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Romanian veterans who fought in the Second World War will each receive, in the following days, a gift with traditional products, as well as a tricolor flag, in an action that symbolically began, on Monday, in the Union Hall in central Alba Iulia, in the presence of the Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu.
At the ceremony, he indeed offered the first package to veteran Laurean Deac, now 99 years old, one of the 2,610 veterans still alive.
Laurean Deac recalled that he was incorporated on April 1, 1943, and after fighting on the Front in Russia, he became a prisoner in Asia Minor, from where he was released only in 1948.
"Thank God (...). I had help from Above for surviving," the veteran said.
"It is a great honor for me to be together and open this campaign alongside veterans. It is a special moment, it is an emotional moment. We are in a place with important historical values. I think we could not have chosen a better place to launch this campaign other than in Alba Iulia, it is the symbol of our unity, it is the symbol of the values for which our brave war veterans fought," said the Chief of Defense Staff.
Like the war veteran from Alba Iulia, all the Romanian soldiers who fought and survived the second world conflagration will receive this week a package containing a cake, chocolate and a bottle of wine from a collection dedicated to this campaign.
"Today we have 2,610 survivors of the Second World War, whom we must thank for their faith and manhood with which they resisted in times of trial. (...) The Ministry of National Defense, in partnership with the Association 'Alongside Heroes', is holding a series of events dedicated to 'War Veterans Day', through which we aim to bring the heroes of World War II to public attention, so that they are even better known, and more respected and become true models of inspiration. One of the steps taken for the first time is to prepare a gift for each brave fighter, materialized by receiving the Romanian flag, along with a bottle of wine and cake, especially in the context of the Easter holidays, as a symbol of communion with and sharing of the same values," said, in his turn, the Secretary of State with the Ministry of National Defense, Marius Balu.
Marius Balu specified that, by order of the Minister of National Defense, all war veterans were promoted on the occasion of the "War Veterans Day", marked on April 29.
