„Welcome Home” Ceremony and Signature in Debrecen

The “Welcome Home" ceremony for the 448 Hungarian troops who recently returned from Afghanistan and Kosovo took place in the main square of Debrecen. Also present were Defence Minister Dr. Csaba Hende, Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő, Chief of the MoD Defence Staff, Brig.-Gen. Csaba Varga, a Chief of Staff representing the HDF Joint Force Command, several generals and the command group of the Bocskai brigade.

“Hungarian soldiers! Welcome back home!" – this was how the Defence Minister started his speech. He went on saying “history has shown innumerable times that neither Afghanistan nor Kosovo are far enough for us to ward off the threat posed by their instability". The Minister stated that our nation and NATO entrusted the Hungarian troops – who just returned from the missions – with assisting the peace-loving nations, in cooperation with their allies. Their mission was aimed at silencing the arms, putting an end to insecurity and eliminating poverty so that it cannot ruin the life of the next generation. “You have fully completed your great and dangerous mission, which has changed the everyday life of the region. I would like to thank you for your accomplishment and your honorable service", the Minister said.

The “Welcome Home" ceremony continued with a medal parade and the handover of tokens of appreciation. Every soldier received the “For Peacekeeping" Service Medal upon returning home from their missions abroad.

Afterwards a church blessing was said, then the participants commemorated their comrades killed in action in Afghanistan by observing a moment of silence.

After the “Welcome Home" ceremony Defence Minister Dr. Csaba Hende and László Papp, the Vice-Mayor of Debrecen signed a letter of intent on the conversion of the Gábor Dénes Technical Electronics School and Dormitory into a military secondary school. Uniquely in Hungary, military secondary vocational training is to start initially with two classes in a phasing-out system in the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County as of the next school year.