Major Maxwell Adam Mahama was a soldier’s soldier. A soldier is he or she who commits to die, so that the Nation may live; so that we may live in peace and tranquillity. Major Maxwell Adam Mahama lived the creed of the Ghana Armed Forces to its letter. At the gates of the Military Academy and Training School where his career as a soldier began, there is an inscription that states that they who pass through that gate commit to defend the Nation on land, in the air and on the seas, even at the peril of their lives. If there is ever a soldier who lived this commitment as a religious duty, that was Major Maxwell Adam Mahama.
This was a soldier who was legitimately armed, and could legitimately shoot his attackers. But he refrained from doing so. Even as they sought to take his life, he sought to protect theirs. This is a soldier’s soldier.
The Nation cannot mourn Major Maxwell Adam Mahama enough. Our tears cannot stop flowing as we lay to rest, such a fine example, of not only what it takes to be a soldier, but indeed what it takes to be human. How do we explain to his young children when they grow, that their father lost his life at the hands of fellow Ghanaians, not at the hands of foreign invaders and not in a battlefield? How do we reconcile the irony that Major Maxwell Adam Mahama died, while protecting our environment and our future? If ever there was a person. Who did not deserve to die, it was Major Maxwell Adam Mahama.
But such is life. Sometimes the worst happens to good people. May the death of Major Maxwell Adam Mahama serve as the death that heralded the death of impunity in our nation. May the tears of his wife, children and family never ever again be shed by another soldier’s family.
Major Maxwell Adam Mahama! May it be known to you, even as you journey into eternity, that we, the government and people of Ghana shall immortalise you; we shall celebrate you; we shall do right by your family. Let the angels sing to you, that you left behind a nation in appreciation. There are names that are given to various categories of special soldiers: “Seals”, ” Rangers”, “Commandos” and such other epithets as depict valour, honour, commitment and bravery. If we were to confer all these titles to you, they would not be enough to describe that which you embody.
If all the seas were ink and all the trees were pens, they would not be enough for us to express our sorrow and our gratitude to you for your contribution to this nation. We know that the modest package that the President has announced for the maintenance of your family is not enough to compensate for your demise. We are truly sorry that your fellow Ghanaians did this to you. We shall try within our human capacity, to make restitution no matter how inadequate it may be.
March on, gallant soldier. Let the trumpets of heaven sound at the arrival of a soldier’s soldier. March on Major Maxwell Adam Mahama. Rest in perfect peace, as we await our turn to join you. We shall continue to show our appreciation to you until the last day of the resurrection when we meet again.
Da yie!
