Worthy of the Spirit of the Flag

The HDF 64th Boconádi Szabó József Logistic Regiment was constituted at Kaposvár 15 years ago in 1995. To mark this anniversary and the Day of Logisticians, a ceremonial staff meeting was held in the Szivárvány (Rainbow) Community Center at the county seat of Somogy.

The event began with reading out the letters of greeting written by Defence Minister Dr. Csaba Hende and Gen. Dr. Tibor Benkő, Chief, MoD Defence Staff on the occasion of the Day of Logisticians, after which the certificate proving the donation of the streamer was also read out.

Gen. Benkő added that the MoD leadership was well aware that meeting the high standards in the key field of logistics requires a lot of efforts. Furthermore, the HDF logisticians must meet the requirements on the international scene in order to be on a par with the logisticians of other nations and to be able to cooperate with them at the exercises and the multinational operations.

The Chief of Defence also noted that the indispensable work done by the personnel of the Kaposvár Regiment goes a long way towards executing the tasks set for the Hungarian Defence Forces to full extent, protecting the security of the Republic of Hungary, training for the armed defence of the homeland and conducting relief operations in the wake of serious disasters. Their excellent performance furthers the successful accomplishment of the HDF peacekeeping missions abroad, and they execute their tasks conscientiously in all special fields, earning recognition for their profession and the entire Hungarian Defence Forces as well as for our country, the Republic of Hungary.

Gen. Benkő concluded his speech by stressing that the streamer is the jewel of the unit colors, which carries the message that the personnel of the regiment have proven worthy of the spirit of the flag through their excellent performance. They are acknowledged to be the followers of the traditions and values embodied in the unit colors, and their daily work earns respect for the memory of their forebears.

Col. Antal Bárdos, Regimental Commanding Officer of the Kaposvár unit addressed the troops by relating the 15-year past of the outfit. In his speech he noted that in the 1990s the then logistic and support regiment was first tasked to resupply the Hungarian Engineer Contingent (HEC) deploying to Okucani, Croatia. Afterwards their task scheme expanded with providing logistic support to the Hungarian Guard and Security (Force Protection) Battalion in KFOR, Kosovo and the HDF contingents in ISAF, Afghanistan and in Iraq.

The unit is currently tasked to resupply all HDF missions abroad, the colonel added. Besides, the Kaposvár regiment is responsible for providing logistic support to Hungarian officers and NCOs serving in individual positions in the areas of operations. This year the Kaposvár troops helped containing the damage caused by flash floods and joined the consequence management operations after the industrial disaster at Devecser and Kolontár.

“Innumerable ties connect us to the county and the town housing the unit. Being an integral part of Kaposvár, we are regular participants in the municipal commemorations on the national holidays and as one of the biggest employers of the town, we take an active share in its economic life too.", Col. Antal Bárdos said.

The Commanding Officer concluded his speech by saying that at the ceremonial staff meeting the Chief of the MoD Defence Staff thanked the soldiers of the logistic regiment for their work done over the recent years and awarded the unit a streamer in recognition of the sustained efforts made by the active-duty and the retired personnel of the unit.

Károly Szita, the mayor of Kaposvár also addressed the participants at the event, stressing that the townspeople are proud of the logistic regiment and the troops serving here.