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ACCRA, Ghana — During a routine U.S. Army civil affairs engagement with Ghana Armed Forces (GAF), June 8, an unexpected discovery connected two men across time and continents.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Raymond Jackson, a civil affairs noncommissioned officer assigned to Civil Affairs Battalion, U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), met with GAF Brig. Gen. William Kwabiah, deputy chief staff officer of operations and training. What started as a professional exchange turned personal when Jackson revealed he had been a Liberian refugee received in Ghana in 1998. Kwabiah, then a junior officer, realized he had helped coordinate refugee reception during that time, which included Jackson’s family.
“As a young person, I have always enjoyed helping people,” Kwabiah said. “Within the African societal context, the military offers the unique skills and competencies to deploy into areas that hitherto would have been difficult to access. I recognized that joining the armed forces would enable me to gain skills not only to assist vulnerable groups, but more importantly, to protect such people.”
Born in Monrovia, Liberia, in 1996, political instability shaped Jackson’s early life. His father was killed in 1998 as Liberia headed toward the second of two civil wars in the 1990s, and at age two, Jackson fled with his mother and siblings on a boat as part of a humanitarian mission supported by the Economic Community of West African States and U.S. forces. They arrived in Ghana and lived briefly in a refugee camp before settling with family.
“General Kwabiah stated that in 1998, he was in charge of receiving the immigrants coming into Ghana,” Jackson said. “I mentioned that I was one of those individuals who were on the ships that came in, and he said, ‘I remember we received your family.’ At that point, I was between shock and tears.”
In 2007, a humanitarian program brought Jackson to Staten Island, New York. He thrived academically and athletically throughout middle school and high school, and he later earned a bachelor's in health studies from Monmouth University. Inspired by the U.S. Marines who had helped his family, Jackson enlisted in the Army in 2020, later transitioning into civil affairs.
“I wanted to go into the military because when I was little, the people who came to save my family were military, and the uniform that I vividly remember were those [U.S.] Marine uniforms,” Jackson said. “They were extremely nice and patient. My mom would talk about them every day – literally, every day – and she still does. Joining the military became something I really wanted to do as a way of giving back for what they did.”
Kwabiah, now a one-star general, said he was a second lieutenant in 1998 when he oversaw refugee operations as people fled Liberia. He recalled the overwhelming conditions: boats that were barely seaworthy, limited supplies and the urgency to save lives.
“We did not plan for specific situations, like a mother giving birth at sea and being handed over to us, or a section of refugees trying to lynch someone on suspicion that he was responsible for the murder of their kinsmen,” Kwabiah said. “The journey from Liberia, as many refugees would corroborate, was indescribable. The boats were makeshift vessels not fit for their intended purposes, and some lacked food and water. The security situation was so bad [in Liberia] that the option of dying at sea was a preferred one.”
Their unexpected reunion during the civil affairs engagement provided poignant moments of reflection.
“It was a pleasant surprise, yet also a shock at the same time,” Kwabiah said. “It emphasizes the need for humans to preserve lives and support the vulnerable. I am pleased to know this, and it gives me great pleasure and satisfaction to see that those refugees are important people across the globe doing incredible things.”
Now a seasoned noncommissioned officer, Jackson reflects on his service in Africa, using his language skills and cultural background to build bridges. He hopes future civil affairs teams will build on the foundation his team has laid with the Ghanaian military.
“I hope the relationship we established is maintained for a very long time for the good of both countries, and that it leads to much more development throughout the country and more chances to train together,” Jackson said. “Our team on the ground has worked hard to establish that relationship. I’m also hoping that whoever replaces us maintains that relationship and continues to get a lot of great work done with the Ghanaian military.”
About SETAF-AF
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.
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