Just a Few Days Left…

The six months have passed quickly, and now the peacekeepers currently serving in the area of operations have just a few days left from their tour of duty with EUFOR.

This is witnessed by the fact that the first troops of the next rotation arrived in Camp Butmir on July 13 in the afternoon hours. Needless to say, the bus that transported the key leaders of the incoming contingent – including officers and NCOs – set out to return home next day with some of the service members of the outgoing contingent on board. The rest of their comrades are going to follow them shortly…

A quite remarkable event took place recently in Camp Butmir, Sarajevo. The troops of the 1st platoon of the HDF EUFOR-8 contingent have achieved the aim they set for themselves, which was to do 10,000 push-ups during six months at platoon level. By this feat they have proved an old saying which goes “Iron is formed with iron, one man forms the other", Lt.-Col. Emil Oláh, the field chaplain of the contingent told us.

The personnel of the platoon think that the just mentioned challenge they have undertaken to meet by themselves has contributed to achieving that they can return to Hungary as a true “team", that is, as comrades who know each other well and form a cohesive unit.

Apart from sports, the Hungarian troops serving in Sarajevo have been resourceful in the field of music as well. Some weeks ago one of the field officers of the contingent thought he should try to bring joy to his comrades with the help of music and relieve the monotony of their everyday life. He contacted those soldiers who can play some instrument or other, and sparing no efforts, they practiced to make sure that they can entertain the personnel of the contingent with a pleasant musical program.

The performance of the ad hoc band has been a great success among the Hungarian peacekeepers.

 
 Photo: Lt.-Col. Emil Oláh