Carrot Cream Soup with Oranges and an Unconventional Form Master’s Class

"Number Six, Number Six, this is One speaking! Open the gates! Open the gates!" – I manage to catch a few sentences at 10.00 am on the radio held by the Commander of the Security Guards at the Tata barracks. As soon as the monumental green iron gates open, more than 200 visitors start out for the inner areas of the barracks. Everybody is on standby around the parade ground covered with shingles. On one side there are information points, recruitment stands, and the tents of pension funds and booksellers, while on the other side of the ground, opposite the tents there is an exhibition of technical devices. The early visitors immediately ‘attack’ the BTR troop transfer vehicles, the T–72 tank, the D–20 cannon-howitzer, and the armour-plated combat vehicle equipped with ‘Konkurs’ armour-piercing rockets. Similary to previous years, the tank is the most popular vehicle among children, for a reason only known by them. On some occasions a dozen children try to find their way inside …

As time goes by more and more visitors arrive. The queue for the climbing wall gets longer in no time and if someone wants to try the airsoft guns, he or she has to wait at least half an hour. The Wing Tsun Kung Fu show also attracts many people. The enormous level of interest is the result of the efforts made by the staff of the HDF Western Hungarian Augmentation/Recruitment Command, who had circulated the programme of the open day in dozens of local schools and nurseries. From Tata and its environs more than 30 educational institutions had a positive reaction and said that they would gladly participate in the all day event – and as I can tell now, quite a lot of them have actually turned up.

Suddenly two police cars appear, leaving clouds of dust behind as they race along the parade ground with deafening sirens (one or two babies even start to cry in their mums’ arms) – they are chasing a red Opel. In the red car there is a masked man shooting at the police vehicle with his machine gun. The car the police are after suddenly brakes, and two men wearing masks hide in a nearby building, carrying a women with themselves. Police troops wearing black ’SWAT gear’ jump out of the police car and head towards the building without any delay. The bad guys don’t have the slightest chance against the staff of the Intervention Unit of the Komárom-Esztergom County Police Headquarters. Soon the masked men are lying ’dead’ on the ground, and the hostage is set free.

The applause of the audience does not even falter, when a ’screeching’ fire engine drives up to a wrecked automobile in the corner of the parade ground. The Tatabánya firefighters rescue the critically wounded person trapped in the car in no time, then demonstrate a fast and professional method for putting out fire caused by a flaming car.

In the meantime, just a few kilometres away from the barracks, the live military history lesson commences on the parade ground of the corps. The team members preserving the legacy of the past wear uniforms of the period and original, but modified firearms, recall a bloody battle of the German and the Soviet armies that took place in March 1944.

Following the combat, Brigadier-General András Huszti, Commander of HDF 25th ’György Klapka’ Infantry Brigade tells me that the open day traditionally held on the birthday of General György Klapka, the famous personality the corps are named after, is an ever growing success. On the basis of the previous years’ learnings we can clearly state that a growing number of people are eager to know more about the corps and the troops serving here. For the Commander it seems that among the morning events, the audience enjoyed the dynamic demonstrations the most.

Our conversation is interrupted by a telephone call: we learn that Dr. Imre Szekeres is to arrive to Tata soon. Meanwhile the barracks are on full standby, the Minister of Defence is received with military honours, and he invites correspondents for an informal talk.

"This is a significant event for us, since the Hungarian Defence Forces turn 160 this year. In addition to that, the Hungarian Air Force celebrates its 70th, the officers’ training its 200th, and the Museum and Institute of Military History celebrates its 90th anniversary in 2008. We would like to celebrate these jubilees accordingly, by organising open days for the citizens of towns where there are major military corps – says Dr. Imre Szekeres, who later explains that Tata was chosen to be the first station in the series of events due to the outstanding work completed by the Infantry Brigade in the course of the past years, the recognition of which is the present day."

Dr. Imre Szekeres also mentions, that lately he has received the outcome of a poll, which measured the level of satisfaction with public organizations playing a considerable role in the life of citizens. According to the poll results, the Hungarian Defence Forces have earned the third position – after the emergency response forces and the postal service – and are ahead of the national railways. According to the Minister of Defence, the result of this poll is very insteresting indeed, because the HDF used to be the 13th in this list.

The Minister’s programme continues with an unconventional form master’s class. While the music band of the brigade present their spectacular lawn-show on the parade ground of the corps, and the Hungarian EUFOR contingent set off for service abroad in the near future hold a crowd dispersal demonstration, Dr. Imre Szekeres is engaged in an informal conversation with nearly a hundred secondary school students. They touch on the issues of football, the barracks, and female troops, as well. As regards the latter, the Minister adds: today the ratio of the weaker sex is almost 20 percent within the Hungarian Defence Forces. The youngsters have questions, too, they would like to know how one becomes a contracted soldier, or if they have to be concerned about any neighbouring country attacking us. Dr. Imre Szekeres answers each and every inquiry in detail. For instance he explains to the students that today Hungary is in a fortunate situation, the danger of an external attack is not a realistic concern, since almost every neighbouring states are NATO or EU member states, furthermore Serbia and the Ukraine have signed a peace partnership agreement.

When the Q&A session ends, Brigadier-General András Huszti makes an offer: the Minister should ’go for a ride’ in the barracks, but instead of the usual way – by car or on foot –, this time ’onboard’ a BTR–80/A type combat vehicle. Although the site visit takes less than 10 minutes, it is an experience one cannot forget.

The news spread like wildfire: the two guests of honour, Ms Zsóka Kapócs and Mr Lázár Kovács have just arrived. The former beauty queen wants to put the Tata troops under a spell with her voice, and the master chef wants to do the same tonight with his cooking, since Minister Imre Szekeres invited the troops for a gala dinner, as a notable way to close the day. The dinner courses were prepared by the TV personality Lázár Kovács, and the cooks of the Tata troops.

The gala dinner is indeed a three-course-meal: the carrot cream soup with oranges, made from 60 kilograms of oranges and 30 kilograms of carrots, served with mint foam noodles, is followed by a specialty: pork tenderloin á la London, rolled in bacon, stuffed with forest mushrooms, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and basil, the side dish consists of croquettes, steamed baby carrots, haricot vert, and tarragon gravy. For dessert, the team prepared Kalocsa strudels in ’jacket’, filled with poppyseed-apple-cottage cheese, and vanilla sauce with white rum.

Before the dinner is served, Dr. Imre Szekeres raises and highlights the fact again: as regards the activities of the Hungarian Defence Forces, there is a wide social consensus. As he puts it, it is a very rare occasion that the five parties agree in an issue, but the operations of the armed forces clearly fall in this category. Then the first course arrives and the Veszprém Air Force Band starts to play. Zsóka Kapócs sings the lyrics of well-known hits. There has not been such an intimate dinner at the Tata barracks for a long time …