A father’s advice and a mother’s prayer
IT was his father’s advice to him that got Taniela Senikuta to join the Republic of Fiji Military Forces because he needed some discipline in his life.
Mr Senikuta enlisted in the army when he was 23-years-old and joined the Territorial Force unit of the military in 1978, but prior to that, Mr Senikuta was a civil servant and worked as a senior inspector and later division inspector with the Prices and Incomes Board (PIB) at the time.
“I am the eldest son in the family and my father saw that I needed some stability. He was part of the Fijian troops that went to fight in the Malayan Campaign, and he thought the military would also do me some good because I needed the disciplined life instilled in the military,” he said. Mr Senikuta who hails from Nadoi in Rewa was part of the Remembrance Day event held at the National War Memorial Site in Nasese on November 11, 2022. At the event, he met some of his comrades with whom he served with in Lebanon in 1979, and also remembered his comrades that did not make it back home to their families.
He still clearly remembers some incidents that happened during his tour of duty that resulted in fatality.
“We were manning a checkpoint (Charlie Checkpoint) one day when the enemy started shooting at us and this led to some of our Fijian soldiers being injured and killed,” Mr Senikuta shared.
One of his closest friends, Mikaele Nadomo who hailed from Suvavou Village died at a different daylight shooting that also happened at their camp.
Mr Senikuta also shared the story of when they were held captive at the village of Alteri in the hills of Lebanon.
It was a Sunday morning and Mr Senikuta was resting inside his tent because it was his day-off when a call came for some of the troops to go to Alteri Village because terrorists had taken over that place.
“As soon we had arrived in the village, guns started going off at us from every corner. Only one person came to my thoughts amongst the noise of the guns – it was my mother. She had always reminded me to be true to my faith in God and it was on that Sunday that I saw her face and the front of our home.”
“We were held captive for seven days and seven nights without bathing and cleaning ourselves. Things got intense because a lot of us were injured and some died. But in the end, we came out victorious because Alteri Village was regained back to the villagers,” he said.
Mr Senikuta now dedicates his life to the work of the Lord as a lay preacher and says he has a lot of pride in serving the country through the Republic of Fiji Military Forces.
The President, Ratu Wiliame Katonivere was present at the Remembrance Day event held in Nasese.
Every year on the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month, the world pays its greatest respects to those who had sacrificed their lives in the great wars, the brave that had fought for our nation and the world.
November 11th also observes the end of WWI in 1918.