United Party’s Director of Field Operations, Hopeson Adorye, has revealed that he once aspired to become a soldier, a dream he developed after being inspired by the late former President Jerry John Rawlings.

Speaking recently on JoyNews' PM Express, he said his admiration for Rawlings grew after witnessing how he mobilised soldiers during a clean up exercise in his community.

According to him, Rawlings’ presence in his area and the military activities surrounding him left a strong impression on him as a young boy.

"I wanted to be a soldier, and I was inspired by Jerry John Rawlings. I quite remember he came to our area, and the way he behaved, I said, I'll be a soldier one day.

"Within the shortest possible time, he organised a cleanup exercise... that day, I told my father that I wanted to be a soldier," he recounted.

Adorye said the experience heightened his desire to join the military, but his father had other plans for him.

Rather than allowing him to pursue a military career, his father insisted that he become a teacher.

Adorye eventually followed his father’s wishes and attended a teacher training college, completing his training at the age of 22.

Despite entering the teaching profession, he said his interest in security services did not completely disappear.

He later attempted to join the Ghana Police Service, recalling the overwhelming number of applicants he encountered at the training centre in Accra.

“I got to the training centre at 3:30am. By the time I left there at 5pm, where I was standing was the same place I was standing. We couldn't move. Plenty of people,” he said.

Adorye's early career in education was also notable. He said he became a head teacher at a young age, overseeing a school with more than 300 pupils.

"I completed training college at age 22. I was a head teacher with a school enrollment of over 300 people," he recounted.

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He initially taught at the basic school level, where teachers were expected to handle several subjects, before moving to the junior high school level, where he taught Social Studies.

Although his childhood dream of becoming a soldier did not materialise, Adorye said he eventually developed a career in politics.

JKB/EB

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