Respect and Reverence Becoming to our Unparalleled Military Past

Our past was often written not only with words: from the ancient times up to 1956 the number of heroes is unparalleled, and unfortunately the same goes for that of the victims too. According to our knowledge, 660,000 Hungarian soldiers fell just in World War I (more than in the cataclysm of the Second World War), and Hungarian war graves can be found in several states of the world. Their number is about 200,000 in the orders of magnitude, but these are only a historian’s estimates – the Lieutenant Colonel pointed out, stressing that by virtue of an act of 1924 the war grave care in Hungary was in order until 1945, but afterwards no one took responsibility for it until 1990.

These facts themselves justify that we must regard the war grave care as our national cause. This is the mission of the MoD Public Affairs and War Grave Care Bureau, which is closely cooperating with the MoD Military History Institute and Museum. At the same time the Bureau pays a marked attention – in terms of reciprocity – to the maintenance of the resting places of our soldiers fallen abroad and of the foreign soldiers buried in Hungary. This is guaranteed by international conventions on war grave care. We have good relations in this field with the German, the Russian, the Italian, the Austrian and the Slovenian parties. The conclusion of War Grave Agreements is expected with the British Commonwealth of Nations and with Poland, and negotiations are under way with Serbia and Slovakia.

As part of the revival of the nation and of home defence, we are looking at the cause of the war graves again from historical and humanitarian angles. In this spirit we respect our fallen troops, and those of our earlier enemy’s, too. That is the reason why the decision of the Minister of Defence was made a year ago, that the war grave care should operate within the organisation of the Ministry of Defence. That is why the consort of the President of the Republic, Mrs Katalin Schmitt Makray undertook the patronage over the Hungarian war grave care. She is closely linked to the Hungarian Defence Forces because of his grandfather, a general and his father, a paratrooper officer.

As from November 15 the section of the Bureau dealing with war grave care will work as an independent department subordinate to the Ministerial Cabinet, so the national war grave care will become more independent. The internet homepage of the war grave care will be launched already this year, with an online search system. The co-operation with the Zrínyi Média is included among the plans: it is aimed at bringing out publications which introduce the public to the biographies of several less known officers and NCOs – said Lt.-Col. Dr. László Töll.