On Friday, February 21, 1959, His Imperial
Majesty Haile Selassie I received in
audience
six cadets of the Ethiopian Air Force
before
their leaving for a six-month training
course in
the United States. Below is His Imperial
Majesty's speech addressed to the
cadets:
"Our purpose for sending you to the
United States
is so that you may become jet aircraft
pilot trainers on
your return which we have been informed
by your ins-
tructors will take an estimated period
of six months.
Our aim and hope when the airforce
centre was instituted
were to see that the aircraft flying in
our air space be
totally operated by the youth of
Ethiopia. We never
imagined that in such a short space of
time the Ethiopian
Air Force would have reached the state
of producing
its own jet pilot trainers. Moreover, we
never thought
that jets would have been introduced in
this part of
the world in such a rapid space of time.
In the short period that has elapsed
since the incep-
tion of our aircraft training centre the
march of time,
which has been faster than we had
imagined, has made
it possible for us to utilise jet
aircraft. We feel particularly
happy, from the bottom of our heart, to
witness
your progress in aviation and your stage
of achievement
in flying jets that have made it
possible for us to utilise
jet for further studies in a friendly
country with the
objective of becoming instructors, which
is an indication
that the fruits of our efforts in
expanding our air force
are already ripening.
Many sacrifices have been made to reach
this stage;
moreover, money and the sacrifice of the
lives of our
youth with tempting careers before them.
In comparing
these sacrifices with our limitations we
find that the
former far
outweighs the latter; even more, when we
realise that these sacrifices are
responsible for our ad-
vance to the jet-age, our sorrows have
been alleviated.
The capabilities which you have shown in
mastering jet
aircraft within the past months have
proved beyond
doubt that with the proper instruction
our peoples could
cope with any type of technical and
scientific studies.
By so doing you have made us happy and
inspired our
faith that you will study with vigour
and enthusiasm
when you reach your destination, that
you will not be
ensnared by the lack of industry and
that you will achieve
excellent results by which you will
reach your proper
station and afford us the maximum
satisfaction.
Because your behaviour, diligence and
eyen your
love of work will not only be for
yourselves but will also
serve to maintain the dignity of our Air
Force and people
you must strive to be praise-worthy
while in training
abroad. Beware that if you stop to look
you will cast
a shadow upon your fair name. That your
flying allowance
may match your added responsibilities we
have
raised it, and this is because we have
realised that flying
even in peace time, is hazardous and
also because we
have noted occasional progress in your
training. From
the earliest times up to the present,
soldiers have always
sacrificed their lives for love of
freedom, country and
sovereign. No gift will gratify the man,
who, untrue
to this noble cause, serves for riches
alone. The love
of money can determine a man's price. So
beware of
this trap.
Speeches delivered by His Imperial Majesty Haile
Selassie Ist Emperor of Ethiopia on various occasions - page 114 -
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