National Military Cemetery And Memorial Site In Fiumei Road

After the march of the guard of honour company, the military band and the guards, the national anthem was played and ’Halotti beszéd’ (Funeral Oration) by Dezsõ Kosztolányi was read out. The event continued with the speech of Dr. Ágnes Vadai.

The state secretary of the Ministry of Defence said that today, when in our daily life, shattered by contradictions, we experience fierce debate, those who participated in the implementation have agreed that by inaugurating the Central Military Cemetery and Memorial Site, the Hungarian state makes up for what it owes soldiers whose mission in life is to serve and protect the homeland. "During these years I have found helping hands everywhere, regardless who I turned to, and I would like to use this opportunity today to thank all of you for your work, encouragement and support," said Ágnes Vadai, who also thanked former prime minister Dr. Péter Boross, the chairman of the National Memorial Site Committee, Dr. Kálmánné Simóka, the CEO of the Budapest Funeral Institute Plc., and the colleagues of the MoD Institute and Museum of Military History.

The state secretary emphasised: Hungarian war grave maintenance, managed by the Ministry of Defence, has registered deceased Hungarian servicemen in more than fifty countries. She added: the graves of those who lost their lives in the line of duty, not in wars or military operations, are also maintained. "Regardless when death struck down on somebody, in a time of peace or war, their efforts are equally valuable," said Ágnes Vadai. "Here, in the National Graveyard of illustrious figures in Hungarian history, we are inaugurating a plot which, as the Central Military Cemetery, is a proper site for the final resting place of our comrades, soldiers, and it is taken good care of and held in high esteem. And at the same time it can be an impressive location for ceremonies and memorial services," added the state secretary, who also told the attendees that according to long term plans, the Central Military Cemetery and Memorial Site will be a worthy memorial park and resting place for soliders who lived and died for the country during the history of the Hungarian Defence Forces. "In this spirit, we would also like to create the possibility of burying all our soliders here – those who rest in unmarked graves somewhere, and their remains are found in the course of the pulsating changes, works, constructions of daily life," Ágnes Vadai said. The state secretary also pointed out that the new burial site may embrace several periods, even the entire military history of Hungary – the exhibition is included in the implementation plans for the Central Military Cemetery and Memorial Site, which will be constructed in several stages.

Following the speech of Ágnes Vadai, Dr. Péter Boross said in his address that in the Fiumei Road cemetery there are monuments expressing the nation’s respect. “Anybody can visit the grave of János Arany, but there are a lot more people who rest here. Cemeteries are emotional bonds to our loved ones and all those great personalities who found their final resting place here. But it is not the cult of cemeteries but the natural obligation of man." He quoted the words of Anatole France and added: the tombs of ancestors make one’s country. “This day is very special. For what has been missing so far was a military cemetery," said the chaiman, noting that in time of war and in other periods as well, soldiers swear an oath and willing to sacrifice their lives. “Hungarian history was capable of making a terrible sacrifice in order that this soil remained Hungarian. There is no other nation in Europe that gave so much blood to carry out the order to survive," said Péter Boross. Finally the former prime minister said that the homeland cannot be left unprotected, it has to be defended all the time. “Soldiers, the military are necessary in the life of a nation. It is natural that this special profession should be given more room and a site for mourning together. I believe this military cemetery is a very significant remedy for a deficiency."

The event continued with State Secretary Ágnes Vadai and General László Tömböl, MoD Chief of Defence Staff inaugurating the death bell, which was consecrated by Brigadier General Dr. Pál Lakner, field bishop, and Colonel Tibor Berta, the Catholic vicar general of the field chaplain service.

After sounding the bell General Tömböl shared his thoughts with the attendees. He said the Hungarian Defence Forces do not have to participate in devastating wars, in clashes that take the lives of many. “The past that led to world wars is now over. Today military service is safer than it had been in previous centuries," emphasised the chief of defence staff.

The general explained how the Hungarian Defence Forces look after soldiers during their service and in the event of a tragedy. "This is what the citizens of the capital did 161 years ago, in 1849, when they paid the last honours to the soldiers of the freedom fight for the first time here, in the Fiumei Road cemetery. Those resting under the gravestones of anonymous soldiers are the ones who have turned this graveyard into the National Pantheon." Gen. Tömböl said in plot 52 there are Hungarian soldiers. "Among the newer ones, there are graves of EOD specialist and pilot comrades. From today, this area is the most prestigious memorial site for the Hungarian Defence Forces’ deceased members and soldiers who died as heroes in the line of duty."

Finally the chief of defence staff said: "This cemetery is not only for those whose bodies lay here, for whom the death bell tolled for a few minutes – it belongs to everyone who has the interest of national defence, the fate of our soldiers at heart."

The ceremony ended with the ’Szózat’ and Il Silenzio.