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VETERANS AND ex-service men from the various security agencies in the country will now have better living conditions with the introduction of the Veterans Administration of Ghana Bill. According to the Minister of Defence, Lieutenant General Joseph Henry Smith, the bill, when passed, will take over the name Veteran Association of Ghana (VAG), and cater for the needs of all ex-service men. He said the new bill will also take precedence over the requirement in the current administration of VAG which requires a retired soldier to register before he benefits from the association. �Every retired soldier will be taken care of,� Lt. Gen. Smith said. Lt. Gen. Smith gave this assurance to media after the commemoration of the 64th anniversary of the 28th February Christiansburg crossroads shooting incident, which claimed the lives of three unarmed ex-service men. The incident is celebrated every year to remember the three veterans, Sergeant Christian Francis Adjetey, Corporal Attipoe and Private Odartey Lamptey who lost their lives during a peaceful march to the Christiansburg Castle to present a petition to the then governor of Gold Coast, Sir Gerald Creasy. Their death was the beginning of anti�colonial movements across the country which resulted in a recommendation of self- government for the Gold Coast by the committee set up to investigate the killings. The three are therefore celebrated in recognition of the patriotic role they played in Ghana�s march towards independence. Lt. Gen. Smith said the introduction of the bill, which has passed the reading stage and will soon be passed into law, was to show appreciation to Ghanaians especially ex-service men who have served the country in their line of duty. He further called on the Ghanaian child and youth to learn to sacrifice for the development of the nation. �We brought school children here so they can understand the lesson of sacrificing for your country,� Lt. Gen. Smith said. Vice President John Dramani Mahama laid a wreath on behalf of government and people of Ghana and the Acting Chief of Defence Staff also laid a wreath on behalf of the security services. The national chairman of VAG, Commodore Steven Obimpeh (rtd), laid a wreath on behalf of the veterans. Nii Dodoo Nsaki III also laid a wreath on behalf of the traditional authorities and Michel Attipoe, head of the Attipoe family, laid a wreath on behalf of fallen soldiers.