A parade in a land far, far away !
~ by Hénock Gugsa ~
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The place: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ... Sidist-Kilo (Martyrs' Square).
It was either 1953 or 1954, I'm not quite sure, ... I was just a tiny toddler under the care of a long-time family nurse-maid. Her son and the "Kagnew" battalion of Imperial Guard soldiers in which he belonged were being deployed to Korea.* These sons of Ethiopia were on a tour of duty as part of a U.N. coalition to fight against communist North Korean and Chinese forces.
The occasion of the parade was to cheer and to give a prideful and patriotic send-off to the soldiers prior to their departure to Korea. Tri-color flags (Green-Yellow-Red) of all kinds ... pennants and miniature hand-held flags were everywhere!
A stationary military band played marching music while a long procession of representative troops neatly, deftly, and smartly marched up to and around the Square in front of wildly cheering crowds! Also in review were military armored-vehicles, tanks, and Howitzers (I think).
My nurse-maid hoisted me up on her shoulders, and so I was able to get the greatest thrill that no 5-year old ever experienced. To this day, my memory of that day remains fresh and unextinguished. Nowadays, whenever I hear mention of Korea, that distant memory of the first parade I attended pops in my head. My old nurse-maid, her son, and probably all of those soldiers who paraded that day are long gone, but their memory remains. Also, and in conclusion, I can declare that, along with nostalgia, a great pride in my old native land still resides in me!
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* "The Ethiopian Kagnew Battalions were three successive battalions drawn from the 1st Division Imperial Bodyguard sent by Emperor Haile Selassie I between June 1951 and April 1954 as part of the United Nations forces in the Korean War. Even after the armistice, a token Ethiopian force remained in the country until 1965."
~ Wikipedia
