The meeting of the Brigade staff and department heads was attended by guests, including representatives of local authorities: member of the Bolesławiec County Board Stanisław Chwojnicki, head of Osiecznica Municipality Waldemar Nalazek and Świętoszów village head Andrzej Juryta. Also present were: head of the Bolesławiec police, Inspector Henryk Stefanko, commander of the State Fire Service County Headquarters in Bolesławiec, Senior Brigadier Grzegorz Kocon, head forester of the Świętoszów Forest District Wojciech Moskaluk, and vice-president of the “Commando” Association Bogdan Fiałkowski.
The Christmas Eve meeting was opened by the commander of the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade, Brigadier General Maciej Jabłoński, who welcomed those gathered and briefly recalled the year's most important armored events:
This is a wonderful time when we can stand here at the Christmas Eve table, take a breath and share a meal together, without haste. This year was a year of very intensive training for the Brigade. The most important and culminating undertaking we carried out was our participation in Exercise Noble Jump; we prepared our forces for the VJTF initiative, a very high-readiness force; and, as the Host Nation Support, we ensured the functioning of allied troops during the exercise. We carried out joint tasks with the Americans as part of the Heavy Detachment initiative, as well as countless field-training exercises.
We began in the cold east of Poland, at Orzysz, then came Ustka and Drawsko Pomorskie, all interspersed with training on the tactical track in Świętoszów and Kraliky. The soldiers carried out tasks outside the country's borders. The Resolute Support Mission contingent was built on the basis of our Brigade. I am glad that everyone returned safe and sound. Unfortunately, we did not avoid setbacks this year. On October 9, 2015, our colleague, Sergeant Michał Pawlicha, passed away. I hope that he is here with us today. The scale of undertakings carried out by the Brigade would not have been possible without the participation of civilian army employees, or without the support and assistance of local and municipal authorities and the associations cooperating with us. Thank you.
And above all: my soldiers. Thank you for your conscientiousness, commitment and the tremendous work you have done, for the potential you possess and put into your daily service. But besides all of us here, there is another, quiet army that supports us. These are our families. Please convey our best holiday wishes to your families. Only now, serving alongside you in Świętoszów, do I see how heavily families are burdened, how much effort it costs our loved ones so that you can carry out your tasks. I wish everyone wonderful holidays and ask you to focus on your loved ones over the coming days. Be there for them. Give them back what we often take away from them. Let us add fuel to the family hearth so that we can warm ourselves as well as possible and draw as much energy as possible for work and service in the coming year.
In the afternoon, another Christmas Eve meeting was held at the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade Club. This time, members of the association of soldiers wounded and injured on missions met in the conference room of the Świętoszów club. The special guests were the parents of the late Sergeant Michał Pawlicha.
Katarzyna Przepióra/ii