Flag-Raising at NATO Allied Command Transformation

The event is based on the mutual respect shown by all member states, which express their appreciation for the history, culture and identity of the other members. In previous years, national day ceremonies had been held at different dates for each nation, but this year, to express NATO’s unity and the solidarity among member states, the 28 member states celebrated the countries of the Alliance on a designated day, 3rd September at a single flag-raising ceremony.

Led by Col. István Juhász, the Hungarian soldiers serving in Norfolk also attended the ceremony where the Hungarian flag was raised as the 12th one. The date has a symbolic meaning too, because this was the first day of the post-WWII era. Speaking about this, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) Gen. Jean-Paul Paloméros said that 70 years ago to the day, for the first time the world was in a position to assess the extent of destruction caused by one of the greatest conflicts in modern history. He added that this “was truly a day of hope for the generation that brought that terrible war to a close; a day that raise great expectations to build a new stable international order in which nations could peacefully prosper and cooperate".