Event Series Marking St. Barbara’s Day in Camp Butmir

The event series of the contingent – which is mostly drawn from the HDF 12th Arrabona Surface-to-Air (SAM) Regiment – started with a parade in the morning. In his speech delivered at the ceremony, Col. Ferenc Könczöl, the regimental commander who is currently posted as Chief of Staff at NHQSa, greeted the personnel of the regiment and the field artillerymen, who also wear the scarlet tab and consider St. Barbara their patron saint.

Col. Könczöl also addressed those members of the contingent who come from elsewhere than the regiment, but who are connected to the GBAD community through the operational task and the preparation for it, and said thanks to them for their support, assistance and friendship because without their work, this mission could not be so successful and this branch day could not have been organized either.

In what followed, the commander related the story of St. Barbara and reviewed the main tasks accomplished by the branch of service in 2017 and also those planned for 2018, a significant share of which will be assigned to the soldiers returning home from foreign missions.

In his speech delivered at the ceremony, the Chief of Staff of NHQSa encouraged his soldiers to take pride in the results of their unit, for beyond the fact that the regiment is one of the longest-standing units in the Hungarian Defence Forces, it is at once the sole representative of the GBAD and artillery branch of service. Therefore, they should wear the branch insignia with holding their head high, and should not forget that the scarlet tab and beret obliges them all, although it has temporarily been changed to green.

Finally, he asked his men to devote this day to competition worthy of the traditions of the branch, and to a musical event bringing the day to a deserved close, which is organized for the entire personnel serving at Camp Butmir to mark Barbara’s day, in parallel with a ball of the branch held in Hungary.

After the presentation of awards, as the biggest surprise of the parade, Contingent Commander Lt.-Col. János Stoszek was inaugurated as honorary GBAD artilleryman.

In the morning, the personnel of the contingent took part in the “Barbara’s Challenge" team competition, where the soldiers’ skills, stamina, camaraderie and resourcefulness were put to the test. The competition was difficult to complete because all tasks had to be carried out in 20-25cm deep snow and a cold of -2 degrees Celsius.

The programs continued in the afternoon with a football championship. The day closed with a “Barbara’s Day Party", a musical event attended by scores of soldiers of other nations serving in Camp Butmir. The Hungarians prepared bean goulash and served it to the guests, among them to NHQSa Commander Brig.-Gen. Robert “Randy" Huston, who honored the event with his presence, and to NHQSa Command Senior Enlisted Leader CSM Steve Shepherd.

Photos: Capt. Pál Tibol, SSgt. Máté Miklós and Cpl. Krisztián Szegi