Military pilgrimage to Częstochowa
(14 August) As part of the 23rd International Military Pilgrimage, held between 4-14 August, soldiers from six countries walked from Warsaw to Częstochowa. Among the more than 500 members of armed forces and armed corps from Poland, Germany, the United States, Croatia and Lithuania, who had undertaken to walk along what was more than a 300km-long pilgrimage route, were also members of the Slovak Armed Forces, led by Lt. Col. Stanislav Lipka, Military Dean of Headquarters Training and Support Forces Trenčín. The military pilgrims were joined by Mons. František Rábek, Ordinary of the Slovak Armed Forces and Armed Corps. At the finish of the pilgrims’ next-to-last stage, Mons. František Rábek celebrated, together with Bishop Józef Guzdek, Military Ordinary of Poland, and in the presence of military chaplains and members of the military diplomatic corps, the Holy Mass for the pilgrims. Slovak servicemen and women have regularly attended the military pilgrimage from Warsaw to Częstochowa since 1996. ● The ruined village of Kalište hosted the 9th Meeting of Generations on 16 August. The event was held under the auspices of Prime Minister Robert Fico. In his speech, the Prime Minister emphasized the necessity to remember heroism and victims of the anti-Nazi resistance. The event was organized by a regional committee of the Slovak Association of Anti-Nazi Combatants and the Museum of the Slovak National Uprising in Banská Bystrica. The village of Kalište is the only burned-down village that has never been rebuilt. Its residents were executed by Nazi troops in March 1945. Upon the departure of partisans, Nazi soldiers killed 46 villagers, including women and children, many of whom were burned to death inside the village’s 36 houses.
Tóth and Hrašnová go for silver (15 August) SVK Minister of Defence Mar n Glváč congratulated Matej Tóth, the race walker from the Military Sports Centre Dukla Banská Bystrica (MSC DBB), on his second place in the 50km walking race at the European Athle cs Championships in Zürich, Switzerland. At this top compe on, Tóth won his fi h medal in the men’s 50km walking race. At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, he came in 7th and placed 5th at the World Championships in Moscow last year. Mar na Hrašnová, another MSC DBB athlete, won a silver medal, too. By performing a 74.66m throw, she placed second in the women's hammer throw. “I would like to congratulate them on their great achievements. I am pleased to say that by gaining silver medals at the European Championships they have proved to be in excellent condi on this year. What’s more, they have joined the ranks of other successful MSC DBB sportsmen and women,” said Minister of Defence Mar n Glváč. For Matej Tóth, the second place at the European Championships is the best performance in his sports career. With his final me of 3:37:41, he also succeeded in breaking the na onal me record. Mar na Hrašnová retained her second place at the European Championships a er her previous performance two years earlier.
● On 13-14 August, members of the 1st Mechanized Company (1st Mech Coy) undertook a field training exercise, entitled Summer Survival, focusing on summer acclimatisation. In spite of the prevailing bad weather conditions, the 1st Mech Coy fully met the stringent training requirements. The officer in charge of the exercise expressed his satisfaction with the achievements of all unit members as well as with the course of the entire exercise. ● Lt. Col. Zuzana Kraushuberová, Commander Transport Battalion, and Maj. Branislav Michalčík, Deputy Commander Multifunctional Battalion, together with Col. Karol Navrátil, GS, Deputy Commander Slovak Land Forces, and Col. Miroslav Ollé, Deputy Commander Combat Service Support Brigade, welcomed SVK Chief of Defence Lt. Gen. Milan Maxim for a working meeting at Hlohovec Garrison on Tuesday. The meeting focused on the main tasks and capabilities of both battalions. ● Lt. Gen. Milan Maxim, Chief of the General Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces, visited Headquarters 1st Mechanized Brigade in Topoľčany to familiarize himself with the ongoing performance of assigned tasks. At the facility he was met by Col. Ján Bujňák, GS, Commander 1st Mechanized Brigade. In the presence of Brigadier Juraj Krištofovič, Deputy Commander of Slovak Land Forces for Support, and the key HQ staff, Col. Ján Bujňák briefed Lt Gen Maxim on the history, structure, and key personnel of HQ 1st Mech Brig and on the brigade’s mission and main tasks. The Chief of Defence inspected the premises of the Logistics Battalion, 1st Mech Brig, and inquired about the state of repair activities and the work of repair workshop specialists. He finished his visit to Jaselské Barracks by signing its commemorative chronicle in the Hall of Honour and Traditions.
Sahara 2014 at MTTF Záhorie
(16 August) Over 100 historic and modern combat vehicles and a huge crowd of military history fans from Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany, Belarus, Norway, Sweden, Spain and Russia, gathered for a weekend-long event at the premises of the Military Technical and Testing Facility Záhorie (MTTF Záhorie). The 12th annual gathering of historic military vehicles and military history clubs, entitled Sahara 2014, offered a variety of battle re-enactments, such the Normandy Disembarkation and the Battles on the Eastern Front in 1944. Involving a large number of soldiers, military vehicles, equipment and aircraft, the show was riddled with audio and visual pyrotechnic effects. Also noticeable were activities promoting the Slovak Armed Forces. The show included demonstrations of historic and modern military wheeled, tracked and specialized vehicles.
Eternal soldier's memorial
(16 August) The village of Mojtín held a sculptureunveiling ceremony for its most famous native – Ladislav Škultéty, known as an “eternal” soldier. The soldier’s bronze sculpture was designed by the artist Juraj Brišák from the Orava region. The Holy Mass and the blessing of the memorial were attended by Mons. Tomáš Galis, Bishop of the Diocese of Žilina, František Rábek, Military Ordinary of the Slovak Armed Forces and Armed Corps, Viliam Judák, Bishop of the Diocese of Nitra, and by other guests. Ladislav Škultéty-Gábriš was born in Mojtín on 27 June 1738. He joined the military at the age of 12 and retired at 81. While serving as a Hussar soldier in the service of four kaisers, he survived 22 wars and participated in 256 battles. He passed away at the age of 93 in Romania on 19 August 1831. His remains were transported to Slovakia and were buried in home soil during a burial ceremony with full military honours on 27 June 2013.
SVK military doctors train UKR colleagues
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(15 August) How military doctors work in crisis areas and how they deliver medical services – even such know-how was passed on from two Slovak military doctors to their Ukrainian counterparts in Kiev. Nearly 300 Ukrainian doctors and medical staff were trained by MUDr. Jozef Kuca, Chief of ROLE 2E Mobile Medical Unit,
and MUDr. Ján Berec, Head of Surgery Division, ROLE 2E Mobile Medical Unit. Both military medical experts had gained rich experience during their tours of duty in ISAF in Afghanistan and in UNMISET in East Timor. “Even this is one of the forms of our assistance we provide to Ukraine. Our military doctors rank among the best and that’s why I am pleased that they could pass on their expertise to Ukrainian doctors and medical staff,” said head of the SVK MOD Martin Glváč. 300 Ukrainian doctors and medical staff received practical information on field surgery, including field hospital organization and management, acute surgery solutions in demanding conditions, and psychological assistance to patients. Our doctors were the only foreign lecturers to train Ukrainian medical personnel. “During a period of three days, we briefed our Ukrainian colleagues on organization and management of military medical services and procedures for best
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medical practice during exceptional situations, with respect to individual medical branches, deployment, and running of a field medical facility,” said MUDr. Berec, Head of Surgery Division, ROLE 2E Mobile Medical Unit. He went on to add that the training sessions were captivating for the Ukrainian colleagues, which was best illustrated by a large number of questions in the follow-up discussions. “We are very pleased that we could disseminate the rich expertise of our doctors to our Ukrainian colleagues and thereby play a role in rescuing the human lives of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers,” said Col. MUDr. Vladimír Lengvarský, Surgeon General of Slovak Armed Forces, while commenting on his colleagues’ mission. “I believe that our experience will greatly benefit our Ukrainian colleagues and provide them with a model for organizing and delivering medical services in exceptional and crisis situations,” said MUDr. Berec.
August 11 - 17, 2014