The widow of late Flying Officer Twum Ampadu has described the past year as one of immense grief and emotional hardship for the families of the eight victims who lost their lives in Ghana’s military helicopter crash.

Speaking on behalf of the bereaved widows at the National Inter-Faith Memorial Service for the “Departed 8” on Wednesday, Naval Lieutenant Ewuradwoa Kumi-Kyeremeh reflected on the pain of losing their husbands and the resilience that has carried them through the past 12 months.

“I deem it a great honour to be here to share my reflection a year after losing my beloved husband,” she said.

“I know I speak on behalf of all the other seven women who lost their husbands a year ago that this past year has been a very long, heavy and hard year.”

She admitted that the reality of losing their loved ones remains difficult to accept even after a year.

“Even now, it is hard to reconcile their memories with the actuality that we’ve lost our partners,” she said.

Lieutenant Kumi-Kyeremeh recounted a recent incident that brought back painful memories of the tragedy after hearing the aviation distress call “Mayday” during an inter-service quiz competition.

“I immediately started panicking because I was wondering if that’s how the final moments were for our husbands on that day,” she said.

She also spoke about the everyday reminders of her husband’s absence.

“I have lost count of the number of times I have pulled out my phone to share a picture with him, only to remember that I will not get a response,” she added.

Despite the pain, she said her Christian faith has been her greatest source of strength.

“It has been hard, but it is well. I stand here today grateful for my faith in God. It would have been an even scarier nightmare without God,” she stated.

The naval officer expressed appreciation to the Presidency, the Military High Command and officers, soldiers and civilian staff of the Ghana Armed Forces for their support since the tragedy.

She also thanked her family, friends and religious leaders for standing by her throughout the grieving process.

“It truly takes a village when it comes to grief and grieving,” she said, acknowledging the role they played in helping her cope with the loss.

Lieutenant Kumi-Kyeremeh revealed that, even while dealing with her own grief, she has supported other women who have lost their husbands, encouraging them not to lose hope.

Addressing people experiencing similar loss, she said: “It may not get any better soon, but it will not always be this heavy.”

Quoting Japanese author Haruki Murakami, she urged grieving families to continue living meaningful lives while honouring the memories of their departed loved ones.

She concluded by praying that Ghana would never experience another tragedy of such magnitude.