Dead Maritime Cadets’ Memories Live On …Family Members Observe One Year Of Death Friday, September 27, 2013 makes it exactly one year when four in training Maritime Cadets met their untimely deaths in deep sea near Monrovia. Memorial Service for the four fallen Maritime Cadets who got drowned in September of 2012 took place over the weekend at the Musa Beach where the potential Liberians lost their lives. The ceremony was jointly organized by the families of the 4 ‘Search and Rescue Cadets’. The families of each of the 4 cadets, Henry Bryant, George Kaba Reeves, Eddie Wilson and Patrick Ansumana who sat in circle as a sign of unity were all dressed up in black, purple and white. Our reporter observed that there was not a single member of the management of the Liberia Maritime Authority that attended the memorial service. The scene of the ceremony was marked by total sorrow as the families could not hold back their tears. They all sat under the rain painfully as a rainbow stood in the sky reminding them of the story of Noah in the Holy Bible after the flood. The rainbow drew everyone’s attention and later the cries subsided. The four young men, Henry Bryant, George Kaba Reed, Eddie Wilson and Patrick Ansumana bodies were discovered on a rainy morning of September 27, 2012 on the Musa beach. When quizzed on why family members of the fallen cadets took the memorial service of their relatives, love ones and children to the beach, the Spokesperson of the fallen Maritime Cadets, Madam Pate Chon, a Sister of one of the 4 cadets, Henry Bryant, said they took the service at Musa Beach because it was where the cadets lost their lives on that fateful morning. “We have come to this very same spot where our brothers, fathers and love ones were found dead; we’ve come in one body to pray to the God of vengeance for their death”, Madam Chon said. Madam Chon in a strong tone lamented that the LMA told them that their fallen relatives went to jolly-jolly and that they did not go into the sea under their directive. She told reporters that they were still hurt over the death of their relatives but said all they can now do is to pray for God to council them. Delivering a short sermon and payer for the families, a Liberian clergy man, Pastor Matthew P. Gonkerwon encouraged the families not to give out hope as he spoke on the theme ‘When Living Becomes Painful, what Should we do’, from the Book of Job 1:1 to 22 . Telling the story of Job in the Bible, Pastor Gonkerwon told the families that there comes a time in life when things will not always be fine and that when such time comes; trusting in God is the best way out. Since the death of the 4 cadets their families and, authorities of the Liberia Maritime Authority have been in court. The aggrieved families this year filed a lawsuit against the LMA for wrongful death. But the LMA has denied any responsibility of the cadets’ death, claiming that the victims died during merry-making after their training session ended at the SKD Sports Complex. Cllr. Warner, who serve as Counsel for the deceased argued during that final ruling that the LMA was liable for the death of the cadets since indeed; it provided them life jackets that are used in water, and that they died in the presence of a Maritime supervisor during training time. Hence; a trial jury panel on April 29, 2013 handed down a unanimous guilty verdict against the Liberia Maritime Authority (LMA) for the death of the four Search and Rescue Cadets, while undergoing training at sea on September 27, 2013. The 12 members jury panel also awarded the deceased cadets’ families US$3.15m (three million fifteen thousand United States Dollars) for punitive action against the LMA, general damages and expenses incurred by the families, among others. But defense lawyers representing the Maritime Authority took exception to the jury’s guilty verdict, and filed in for retrial. Meanwhile, the LMA and families of the four cadets are expected to appear in court this October term of court.
Posted on: Sun, 29 Sep 2013 22:15:09 +0000
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