Monrovia – President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has led an array of senior government officials to sign the Book of Condolence for fallen AFL Deputy Chief of Staff, Colonel Eric W. Dennis.
Colonel Eric W. Dennis died on Monday, August 8, 2016 at the Du-Side Hospital in Firestone, Lower Margibi County following a brief illness.
According to an Executive Mansion release, the signing ceremony took place on Tuesday, August 23, 2016 at the Barclay Training Center in Monrovia.
Prior to his death, Colonel Dennis was enlisted with the first recruit class in July 2006, and held the positions of Assistant Chief of Staff (ACOS) for Training; First Battalion Commander, 23rd Infantry Brigade; Company Commander, ‘B Company’ First Battalion; 23rd Infantry Brigade, Platoon Commander, among other assignments.
On February 11, 2013, he was appointed by the President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as Deputy Chief of Staff of the AFL replacing Colonel Daniel Moore, who was honorably retired from the army.
Col. Dennis was a graduate of the Ghana Army Command and Staff College. He obtained a Master’s degree in Governance and Leadership from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in Accra. He also earned a Master’s in International Relations from the Ibrahim B. Babangida Graduate School of International Studies of the University of Liberia.
Prior to his appointment as Deputy Chief of Staff, he served as Instructor of Reserved Officers Training Course (ROTC) at the University of Liberia (UL).
Meanwhile, On Thursday, August 25, the remains of Colonel Dennis will be conveyed under appropriate military escort from the St. Moses Funeral Parlor at 4:00 p.m. to the Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Paynesville for one night of wake-keeping and thereafter on Friday, August 26, 2016 funeral rites will take place at on Friday, August 26, at the Trinity Cathedral on Broad Street, beginning at 10:00 a.m., followed by interment at the Bensonville Cemetery in Bentol City, Montserrado County.
In another development, President Sirleaf extended farewell to Liberia’s renowned biomedical research scientist and orator of Liberia’s 169th Independence Day, Dr. Dougbeh Nyan on Tuesday, August 23, 2016 when he paid courtesy call on the Liberia leader at the Foreign Ministry.
Earlier, Dr. Nyan expressed thanks and appreciation to President Sirleaf for the invitation and opportunity afforded him to be a part of the July 26 Independence Day Celebration to come and speak to the Liberian people.
Dr. Dougbeh Nyan described the opportunity as a “Great Moment” for him and his family especially his two children who according to him were in Liberia for the first time. He was accompanied to the office of the President by Liberia’s Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Health Minister Dr. Francis Nah Kateh and Atty. Medina Wesseh.
Responding, the Liberian leader commended Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan for performing such crucial national duty very well, congratulated him for honoring the invitation and expressed the hope that he will always come back to continue with the rebuilding process of Liberia.
To his credit, Dr. Nyan recently invented a Rapid Multiplex Quantitative Diagnostic Test that can detect pathogens such as Ebola, HIV, Zika, Plasmodium (Malaria), Yellow Fever virus, Dengue virus, Hepatitis B, C, and E, and West Nile virus, just to name a few.