“The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.” (Prov. 20:7)

“Somewhere in Ghana under scorch conditions, a quiet professional was always waiting. He did not care that he was tired nor his environment was risky.

That his hardened body was sleep deprived. He was unbroken and vigilant in his task. He had trained all his life in brutal conditions day and night to meet such challenges. He lived and survived by an Ancient Creed. He thrived on the mission and completing his objective was his ultimate goal. He was the final option for his men.

He was an inspiration for his colleagues. He was always Ready and Willing to serve” (RCC 47).

Unselfishly, you left your siblings and put on hold your dreams and aspirations. In the Central Region of your country, you found yourself planted to fight for a just cause. Without your sacrifice, this national cause would be lost. Nevertheless, you carried onward, no matter the cost.

As it is written; “But we would not have you ignorant brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.” Let us therefore turn our sorrows into joy as we remember our brother, friend and colleague today.

Maxwell, you were a true born of an officer. Your posture as a cadet in the Ghana Military Academy (GMA), taught us that each one of us was unique and blessed by God for a specific cause.

You were very active in every issue concerning the Intake right from entering GMA on October 6, 2005 until we commissioned on September 7, 2007. You were young and strong. Even in tiredness, you never relented. You were freespirited and never got frustrated with the ‘donning’ by our seniors.

Max, you willingly offered the needed assistance whenever approached. Your desire to help has left lasting impressions on the Intake. You mostly gave us morale when we exhibited fatigue by shouting,

“Move it”. You were very helpful to our Intake ladies and we sometimes referred to you as the “Ladies Man”.

You stood out always at the range. Even in your sleep, you could easily hit the target – you were our Intake “marksman”.

As an officer, you preached about securing the future and loved your profession to the core. You had great ideas and vision for the Ghana Armed Forces and humankind as a whole.

We would argue but you always had a way to bamboozle us with crafty words. We admired you on national parades with your immaculate drill and we always knew it would come with a group argument and discussion. Your vibrancy in all Intake discussions brought about the unity of our Intake. We are even more united now due to your demise. We shall light the torch of your visions and keep it burning as an Intake.

“JOE THE PROPHET” as we affectionately called you, you have left us too early; you have left an irreplaceable gap in our hearts and in our Intake. We recall your bits and pieces of advice when the going got tough. Who is going to interject with humour when the debates on the Intake WhatsApp platform gets heated up? No one! No not one!. Even in the morning of your unfortunate and untimely death, you were on the Intake WhatsApp platform you responded to a comment made by a colleague who wrote “ Today is critical thinking day” and you responded by saying: “ Just add critical writing and self-critical reading” and you laughed. Never did we imagine that was your last contribution for us.

Maxwell, you were a typical example of an all-round person. You were always ready to learn and perfected that which you have learnt. By this, you acquired tools that assisted you to do handy man jobs like carpentry, plumbing, poultry farming, electrical works and mechanical works among others. Over the years, you built a relationship with Jehovah and preached about salvation when given the opportunity. Though you are gone, we take consolation in the fact that you led a good life.

We believe that heaven smiled and received a warrior home.

Maxwell, you were indeed a true definition of an “Officer and a Gentleman”.

A special friend is hard to find. We wished you could have stayed forever, but we will never forget. If dreams were not dreams and dreams come true, we would not be here, we would have been with you. Your death has left us with great pain but we are encouraged because we know you are resting in the bossom of Jehovah.

Distance is one thing that keeps us apart, but Max, you will always remain in our hearts. As we stand here today to bid you farewell, we appreciate how fortunate we are to have had you as our colleague.

You taught us the virtues of hard work, determination, honesty, loyalty, respect for diversity, tolerance and patience.

In the tears that now stream down our upturned faces, as the National flag waves above you, in glory and grace, we Intake 47 pride in you with respect and dignity.

Freedom and justice was the gift that you unselfishly gave to your fellow citizens and pain and death was the price that you ultimately paid. Every day, we shall give you our utmost admiration for your endless fight to defend our nation.

Fare Thee Well Intake “Dada Bee”,

You Will Forever Be Missed