The official ceremony for handing over NATO Medals for Afghanistan to the Romanian military participating to the establishment and operationalization of the new Afghani armed forces was organized Sunday, June 20, 04 at 08.00 local hour in US Camp Blackhorse at 12 km East of Kabul.

The Romanians awarded with the medals are the following: Major Gologan Mircea, commander of ANA TRAINING II; Captain Paun Stelian, chief of infantry training team; Captain Mihalache Marian Claudiu, chief of tank training team and Captain Ipate Razvan specialist in armaments within the technical and maintenance control team.

In the name of NATO General Secretary the medals were handed over by the commander of the German contingent participating to the training of the new Afghani armed forces as a sign of the professionalism our trainers proved especially for the excellent cooperation between the Romanian and the German trainers in the complex tactical exercises with the Tank Battalion from the Brigade of the Central Army Corps of the National Armed Forces of Afghanistan.

During the ceremony the German commander stressed on the fact that it is for the first time the German Armed Forces had the privilege to award the Romanian military and I am proud of the excellent cooperation between the German and the Romanian military. Reviewing the main landmarks of the Romanian-German cooperation he expressed the convince that every Romanian military trainer from ANA TRAINING II detachment could find out his work and results in the medals awarded to the commanders.

According to the Decision of the Parliament of Romania no. 12 from 7.05.2003 the ANA TRAINING Detachment commanded by Major Mircea Gologan is participating to the process of establishment and operationalization of the New National Armed Forces of Afghanistan.
The activity of the 22 officers and NCOs of this detachment is to train the Afghani military; to elaborate the organizatorical charts, the programs of endowment and training, the management of donations, recruiting and training of forces, inspections and repair of the military equipment.

The soldiers are organized on mobile training teams (infantry, tanks and maintenance) for training the Afghani military from the 2nd Mechanized Battalion, the 3rd Tank Battaion and the 5th Battalion of Logistics from the 3rd Rapid Intervention Brigade/Central Army Corps.

As a recognition of the contribution and the results gained in their activity in February, 04 the US Army granted the Army Commendation Medal to four Romanian officers and five NCOs. All the trainers received then the certificates of appreciation from the CJTF Phoenix commander.

Lieutenant Colonel Gelaledin Nezir, MoND Spokesman