General Ogolla Honored with Grand Military Tribute: Reville, Last Post, Missing Man Formation
Today, the military will honor its leader, Chief of Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla, with a grand ceremony at the Ulinzi Sports Complex in Lang’ata, Nairobi.
General Ogolla, the tenth military chief, was the first Chief of Defence Forces to pass away while still in office and actively serving in the military.
President William Ruto, the head of the Defense Forces, will lead the ceremony before the burial on Sunday at General Ogolla’s residence in Ng’iya, Siaya County.
General Ogolla was one of the casualties in a helicopter accident in the Kaben region, situated on the boundary between Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot counties, on Thursday. Alongside him, nine other officers lost their lives. In response, President Ruto has declared a three-day national mourning period, with flags to be flown at half-mast.
Following military tradition, General Ogolla will receive a military farewell as the highest-ranking officer in the Kenya Defence Forces.
The ceremony’s core will feature full military honors, starting with the traditional reveille, initially used to rouse soldiers for duty but now symbolizing hope in the afterlife when played for the deceased.
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“The purpose of Reveille in Commonwealth military tradition is to wake up the sleeping soldiers. Sentries would be strategically placed in depositions during the night to warn the main force of enemy infiltration. The sounding of Reveille would signal the duty officers had completed their inspection of the perimeter and sentries would be able to stand down,” says an explanation by the Australian military, which follows British military traditions
The word Reveille is derived from the French word ‘reveillez’, meaning to ‘wake up’.
By British traditions, the soldiers’ daily routine started with the buglers playing Reveille in the morning and concluded with the Last Post at the end of the day.
After the reveille, there will be a one-minute moment of silence where everyone present is encouraged to deeply contemplate the general’s death and the sacrifice he made for the nation.
Its roots can be traced back to the 1800s when the majority of soldiers lacked wristwatches to keep track of their daily routines. Instead, they depended on it to wake them up and begin their day.
The Last Post, a widely recognized military bugle or trumpet call, will be performed to mark the general’s final journey and the conclusion of his service.
The somber and reflective tune evokes the memory of the soldier’s greatest sacrifice while serving the country. It became a regular feature on battlefields during the Boer War and World War I. The song was initially played during the opening of the Menin Gate memorial in 1927.
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Historically, the last post is sounded to mark the completion of the duty officer’s inspection and the securing of the military camp for the night.
The Forces Net publication quotes the sorrowful melody of the Last Post as follows;
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,
We will remember them
The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) will perform a 19-gun salute to honor General Ogolla. This salute is similarly used to commemorate retired deceased heads of state, vice presidents, Senate and National Assembly speakers, and other high-ranking officials, including state governors, in the United States, with variations in other regions based on their rank and importance.
The military last conducted honors two years ago at the burial of Former President Mwai Kibaki.
Based on the US Army Center of Military History, the salute uses real firearms, but live artillery rounds are not fired. Instead, soldiers use blank ammunition for safety purposes.
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The last military honor will be the Missing Man Formation.
The U.S. Department of Defense states that the honor includes four vintage Army Air Forces planes flying in formation, with a space where one plane should be to represent the missing person’s absence.
It is believed that the British Royal Air Force started the tradition 100 years ago as a way to honor a pilot who had died in service.
General Ogolla was a highly accomplished fighter pilot with training from the US, France, and other countries.
General Ogolla Honored with Grand Military Tribute: Reville, Last Post, Missing Man Formation