A history making mission that transformed a village boy into a hero

Jul 03, 2022 News

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==The Detective==

By Shervin Belgrave

Kaieteur News – While there is no mystery in my article today, it is nevertheless deserving of the spotlight. It is all about a man who, who some may say, found his place in life accidentally.

It was in the early 1960s and at the age of 21, Dennis Stewart could not find any other form of employment and so he decided to join the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) as a private. Although it was not his first choice, it would be one that Stewart, who is 79 years old today, has not regretted. You see being in the army catapult him to the status of a hero as he was part of a team of soldiers who made history by being the first to hoist the Golden Arrow head on the peak of Mount Ayanganna to commemorate Guyana’s first independence celebration.

Because of that history-making mission, Stewart was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal. He would thereafter go on to have an illustrious military career earning three medals before retiring as a Warrant Officer Class One. In fact, he is even credited with training some individuals who later became prominent politicians – the late Ronald Gajraj who was a Minister under the People’s Progressive Party government, and Joseph Harmon, a former Minister of State under the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change regime.

On Wednesday last, during an interview with The Waterfalls, Stewart relived his journey to becoming a renowned son of the soil.
He grew up at East Canje, Berbice, Region Six, and as a youth, wanted badly to be a professional cricketer representing Guyana and the West Indies at the international level. “I loved cricket, I was a fast bowler,” he recalled with pride.

While it was his dream to be a cricket hero, destiny had other plans for him. Opportunities to become a professional cricketer were hard to come by and as he grew older, Stewart decided it was time to seek employment. He joined the army at the age of 21, in February 1966, the very year that Guyana gained its independence from British rule (commemorated annually on May 26, 1966).
Three months later, a young Stewart was still in training when he received news that his instructor, Assad Youssuff, had chosen him to be part of a special and historic mission.

He was selected to be a member of an eight-man team comprising of four soldiers and four civilians, who were tasked with climbing to the peak of Mount Ayanganna, located in the Region Seven district. Their mission was to hoist Guyana’s National Flag, the Golden Arrowhead, atop the mountain to commemorate Guyana becoming a free nation.

Stewart recalled being overwhelmed when he got the news that he was going to be part of his country’s history. He remembered asking himself, while standing in the presence of Guyana’s leader at the time, Linden Forbes Burnham, “Could this be real, an ordinary village boy like me receiving orders from the boss of the country to go on a special mission?”
He and the other members of the team posed for a photograph (a copy of which he has to this day) with Burnham before they set off on their journey. It all started with them heading to the Ogle Airport where they boarded a flight to Kamarang, Region Seven.

Stewart described the journey as a tiring but emotional one filled with discoveries and thrill. “It was exhilarating, it was tough walking; it was seven days walking from Kamarang to the top of Ayanganna and six days to come back,” he recounted.

As he went down memory lane, Stewart mentioned the name Henry Clinken, who he said was a fellow soldier who he bonded with as they journeyed to the peak of Mount Ayanganna.
In fact, today they are the only two survivors to tell the tale of the inaugural trip to hoist the flag on the mountain peak.

Stewart recalled that as they trod together through the thick vegetation of the rainforest, they kept each other’s company. While he was accustomed to hunting in the forested area of East Canje where he grew up, he said that the historic trip was nothing compared to searching for game.

“On one occasion, we camped on one of the banks of a small stream and apparently the rain fell in the mountains and the stream overflowed its banks,” Stewart recalled. The water, he said, quickly rose to about three feet and the team was forced to pack-up and swim across to the other side.

After making it across safely, they continued their journey, shivering in their wet uniform. But amidst the muscle aches and rough climate, they were thrilled to discover how untouched and rich the biodiversity of the land was.

“We found a large spider; it was bigger than a plate. We put it on a plate and the legs were still hanging over,” Stewart said, as recalled feeling privileged to be one with nature.
Finally, they made it to the peak and for Stewart, it was a moment filled with overwhelming emotions for the entire team.

“There were icicles on the mountain. That is how cold it was,” Stewart said, as he recalled being able to breathe in the fresh air from the mountain’s height.
As they prepared to hoist the Golden Arrowhead, Stewart remembered there being a set-back, due to a problem with their radio.

The team, he said, worked feverishly to fix the problem in order to meet the deadline, and when it was fixed, they were able to transmit via radio to the Commander in Chief in Georgetown that the mission was accomplished – the Golden Arrowhead was successfully hoisted.

The army had no cameras back then to capture the moment but the history he helped make that day will forever be etched in Stewart’s memory.
Upon his return, he wasn’t only promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal but he was afforded two weeks’ vacation.

Stewart travelled home not expecting much but when he arrived at East Canje, he received a hero’s welcome. The villagers had heard of his historic trip via the live radio broadcast and they were proud of him. “I was treated as a hometown hero,” said Stewart as he recalled the village hosting a party for him which he sadly had to miss because of work.

After a fulfilling military career, he eventually retired. Stewart of the recipient of three medals of honour – the Independence Medal, the Border Defence Medal and the Service Medal.
Throughout his career, he served with dignity protecting Guyana’s borders at Eteringbang and many other locations. But among his most prestigious achievement to date, he shared, was winning the heart of a nurse by the name of Arlette James.

While serving in the army, he recalled, she had spent some time at his base. According to Stewart, when he saw her, it was love at first sight.
The two eventually tied the blissful wedding knot and their union produced four children. In 1982, Stewart and his family migrated to the United States.
Stewart said that his marriage ended with the death of his wife six months shy of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Stewart, who has since returned to Guyana, now lives alone but remains proud that his name has been inscribed in the annals of his country’s history. These days, he runs a local security firm and is grateful to still be alive to share his story with the younger generation.
Although hoisting the Golden Arrowhead on top of Mount Ayanganna became an annual mission to commemorate Guyana’s independence, Stewart is proud that he was a member of the first team to make the journey.

 

 

 

 

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