A military ceremony was organized on Tuesday, January 5, in Curtea de Arges to mark that the 33rd Mountain Battalion 'Posada' left for a mission in Afghanistan. Beside the soldiers' relatives, present at the ceremony were the Minister of National Defense, Gabriel Oprea, the chief of General Staff, Admiral Gheorghe Marin, the US attache of Defense in Bucharest, Colonel Bruce West,representatives of the local administration, war veterans.
'The troops in the theaters of operations are a priority for me, as the Minister of National Defense. I am especially concerned - even if this is a year of poor resources- with doing what it takes to improve your security and protection during missions,to ensure all you and your families' rights are protected and last but not least
to see that the best equipment is provided so that you can fully accomplish your missions alongside our allies and partners' stated the Minister of National Defense.
The Minister asked the soldiers to seriously and professionally focuse on each and every mission, to act according to their mandate and to prove the maximum discipline and correctness in their relations of cooperation and coordination with their partners and allies. Mister Gabriel Oprea appreciated the courage and devotion of the Battalion proved in the theaters of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and in missions at home and abroad as the Mountain Troops' real examples of exemplary determination to fulfill the international commitments Romanian assumed in countering the terrorism.
The Minister of National Defense spoke to the present audience about the wounded or killed in action soldiers from the Battalion: 'We can not but to remember today when you are leaving for a new mission about the exceptional example of abnegation and sacrifice of the Battalion's hero, First Lieutenant post mortem Aurel Marcu, killed in action on September 6, 2007 in Afghanistan and the heroism of his wounded brothers in arms Lieutenant Grigore Nicolae, NCOs Octavian Zafiu, Marius Enescu and Mircea Solomon'.
Admiral Gheorghe Marin expressed his belief in the fulfillment of the soldiers'trusted missions.'I am sure you are going to fulfill the trusted missions in good conditions. And, when I say that I have in my mind the expertise you gained in the two international missions in Iraq (protecting the UN personnel) and in Afghanistan within the ISAF III. I also rely on your level of training you have obtained along the years and you increased it in the last months of training '.
'I know you trained in our domestic fire ranges and that some of you attended a special training program in Hohenfels, Germany, at the US Army Multinational Joint Training Center' stated the chief of the General Staff who recently visited this Center.
The troops from Curtea de Arges, in their second mission in this theater of operations, for six months will act in Zabul province, receiving the missions from their brothers in arms, the militaries from the 280th Infantry Battalion from Focsani.
The Mountain Troops from Arges among other missions will have to ensure the security of their area of responsibility; will have to perform the military operations together with the Afghan forces, the humanitarian actions and the missions of patrol and escort of convoys.

MoND Press Office