„Your Work was Needed”

August 15, 2011 11:46 AM

Welcome home ceremony for peacekeepers coming back from Bosnia Herzegovina and Somalia in Tata
On Wednesday, August 3, the troops of the 8th rotation of the HDF European Union Force Contingent (EUFOR-8 HUNCON) coming home from Bosnia Herzegovina, and the soldiers, who completed their service in the European Union Training Mission – Somalia (EUTM-Somalia) were greeted in the presence of their family members and relatives in Tata.

145 troops coming home from Bosnia Herzegovina, and three service members from Somalia lined up in the barracks of the HDF 25th “Klapka György” Infantry Brigade in Tata: the peacekeepers had their tour of duty abroad with the European Union Force Althea (EUFOR – Althea) and with the EUTM - Somalia in the past six months. This same event served also as a farewell ceremony for a Hungarian military physician who will perform duties at the Rome headquarters of EUFOR LYBIA in the next four months.

The event began with a medal parade ceremony where Service Medals ’For Peacekeeping’ and other recognitions were presented, to be continued with the address of Deputy Chief of MoD Defence Staff Lt. Gen. Zoltán Orosz (see picture), who greeted troops on their return home from the areas of operation (AOs).

”Your work and your performance were needed, for peace has not set in as yet in the Balkan Area, in Bosnia Herzegovina. We are lending a helping hand to the establishment of a reviving organization of state power that is getting stronger and stronger day by day, and with its work and activities, helps the peoples living in the country build a society that meets European norms and develop a lifestyle that is in line with these values” said Lt. Gen. Orosz. The Deputy Chief of Defence added: the mission of recently returned soldiers was especially important because in the past half year Hungary held the rotating presidency of the European Union and attention was more focused on the activities of Hungary and the Hungarian Defence Forces, and the service of their soldiers.

Lt. Gen. Orosz emphasized: Hungarian instructors taking part in the mission to Somalia have shown a similarly good performance. In the African country, soldiers and instructors of 15 nations, under the direction and guidance of the EU, assist the Somalian interim government to establish their army. “At the moment this region also poses a risk to the security of the world, of Europe, and within that, our homeland, because unstable regions give ground to global crime, terrorism, and in Somalia, to the activity of pirates. And the latter threatens global trade” said Zoltán Orosz.

When addressing the military physician leaving for the EUFOR LYBIA mission, the Deputy Chief of Defence wished him that his service may be as successful as his predecessor’s had been, who, ’starting from zero’, had worked out the medical insurance plan for the evacuation of refugees and ran the infrastructure required for the actual medical insurance.

In his speech delivered at the standing reception following the welcome home ceremony ending with the parade of the troops, Brig-Gen. Zsolt Sándor, Commander, HDF 25th “Klapka György” Infantry Brigade of Tata said that the security of the Balkans continues to be a priority issue for Hungary, therefore the presence of Hungarian troops is very important in the region. ”There is no such thing as an easy mission service. The mission to Bosnia Herzegovina is not an easy job either. Being away from your family for six months, in constant readiness, and performing serious tasks can never be easy” said the Brigadier General.