TT’s top soldier inducted in International Hall of Fame

CHIEF OF Defence Staff Brigadier General Ancil Antoine has been inducted into the International Hall of Fame of the Command and General Staff Officer Course (CGOSC) at Fort Leavenworth in the United States. Brigadier Antoine, who graduated from the course in 2000, is the third military officer from Trinidad and Tobago to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

At the induction ceremony held last Wednesday at the Bell Hall’s Eisenhower Auditorium, CGSOC Commandant and Combined Arms Centre Commander Lt. Gen William S. Wallace said he was honoured to induct Brigadier Antoine, who was being recognised for his “remarkable contributions to his military organisation”. In response, Brigadier Antoine said his year at CGSOC was one of the best years of his life. He thanked his sponsors for making him and his family welcome and offered advice to students in the class of 2005. “You will be able to establish friendships and camaraderie,” he told them.

Antoine was promoted to Brigadier General and assumed his current duties as Chief of Defence Staff of the TT Defence Force in January 2002. He earned a Master’s of Military Art and Science during his year at CGSOC. The CGSOC International Hall of Fame began in 1973. To be considered for induction, the CGSOC graduate must have attained one of the highest positions of military importance in his or her country’s armed forces. Of the 212 Hall of Fame inductees from 61 countries, 26 have gone on to be the chief executive of their countries, a CGSOC release stated.