Medal Parade And ‘Home Run’ In Sarajevo
Szöveg: Major Gizella Csurgó (Sarajevo) | 2010. január 18. 11:29Just a few more days, and 141 Hungarian soldiers, the personnel of the fifth rotation of the HDF EUFOR Contingent in Sarajevo will finish their service abroad. For their participation in the ALTHEA operation of the European Union, the Hungarians have been awarded the European Security and Defence Policy Service Medal and a certificate of merit signed by Secretary-General Javier Solana.
The medals and certificates of merit were presented on January 8 in the morning, in the sports hall of the BUTMIR camp in Sarajevo. Deputy Commander Juan Antonio Diaz Cruz and Brigadier General Gerhard Kemmler, Chief of Staff of the EUFOR High Command in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the senior staff of the Multinational Maneuver Battalion, as well as representatives of several allied nations were also present at the ceremony.
Major Sándor Zoltán Varga, the commander of the Hungarian contingent lined up the personnel and received Colonel Ernõ Péter Siposs, the national senior officer of the Hungarian personnel in Sarajevo. The colonel thanked the personnel for what they have done in six months. He said the troops of the contingent have represented our country in a remarkable way with their disciplined and persistent work, and earned the recognition of the superiors. The colonel added: the first group of the sixth rotation of the HDF EUFOR Contingent arrives in a week, and the transfer of positions will begin.
This contingent arrived to the theater of operations in July2009. The 108-strong infantry company (the Alpha-Company) serving in the framework the Multinational Maneuver Battalion reached combat readiness by July 31. Its duties included the TACRES-QRF and the Follow on Forces services, and the development of the endurance and professional skills and knowledge of the troops with continuous and varied trainings. The infantry company has participated in three company-level and two battalion-level exercises at various barracks and training bases all over the country.
Regular, daily sports activities were also an integral part of the training, quite a lot of Hungarian troops entered the half marathon run in September. During their service, six soldiers have run 543 kilometers, the equivalent of the distance between Sarajevo and Tata. The first man who ’arrived home’ last September was Staff Sergeant Tamás Pohner of the HDF 25th ’György Klapka’ Infantry Brigade.
(The farewell ceremony for the troops of the sixth rotation of the HDF EUFOR Contingent was held on January 8 in Tata, at the HDF 25th ‘György Klapka’ Infantry Brigade. You can find our coverage here.)
