President Museveni, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Uganda Peoples’ Defence Forces (UPDF), has urged the forces to emphasize the ideology of patriotism while serving the people of Uganda.
“Don’t look at the army as a source of jobs. Yes, it might be a job but there is also service to the country,” Gen. Museveni said, reminding them that they succeeded in building a strong army because of being patriotic and working without pay.
“Remember that at one time, some of us who were serving the country were not being paid. We were working for patriotism only. But in your case, things are easier. You can work for patriotism but also be paid for that,” H.E Museveni noted.
He made the remarks while passing out a total of 391 trainees who have successfully completed their training in platoon commander and armoured basic crew courses at the Armoured Warfare Training School- Karama in Mubende district.
Of these, 55 personnel of which 5 are female, completed their one-year Armoured Platoon Commander course while 336, out of which 27 are female, completed the six-month Armour Basic Crew course.
“I congratulate them upon finishing and implore them to choose patriotism before careerism. The UPDF is an institution of service above self. They should also continuously learn about warfare. Building the force was due to continuous learning. We were able to build the NRA/ UPDF because we were studying,” he said.
The Commander-in-Chief also called upon the graduates to continue learning about warfare, saying building the force was due to continuous learning.
“When you see what’s going on in parts of Africa, you wonder whether these people are trained. Why do you have soldiers who don’t plan for their country? We were able to build the NRA/ UPDF because we were studying. That’s why we were able to build up the force from nothing,” Gen Museveni stressed, not forgetting discipline which has kept UPDF on top.
“I want to tell you that your future is bright because you are now entering a very disciplined force-the UPDF. You need to be disciplined, you will go very far,” H.E Museveni said.
