Series of activities lined up to commemorate the 46th anniversary celebration of the Third Battalion of Infantry on Monday got started with a clean up exercise at Sunyani Municipal Hospital.It was followed with the presentation of gift items to Compassion Is Love In Action Orphanage at Yawhima, near Sunyani.The week-long celebration is under the theme: “Homecoming of The Great Scorpion Fraternity”.At the Municipal Hospital, a number of the soldiers’ wives assisted their husbands as they swept and weeded the premises.The group was later joined by the Commanding Officer of the Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Amoah Ayisi.The Commanding Officer told newsmen the idea was to show that civilians and the military were partners in development, and a lot could be achieved through the partnership in nation building.Lt. Col. Ayisi said the programme was also designed to enable the soldiers to draw from the experience of past or retired colleagues in charting a new way forward.He expressed optimism that this would further strengthen and deepen the military/civilian relationship.The Battalion presented assorted items worth GHC500 to inmates of the orphanage, which included milk, bags of maize and rice, and quantities of yam.The Reverend Mrs Charlotte Osei Kwarteng, General Manager, who received the items, thanked the soldiers for the gesture and expressed the hope that the programme would help demystify the wrong perception by members of the public against the military.Other programmes lined up for the celebration are sporting activities, military parade, get-together, blood donation, agoro show and anniversary parade.Source: GNA