Lieutenant General Arnold K. Quainoo, a former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of the Ghana Armed Forces and the first ECOMOG Force Commander (FC) in Liberia, will be laid to rest on Friday, February 7, 2025.
He passed away at age 85, on December 2, 2024, while receiving treatment at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.
A burial mass for the distinguished military leader, fondly known as “Buffalo Soldier,” Gbogbo, among others, will take place at St. Catherine Roman Catholic Church, Burma Camp, in Accra.
According to family sources, the military funeral service, will commence with a file past from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., followed by the service at 9:00 a.m., after which he will be interred at the Military Cemetery.
Funeral rites will continue at the Arakan Officers’ Mess in Burma Camp after the burial.
Lt. Gen. Quainoo, played a crucial role in Ghana’s military history, contributing to both national and regional stability.
His leadership and dedication earned him a place among Ghana’s most distinguished military figures.
He began his military career as one of 54 Officer Cadets in Regular Career Course (RCC) Intake 2 at the Ghana Military Academy in 1961.
Alongside three colleagues—O/Cdt Gbekor, O/Cdt Kwesi-Oppong, and O/Cdt Mensah—he attended the Indian Military Academy (IMA) from October 1960 to July 1961, later commissioning as an officer on December 10, 1962. After 34 years of distinguished service, he was honourably released from the military on February 9, 1996.
A highly trained officer, Lt. Gen. Quainoo, earned his Rangers Badge after completing the U.S. Army Rangers Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, in 1967.
His academic pursuits took him to the India Defence Services Staff College (1970) and the United States International Defence Management Course in Monterey, California (1977).
Lt. Gen. Quainoo, succeeded Flight Lieutenant J.J. Rawlings as CDS, serving as Ghana’s 22nd Chief of Defence Staff from August 25, 1983, to September 22, 1989.
Under his command, he played a crucial role in stabilizing the military during a politically turbulent period.
In August 1990, he was appointed the first Force Commander of ECOMOG, leading peacekeeping efforts in Liberia.
However, regional political considerations led to his replacement by Major General J. N. Dogonyaro in September 1990.
Beyond his battlefield prowess, General Quainoo, was known for his firm stance on military discipline.
He abolished extravagant initiation and wetting ceremonies in military messes, replacing them with the reaffirmation ceremony.
His wife, Mrs. Juliet Quainoo, was instrumental in reviving the Armed Forces Wives Association (AFWA), now AFLAC, to include the wives of Other Ranks.