Commemorating the 42 Victims of the Hejce Air Crash

The victims of the air crash – which happened five years ago near the village lying on the border of Hungary and Slovakia – were commemorated in Hejce. The leaders of the Hungarian Ministry of Defence and the Hungarian Defence Forces, the Ministry of Defence and the armed forces of the Republic of Slovakia first paid tribute to the victims’ memory in the morning of January 19 at the memorial on Borsó Hill. The terrible accident occurred on this hill five years ago, shocking the citizens of both countries; since then, a memorial site with wooden headboards has been established in remembrance of the Slovak troops who lost their lives in the air crash.

“January 19 is the day of paying tribute and of reverence," this was how Lubomir Galko began his speech. The victims’ families and friends and the military leaders of the two countries gather every year on this day at the site of the crash to pay their respects to the memory of these 42 service members who could not complete their mission. “They were only a few minutes, a few kilometers away from completing their tour of duty in KFOR, but fate was cruel when the disaster occurred on that cold January evening," said the Defence Minister of Slovakia.

The Minister underlined that the Slovak soldiers had taken an oath to protect human values and peace, and worked hard to bring peace and normal living conditions for the citizens of Kosovo. They were loyal to their oath and bravely risked their lives in the service of this cause. “The tragedy made us realize again how important mutual assistance can be," pointed out the Slovak Defence Minister.

Lubomir Galko thanked the residents of Hejce, the towns and villages in the region and the Hungarian rescue teams for their immediate and selfless help and offered his condolences to the Slovak troops’ families and friends. “I am mourning with you," said Lubomir Galko, who finally thanked Géza Rohály, the mayor of Hejce for coordinating the rescue operations.

“Death is a dark coating without which noting can be seen in the mirror," Dr. Csaba Hende cited an American saying. “Death shows us what the really important things are." The Defence Minister emphasized that five years ago, on that fateful January evening soldiers, disaster relief teams, ambulance staffs and everyone living in the area were acting as one on both sides of the border. Their paths were to cross in those critical hours when they experienced the power and importance of cooperation, and in that dark night and biting cold, they brought a man back to life. "We must live up to and be loyal to the spirit of Hejce. And we will live up to and be loyal to it indeed," said Csaba Hende.

Following the Ministers’ speeches, the representatives of the churches addressed the mourners. In what followed, a requiem Mass for the victims was held in the Catholic church of Hejce.

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Photo: László Tóth