By Amin Kef Sesay
2nd Lieutenant Luckey Morson, a young female Sierra Leonean, has made Sierra Leoneans, in and out of the country, proud by proving beyond all reasonable doubts that with determination one can translate one’s ambitious dream into reality in an excellent manner.
Since she was a schoolgirl, Luckey, dreamt of joining the Army and to one day become an officer. Indeed, that dream was fulfilled in style and ceremony when she became the first woman from Sierra Leone to complete her course and commission from the prestigious Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.
According to an in-depth investigation conducted by this medium, sometime in the past, there was a female officer who attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst but could not complete the course program.
However, in the case of ,Luckey Morson, she successfully completed 44 weeks of intensive officer training at the world-famous academy and has now returned to Sierra Leone to take up her position in the Sierra Leone Army as a Second Lieutenant.
“We have so many different nationalities and cultures here. I have learned to respect everyone’s own opinions and uphold the British Army’s values and standards. They have not only guided me through Sandhurst but will also guide my lifestyle from now on; this has been a transformational year for me,” she recalled her days at the Military Academy during an exclusive interview.
The fulfillment of her ambition started through a chance meeting with soldiers who attended the funeral service of her best friend’s father that sowed the seed that eventually saw Luckey marching up the grand steps of Sandhurst to the tune of “Auld Lang Syne” to become a commissioned army officer.
“I have always admired people in uniform because it shows a lot of respect and they carry themselves with such dignity.
At the funeral some soldiers walked in and I had goose bumps. I noticed there were no women and I thought I wanted to be just like them, it awakened a sense of belonging for me,” the young female military officer expressed what prompted her wanting to be enlisted into the military.
She narrated that though her Mum never bought the idea of her joining before the completion of her university law course, however, in her own words, “I dropped my pen the moment I finished the last exam of my law degree and went to get the forms to sign up.”
Luckey finally got the opportunity to represent her country at Sandhurst through a tough and extended selection procedure.
Interestingly, it was over several weeks which eventually came down to Luckey beating off two men to claim top spot and a ticket to the United Kingdom. She put it down to her passionate belief of inspiring other women to join the Army.
Luckey freely admitted to being a little daunted when she first arrived at the academy.
“The first five weeks are hard, we all know about Ironing Board Sunday (day one where officer cadets arrive clutching their ironing boards) and then there is the first exercise attack and parading on the square; after that it really made me believe I could get through it,” she confidently narrated her days at the Military Academy.
Dilating on her experience over the 44 weeks at Sandhurst, Luckey explained that it had surpassed all her expectations.
Of course, the climax to any young officer cadet’s time at Sandhurst must be their Sovereign’s Parade when they parade for the final time in front of the iconic backdrop of the Academy’s Old College and inspected the Sovereign’s representative, and for Luckey it was British Prime Minister. Boris Johnson.
During the Prime Minister’s inspection he paused to chat with Luckey and even mentioned her homeland in his address. “The purpose of all our military professionalism should never be war, but peace and friendship and so it is fantastic that today there are soldiers from 22 other countries, from Sierra Leone to the US and I wish you the very best in your careers.”
Also there to watch Luckey pass out at the Sovereign’s Parade was her sister Cherry who had driven down from Scotland and shortly after the parade embraced each other before making the all-important, if not a little emotionally fueled, Facetime call to Mum back home in Freetown where she had been fervently watching the day’s events unfold via the livestream.
Luckey has now returned home to take up her position in the Sierra Leone Army with many fond memories of her time spent at Sandhurst.
Summing up, she said, “I would like to say a very big thank you to the Sierra Leone Armed Forces, the British High Commission and the Royal Military Academy for giving me this opportunity. I will use all I have learnt to inspire people to be better.”
One of Luckey Morson’s mentors, Don Marshall had this to say: “This girl from Sierra Leone has become the first Sierra Leonean woman to complete the officer training course at Sandhurst.”
He explained to this medium that she is like a daughter to him and his wife and they are her guardians while she was in the UK further stating that she has worked for their Makeup brand in Sierra Leone and been mentored and coached by his wife.
Don Marshall further informed that though she has had injuries and hyperthermia but never gave up, pushing against medical advice to stop and battle through.
“She scored great results in so many of the disciplines and succeeded where many failed,” he proudly said adding how it shows that it doesn’t matter where one comes from as determination, perseverance and a never give up attitude can help one achieves anything.
