NAPUTO URGES: MAINTAIN PROFESSIONALISM
One hundred and thirty-four soldiers were told to maintain professionalism in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) training. This was made clear to them by Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), Rear Admiral Viliame Naupoto at the Lololo training center in Lautoka yesterday.
While delivering his speech, RearAdmiral Naupoto said the six-week training programme would prepare them for the one-year mission in the Golan Heights, depending on those who completed the programme.
RFMF soldiers who had been serving there for at least a year, would be replaced in March by the contingent that completes the UNDOF training, which started yesterday. “You have to train and prepare yourself and hopefully you get through and then you’re going to go to UNDOF,” he said. “Professionalism is not a skill set, professionalism, is more an attitude rather than a set of skills that you have and that attitude allows you to use your skills in a certain way, that when people look at you, they say okay that guy, has a lot of professionalism in his work.” He said the personnel would face the consequences of their actions throughout the training.
“Now, when you raise your hand to say okay, I’m available I can go to Golan, that decision has consequences. When you are going to do your training, you complete your training and, you have given it your all and you do it well, that has consequences,” he said.
“If you do not follow the rules here during training, that will have consequences when you deploy to go on the decisions you make they will have consequences.”.
He said those who completed the training would need to remember the crucial roles they were each tasked with.
“You’re going in to be out there in Syria, in the Golan Heights right now ravaged with COVID-19. You’re going there because you one day signed up and said, I want to join the military,” he said.
“Once you sign up to join, you swear an oath and when you swear an oath you get sent to these places to serve these people. In other words, you just going to do your job, not sacrifice No, no, this is just the job that I signed up to I’m going to go and just do my job.” Rear-Admiral Naupoto said the true sacrifice would be made by families releasing their loved ones to be part of the training.
“The best way to repay that sacrifice is to go and do your job properly, and then come back the hero that they deserve,” he said.