers.
I highly recommend the book to anyone who is Afro/Ethio-Centric like me. The movie is not my cup of tea for good reason!!!
QUOTE: “Force Commander of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, Lt. Gen. Mohan Subramanian, cherished the Ethiopian peacekeeping troops’ endurance and determination in achieving their mission in a very challenging condition.
UNQUOTE”
Humble Reaction.
Let us be honest: THE ABOVE IS EXACTLY THE ETHIOPIA THAT WE, AND THE WORLD, KNEW.
How about also the Ethiopian gallantry — the pride of Black Africa and admiration of the World — during the Korean War !?!?
What happened to Ethiopians, now in the 20th Century ?!?!?!?!?! It is a glaring question that every Ethiopian should ponder about and take action to RESTORE ETHIOPIA to its original humble PRIDE and DIGNITY.