Slovak Defence Ministry marks Veterans Day and 105th anniversary of Armistice Day
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- Date: 11.11.2023
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Today the world marks Veterans Day and the 105th anniversary of Armistice Day. The red poppy, the enduring symbol of Veterans Day, is a tribute to those who have fought in wars for freedom of nations and timeless values. Today we also observe Armistice Day. It was on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 that the last guns rang out at the signing of the armistice between the Allied nations and Germany at Compiègne, France.
On Saturday 11 November 2023, an official Veterans Day & Armistice Day commemoration ceremony in recognition of the nation's war veterans and victims of conflicts took place at Petržalka - Kopčany WWI Cemetery in Bratislava. Participants in attendance included President and Commander-in-Chief Zuzana Čaputová, Slovak Parliament Speaker Peter Pellegrini, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák, and Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko.
Addressing the audience at the WWI cemetery in Bratislava, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák said: “The heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the fight for the ideals of freedom and democracy deserve eternal glory, honour and all our respect. Their legacy will live on here forever, we pledge never to forget them.”
Shortly afterwards, the Ministry of Defence and members of the public celebrated Veterans Day with the Run in Honour of War Veterans, which symbolically started at 11:11am at Petržalka - Kopčany WWI Cemetery. 200 runners, including Armed Forces personnel in full field kit, officer cadets of the General M. R. Štefánik Armed Forces Academy, sportsmen and women of the DUKLA Military Sports Centre Banská Bystrica, and service personnel of the NATO Multinational Battlegroup Slovakia, took their place on the start line for the run, thereby paying homage to the heroes in the fight for freedom.
The latest veteran statistics released by the Slovak Defence Ministry show that there are 8,970 living war veterans (i.e. WW2 and contemporary war veterans). Of them, 18 were engaged in operations during WW2. Since 2004, a total of 10,542 soldiers have been given the status of war veteran.
On Saturday 11 November 2023, an official Veterans Day & Armistice Day commemoration ceremony in recognition of the nation's war veterans and victims of conflicts took place at Petržalka - Kopčany WWI Cemetery in Bratislava. Participants in attendance included President and Commander-in-Chief Zuzana Čaputová, Slovak Parliament Speaker Peter Pellegrini, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák, and Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko.
Addressing the audience at the WWI cemetery in Bratislava, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák said: “The heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country in the fight for the ideals of freedom and democracy deserve eternal glory, honour and all our respect. Their legacy will live on here forever, we pledge never to forget them.”
Shortly afterwards, the Ministry of Defence and members of the public celebrated Veterans Day with the Run in Honour of War Veterans, which symbolically started at 11:11am at Petržalka - Kopčany WWI Cemetery. 200 runners, including Armed Forces personnel in full field kit, officer cadets of the General M. R. Štefánik Armed Forces Academy, sportsmen and women of the DUKLA Military Sports Centre Banská Bystrica, and service personnel of the NATO Multinational Battlegroup Slovakia, took their place on the start line for the run, thereby paying homage to the heroes in the fight for freedom.
The latest veteran statistics released by the Slovak Defence Ministry show that there are 8,970 living war veterans (i.e. WW2 and contemporary war veterans). Of them, 18 were engaged in operations during WW2. Since 2004, a total of 10,542 soldiers have been given the status of war veteran.
