The PR officers of the Romanian contingents in Iraq and Afghanistan transmitted how the Romanian militaries celebrated the Day of the Romanian Armed Forces:

Monday, October 25, 04 in White Horse camp near Nassirya all the Romanian militaries acting in the south of Iraq gathered for celebrating the Day of the Romanian Armed Forces together with their American, Italian, Dutch and Portuguese colleagues. Participants to this celebration were the militaries from the 812th Infantry Battalion Hawks of Carpathians, the Military Police Company, officers from the British South East Division command, from the Italian Brigade Friuli command and from the command of the Multinational Force in Bagdad.

The activities started with the meeting performed through the videoconference system between the Romanian militaries and the President of Romania, the Prime Minister, the minister of National Defence and the chief of the Romanian General Staff. This occasion, the militaries from Iraq were congratulated for their professionalism in fulfilling the missions in difficult environment, far away from home serving with honor the colors of the Romanian flag.

The military and religious ceremony was developed in White Horse camp and there was presented the order of the minister of National Defence occasioned by the Day of the Romanian Armed Forces and the order of the chief of the Romanian Army Staff. The awards festivity of the winners of the sport contests and the contest of firings with the armaments the Romanian Battalion is endowed, activities being organized between October 15 and 24, 04 with the participation of the militaries from all the national contingents acting within the coalition in Dhi Qar province. Then there was the parade of the Hawks of Carpathians, they made photos and had the festive launch with the Romanian specific food.

At the Command of the Multinational Force in Baghdad they organized a photo show on the contribution of the Romanian militaries in the missions developed in the theater of operations in Iraq. The 200 Romanian militaries from Al Hillah and Babil organized a ceremony and the 55 engineering team celebrated the Day of the Armed Forces through work because they participated to the arrange of the ECHO camp for the redislocation of forces from the Center South Division.

Deputy commander of 3 Bronco Brigade with the staff officers and the subordinated battalions commands and the commander of the 3 British Royal Air Force squadron took part to the ceremony organized in the military camp from Kandahar (Afghanistan) where the militaries from the 281st Infantry Battalion Bold Eagles are dislocated in. A distinct part of this manifestation was the mentioning of the sacrifice of Second Lieutenants Fogasi Iosif Silviu and Samuila Mihail Anton died during their duty a year ago in Afghanistan.

The program continued by showing the military equipment the militaries are endowed and a demonstrative exercise and in the evening there was organized a festive dinner with the participation of their American and British guests.

The celebration of the Day of the Romanian Armed Forces represented for the 281st Infantry Battalion a moment of remembering the successful activities developed during the four months since they are in Afghanistan.

MoND Press Office