Past and Present Celebrate Together

On Friday, July 29, exalted ADA retired personnel arrived in the morning in larger or smaller groups, in the company of their old comrades, at the event in Győr. But besides the active duty and retired servicemen and -women, several family members also honored the past-evoking meeting with their presence. Cameras were flashing and common pictures were taken with fellow soldiers, acquaintances whom they had not seen for ages.

After lunch the visitors divided into two groups: the family members went on a sightseeing tour, while the ADA troops of the past and the present advanced to the culture centre, where the official program was opened by the welcoming words and report of Col. (Eng.) Ferenc Kovács, the commander of the SAM Regiment.

The commander gave an account of the tasks carried out in the previous year, talked about their contributions to NATO and the Regiment’s activities in missions, their achievements in the field of preserving traditions, as well as about the infrastructural developments.

The comprehensive technical presentation was followed by a lighter genre program, where the ’Stars’ of the Regiment – discovered by the talent show entitled ’One More Star’ (“Lehet egy csillaggal több") – were entertaining the audience.

In his closing speech, Col. Kovács said that each soldier of the Regiment is strongly convinced that without the past there is no future, and for them, the guests of the reunion represent the past, and fortified by their example, service members of our days can build the present and the future of ground-based air defence (GBAD) on a firm basis.

The event continued at the wooden headboard standing in the barracks, where each of the participants – after the wreath-laying ceremony – lit a candle in memory of their fallen comrades.

Naturally, informal discussions formed also part of the program, and the reunion ended with a joint dinner.

Photo: Capt. Judit Cseszreginé Csekei