In 1978, two years before the April 12th 1980 coup d’etat that killed President William R. Tolbert and put on the firing squad 13 elites, primarily from the Americo-Liberian sect, a group of soldiers from the enlisted men corp, particularly from the Executive Mansion Guard Battalion, Brigade Headquarters, Training Command, First and Third Battalion soldiers were sent to the John Hilary Tubman Military Academy, located in Todee District, Montserrado County, for a specialized training.
Coincidentally, on the training list were Samuel Doe, Thomas Weh Syen, Thomas Quiwonkpa, Henry Zuo, Robert Norwuku, Harrison Pennue, Larry Burteh, Fallah Varney, Harry Johnson and Jerry Sumo. Others were Nelson Toe, Albert Toe, Jerry Friday, Robert Zuo, David Kameh, Swen Dixon, Jacob Swen, Jerry Gbartu, Nicholas Pordier, among others. After the completion of the specialized training, some of the men were posted as Assistant Instructors while the rest returned to their mother units.
In November of 1979, after the completion of their mission (which was to steal and smuggle arms and ammunitions in preparation for their pending operation), the Assistant Instructors were then sent back to their mother units. All this being calculated and planned by “Mr. Prick”.
On the fateful day of April 12, 1980, President Tolbert on his way from attending a music concert at the Executive Pavillion, hesitantly decided to sleep at the Executive Mansion because Bentol was a bit of a distance and it was already late. He was to leave for Bentol in the morning in preparation to travel to Zimbabwe to celebrate her first independence anniversary, on April 18, 1980.
The Executive Mansion Guard Battalion were all dressed in fatigues while the other members of the coup from Brigade Headquarters, Training Command, First and Third Battalion were all dressed in camouflage. They made it a habit of visiting one another in the evening for small talk and drinks, so their being smuggled into the premises of the Executive Mansion did not raise an eyebrow.
The irony of the coup is that Lt. John Tolbert (graduate of the Ghana Officer Military Academy and the biological son of President Tolbert) was the Officer on Duty (OD) while Brid. Gen. Charles Railey was the Commander of the Executive Mansion Guard Battalion. During the night of the coup, Lt. John Tolbert was arrested and jailed without any resistance, while Bridg. Gen Charles Railey was killed after putting up stiff resistance.
President Tolbert had undressed for bed but when he heard the exchange of gunfire in the yard of the Executive Mansion, he re-dressed in preparation for any eventually. Safe behind his bullet-proof door, in which one could only gain entry from within, he heard the voice of Nelson Toe, who was assigned on his floor calling out to him. He opened the door and was shot dead by Nelson Toe.
On April 13, 1980, General Ware (a two-time graduate of Fort Benning now Fort Moore, Columbus Georgia), Col. Smith (two times graduate from Fort Benning and Fort Bragg, now Fort Liberty, JFK School and Fort Konxx US Army Command Staff College) and Maj. William Jarbo (two times graduate from Fort Benning and Fort Bragg), decided to stage a counter coup to make Gen. Ware the new Commander In Chief. The plan of the counter-coup was exposed by Lt. Col. Fred Blay, (First Infantry Battalion Commander), who alerted the People’s Redemption Council (PRC).
General Ware and Col. Smith were immediately arrested and jailed. As for Maj. Jarbo, the PRC were told that he had taken to the bushes as a detour but was hiding few houses from his in New Kru Town home. About four months later, Maj. Jarbo would actually take to the bushes and get executed. To be continued.
