On Romanian Army Day, Tuesday, October 25, the Târgu Mureș Garrison organized, in collaboration with the Târgu Mureș City Hall and the Prefect’s Institution, a military ceremony in honor of the anniversary of this important day. Thus, in the Victoriei Square in the center of the city of Târgu Mureș, the greatness and value of the Romanian Army was brought to the attention of the citizens.
“We respectfully worship these heroes”
The event started with the religious ceremony, followed by the mayor of Târgu Mureș Municipality, Soós Zoltán, the vice-president of the Mureș County Council, Ovidiu Georgescu, and the sub-prefect of Mureș County, Nicolae-Florin Pălășan, who will then take the floor to talk about the significance of this day. Major General, Dacian Tiberiu Șerban, commander of the Special Operations Forces Command, also appeared in front of those present, who read the message sent by the Chief of the Defense Staff on the occasion of this important day:
“The fate of the Romanian Army is linked to the fate of Romania. The National Defense Institution is fully engaged in the sacred mission of guaranteeing and defending the values of the Romanian state. Every day, soldiers are trained in tasks and activities that serve to accomplish this mission. There is, however, a day in the calendar dedicated to the Defense Institute, in which the active military, as well as their retired colleagues, publicly reconfirm their will to remain closely linked to the army’s destiny. Through its historical valences and the connotations of the present, October 25 remains a landmark in the calendar of great national anniversaries. Romanian Army Day is an occasion to remember the battles, heroism and victory of October 25, 1944. In the Second World War, after the successes in the Western campaign, against the Hitlerite-Horthyist troops, the Romanian military re-raised in glory the tricolor flags of the flag, on the last liberated territories, in the area of Carei and Satu Mare. Liberation was paid for with the blood of thousands of soldiers, who bravely fell in the battles of Sfântul Gheorghe, Târgu Mureș, Oarba de Mureș, Păuliș, Turda, Cluj-Napoca, Oradea, Satu Mare and Carei. We bow with respect to these heroes and to all Romanian heroes from the second world conflagration”.
About living in times that will become historic
“We emphasize the effort of those who proudly wear the uniform of the Romanian Army today. At this moment we are engaged in the execution of complex tasks, aimed at preserving the role of the state as a provider of security, on a national level and in a regional context. The responsibility that falls upon us in these times is difficult and it is huge. Dear colleagues, we are in a year that will go down in world history as the time when the Russian Federation launched a bloody war against Ukraine. Peace in Europe, which was also showing signs of weakness, dissipated… However, this is also the year in which the great projects of our time, NATO and the EU, affirmed their firm will to defend the values of humanity on the basis of which they were established”, there were also the quoted words of the Chief of the Defense Staff, highlighting the significance of the time in which we live and wishing all those who are in the service of the country’s defense to keep the temerity and steadfastness that the ancestors of the Romanian nation gave proof of.
Memories from the life of the veteran, Ioan Covaci
Then followed a moment whose emotion left a strong thrill in the hearts of those present. The military foreman, Croitor Aurelian Cornel read in front of the audience, some fragments of the life that the war veteran, Ioan Covaci, from Zau de Câmpie, wrote in his own diary. Being one of the 25 war veterans who are still alive in Mureș county, from the writings of the 99-year-old veteran we gathered: “On May 9, at 8:00 a.m., we were in the Czech Republic, when we were informed that the war is cooked. The Romanian troops were shooting with projectiles and tracer cartridges, they could be seen like the stars in the sky. The Romanians, as many as remained, sang and played. When we arrived at the borders of the commune of Zau, called Hodie, near the parental house there was a cemetery where the two-year-old mother was buried in the ground. I said: Mother, come out of the ground and see me, because I escaped the war in the west. When I saw our house, my legs gave up with joy and tears started to flow.”
Awards and glorious finale
During the event, prizes were awarded to those who stood out in the “Cup – October 25” sports competition, which took place in the run-up to the Romanian Army Day. Shooting after effort, swimming, athletics and mini-football were the disciplines in which he competed, and following the results obtained, the overall ranking by teams was as follows: Third place – Inspectorate for Emergency Situations “Horea” of Mureș county, Second place – Battalion 51 Special Operations “Eagles” from Târgu Mureș, 1st Place – 54th Support Battalion “Horea, Cloșca and Crișan” from Târgu Mureș.
The demonstration was then continued with the laying of wreaths and flowers at the Monument of the Romanian Soldier, and finally, the event was honored in the hearts of all those present, being completed with the parade of the honor guard.
PS: On the official website of the daily newspaper Zi de Zi, you can learn more about Ioan Covaci, the war and life veteran, and about his broken memories from a seemingly different life…
Ioana MARGINEAN
Photo: Alex Toth
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