The Oath Keeps Those Who Keep the Oath

In his speech, President of Hungary János Áder said that our life can get better only if we ourselves take the first step instead of waiting for someone else to do it. “I’m not asking what you could do for me – rather, I’m asking what I could do for you" – the President said. János Áder stressed that we can rely on the people of our country who are able to join forces in times of trouble, as the recent successful flood control activities showed, during which everybody was animated by a special force, and the whole nation stood on the dykes, facing the flood. “It was not only the danger, our shared experience, that brought us closer to each other. It was also the sense of the joint action, the shared intention to protect our country, the joint will to act for the benefit of each other" – the President of Hungary closed his speech.

“The homeland is formed not of dead soil but rather by living men" – Csaba Hende quoted Count István Széchenyi in greeting the newly commissioned officers. The Minister of Defence pointed out that the lives of 40 generations have turned that dead soil into our homeland. The 100 young officers who took their oath today to defend their homeland have undertaken to carry on the mission of Hungarian soldiers of those 40 generations, even if they have to sacrifice their lives. They have dedicated their lives to something that goes far beyond themselves.

Csaba Hende pointed that for 1,000 years, the country was kept, built up and defended by those who fulfilled their duties, and event today it is being kept by those who do their job and whom we can rely on. “The oath keeps those who keep their oath. It keeps them in their vocation and helps them accomplish their mission. It keeps them in their humanity and honor. Never forget this day when you took your oath before God and the nation" – the minister addressed the young officers.

Lt. Bence Pásztor recited the text of the oath at the commissioning ceremony, and his comrades proudly repeated his words. Reviving an old tradition, like in previous years, the young officers affirmed their oath by drawing their swords. In what followed, in honor of the heroes of Hungarian history, the representatives of young officers with outstanding school results laid a wreath by the Memorial of Hungarian Heroes. After the sounds of the “Szózat" (second national anthem), three Gripen fighters of the Hungarian Defence Forces 59th “Dezső Szentgyörgyi" Air Base performed a flypast over the square as an aerial salute to greet the young lieutenants.

Before the start of the official program of the event, the garrison band of the Hungarian Defence Forces vitéz Szurmay Sándor Budapest Garrison Brigade played open-air music to entertain the audience, and then the Special Parade Group held a spectacular display.

Ferenc Antal/Vivien Takács
Photos: Mária Krasznai-Nehrebeczky, Gábor Galovtsik