Tradition Preserver Logistic Commander
Szöveg: Gábor Kálmánfi | 2015. február 17. 9:00Agáta Kapás, the acting commander of the logistic company of the HDF Bakony Combat Training Center (HDF BCTC) has been into folk dance since her childhood. As she says, to her folk dance is not only a hobby but also a way to preserve traditions.
“An acquaintance of mine informed about the existence of the ‘Miklós Zrínyi’ National Defence University (MZNU)… I studied economics in secondary school and wanted to pursue this field further, so I applied for the MZNU to major in economics there, and was admitted to the university. At first the going was not easy, but I was soon dragged into the profession. Maybe it was out of the spirit of adventure, I’m not sure…I felt that the basic training and the good morale of our small group were very useful and oriented me to the right direction. Furthermore, in 2011 I became the first Hungarian soldier to travel to the Czech Republic with an Erasmus grant, where I was primarily studying English for six months in a military institution of higher education. Later – thanks to Head of Department Col. Dr. Árpád Pohl’s organizing work – we had opportunity to participate in a Czech–Austrian logistic support exercise", the smiling servicewoman says in talking about the beginnings.
The logistic company carried out its tasks by high standards under the extraordinary circumstances of the snow situation in March 2013.
Lt. Agáta Kapás was commissioned in 2012, and as of autumn, she was posted to the logistic company of the Várpalota unit as supply transportation platoon leader. She spent six months at the logistic directorate of the HDF BCTC, and then, due to transfers and tours of duty abroad, she had (in her own words) the honor of being appointed acting commander of the 70-strong logistic company, a sub-unit with a wide array of tasks.
“The logistic company of the combat training center has three main characteristics. Firstly, half of the personnel are civil servants. The jurisdiction they are under is different from the military one, so it is a bit more challenging to command and direct them. The second feature comes from the divided nature of the HDF BCTC, as it has extramural bases not only in Várpalota and its environs but also at Táborfalva and Újdörögd. Therefore, we need to be even more circumspect than usual in organizing transportation and vehicle repair tasks. Thirdly, we also have the duty of providing logistic support during large-scale domestic and international exercises conducted on the ranges and in the training areas of the center, not to mention the full logistic support of our own exercises", Lt. Agáta Kapás tells us about the everyday life of the Várpalota logisticians.
Of course, besides soldiering, a large portion of her free time is taken up with folk dance. As she says, this is more of a hobby for her because if she were a really typical artist, she would not probably be serving with the Hungarian Defence Forces. On the other hand, to her folk dance is the same as preserving traditions.
“I think it’s important to preserve our traditions because people in the old days had their hearts in the right place in a lot of things, and their behavior is exemplary in many respects. Dance had its own system, as it was combined with feasts, celebrations and customs. There was a whole way of life which was possible to follow (and maybe it was even necessary to follow in the old days…). The dances of the given regions were treasured possessions. It is a good feeling to “dance them through", so to say, because you can feel the given natural landscape in each dance. Furthermore, I think people in the old days were able to express their emotions better and deeper. There was, for instance, an order and time for grief. They were able to do that. Nowadays, in our fast-paced world we are unable to experience it the same way as they did, so we perhaps repress our grief instead. To sum up, we need to know our roots anyway because they give us a sound footing. Of course, we don’t have to stick to each and every tiny detail during a folk dance performance", the lieutenant says, adding that at present she is a member of the “Cserregő" folk dance group.
She has already exhibited her dancing skills in the Hungarian Defence Forces too, since together with her partner, 1st Lt. Gábor Rózsa – a serviceman of the HDF 54th Veszprém Radar Regiment (see the last photo) – she won a special prize in the 2011 series of the “Can It Be One More Star?!" military talent competition.
“We took it well indeed. Our main goal was to show ourselves to the public, and to prepare for the competition with a dance that we had not performed before. Were it announced again, I think we would enter another such competition", says Lt. Agáta Kapás in closing the conversation. Let us add that she often enters military sports competitions and sometimes gives poetry recitals. She likes traveling and wants to take up sewing, too, in the near future. I don’t know how she will manage it logistically…
Photos: Tünde Rácz, the author and archives
