Armed Forces Day: Members of public join Service personnel in their day of celebration
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- Date: 28.09.2024
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The men and women of our Armed Forces along with the Slovak Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces leaders gathered to celebrate Armed Forces Day in Brezová pod Bradlom. Members of the public joined in Armed Forces Day celebrations – around 10,000 people came to an open field below Baranec Hill to see the forces-themed events live throughout the day.
After arriving at the Tomb of General Milan Rastislav Štefánik on Bradlo Hill and at the 'Hurban's Battles' Memorial close to Brezová pod Bradlom earlier in the morning, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák, Deputy Defence Ministers Igor Melicher and Martin Vojtašovič, and Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko paused to pay tribute to the Slovak volunteer soldiers who fought hard and died for our freedom in the 1848-49 Slovak Uprising. Also in the morning, an ecumenical worship service took place at the Protestant Church in Brezová pod Bradlom, with military chaplains among the celebrants.
To mark the victory of the Slovak Nation's first battle for national self-determination, the Slovak Armed Forces celebrate Armed Forces Day at the end of September. 22 September 1848 saw Jozef Miloslav Hurban's volunteer soldiers, led by Ján Francisci, waging and winning their first battle over the Imperial Army and the Hungarian Guards at Brezová pod Bradlom.
Reflecting on the occasion, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák said: “Going into this battle under the leadership of the Štúrists [Ľudovít Štúr’s companions and followers], our forebears fought for their own Slovak Nation for the first time in history, at the time of the pan-European revolutionary events. We owe them our huge thanks and we vow never to forget their legacy – it will remain here, now and for generations to come.”
The official programme continued with an Armed Forces ceremony in the host town's General M. R. Štefánik Square, where Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko and Deputy Defence Minister Igor Melicher recognised service achievements and personal accomplishments of retired and serving military personnel and personalities who have contributed to spreading the good name of the Slovak Armed Forces. This was followed by a promotions parade, in which selected members of the Slovak Armed Forces came forward and their promotion orders were read to the crowd.
The programme then shifted to the vast field below Baranec Hill, where President and Commander-in-Chief of the Slovak Armed Forces Peter Pellegrini and Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko addressed the audience.
In his keynote speech, President and Commander-in-Chief Peter Pellegrini said: “The Armed Forces are among the most trusted public institutions in our country. Activities like this show that young people can choose service to their country as their future profession. In addition to social welfare guarantees, I believe that the other distinct motive for signing up with the Armed Forces will be the gradual fielding of most advanced weapon systems, some of which we can see here today.”
In his remarks, Gen Daniel Zmeko, Head of Slovakia's Armed Forces, said: “We will strive to enhance the credibility of our Armed Forces. It is all about our good honest work – whenever anyone needs us, we are always ready to help. And while we train hard and prepare for our core mission, we also want to make our Service personnel who don their uniforms to be a model of citizenship and civil morale.”
Throughout the day, the Armed Services staged demonstrations of forces and assets, namely a parachute drop by the Airborne Forces, capability demonstrations of the Special Operations Forces (SOF), and air displays from military aircraft. Among the Army assets on show were Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and tracked and wheeled armoured combat vehicles (ACVs), notably main battle tanks (MBTs) and infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs). The Slovak Air Force provided air assets to the national event, such as UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, Aero L-39 Albatros tactical jet trainers, and a C-27J Spartan airlifter.
The finale of the programme was filled with live musical performances from singer Peter Bažík, Peter Cmorik Band, Magic Spurs Band, and other performers as a thank you to the the entire Armed Forces community.
After arriving at the Tomb of General Milan Rastislav Štefánik on Bradlo Hill and at the 'Hurban's Battles' Memorial close to Brezová pod Bradlom earlier in the morning, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák, Deputy Defence Ministers Igor Melicher and Martin Vojtašovič, and Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko paused to pay tribute to the Slovak volunteer soldiers who fought hard and died for our freedom in the 1848-49 Slovak Uprising. Also in the morning, an ecumenical worship service took place at the Protestant Church in Brezová pod Bradlom, with military chaplains among the celebrants.
To mark the victory of the Slovak Nation's first battle for national self-determination, the Slovak Armed Forces celebrate Armed Forces Day at the end of September. 22 September 1848 saw Jozef Miloslav Hurban's volunteer soldiers, led by Ján Francisci, waging and winning their first battle over the Imperial Army and the Hungarian Guards at Brezová pod Bradlom.
Reflecting on the occasion, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Robert Kaliňák said: “Going into this battle under the leadership of the Štúrists [Ľudovít Štúr’s companions and followers], our forebears fought for their own Slovak Nation for the first time in history, at the time of the pan-European revolutionary events. We owe them our huge thanks and we vow never to forget their legacy – it will remain here, now and for generations to come.”
The official programme continued with an Armed Forces ceremony in the host town's General M. R. Štefánik Square, where Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko and Deputy Defence Minister Igor Melicher recognised service achievements and personal accomplishments of retired and serving military personnel and personalities who have contributed to spreading the good name of the Slovak Armed Forces. This was followed by a promotions parade, in which selected members of the Slovak Armed Forces came forward and their promotion orders were read to the crowd.
The programme then shifted to the vast field below Baranec Hill, where President and Commander-in-Chief of the Slovak Armed Forces Peter Pellegrini and Chief of Defence Gen Daniel Zmeko addressed the audience.
In his keynote speech, President and Commander-in-Chief Peter Pellegrini said: “The Armed Forces are among the most trusted public institutions in our country. Activities like this show that young people can choose service to their country as their future profession. In addition to social welfare guarantees, I believe that the other distinct motive for signing up with the Armed Forces will be the gradual fielding of most advanced weapon systems, some of which we can see here today.”
In his remarks, Gen Daniel Zmeko, Head of Slovakia's Armed Forces, said: “We will strive to enhance the credibility of our Armed Forces. It is all about our good honest work – whenever anyone needs us, we are always ready to help. And while we train hard and prepare for our core mission, we also want to make our Service personnel who don their uniforms to be a model of citizenship and civil morale.”
Throughout the day, the Armed Services staged demonstrations of forces and assets, namely a parachute drop by the Airborne Forces, capability demonstrations of the Special Operations Forces (SOF), and air displays from military aircraft. Among the Army assets on show were Zuzana 2 self-propelled howitzers (SPHs) and tracked and wheeled armoured combat vehicles (ACVs), notably main battle tanks (MBTs) and infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs). The Slovak Air Force provided air assets to the national event, such as UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, Aero L-39 Albatros tactical jet trainers, and a C-27J Spartan airlifter.
The finale of the programme was filled with live musical performances from singer Peter Bažík, Peter Cmorik Band, Magic Spurs Band, and other performers as a thank you to the the entire Armed Forces community.
