The Bolesławiec 18th Artillery Brigade, which has just reached its 30th anniversary, has become a permanent part of the history of the city and region. It was established on 15 May 1962 as the second unit of its kind in the Polish Army.
The year 1963 was significant for many later achievements. After several months of intensive work adapting the barracks facilities, dozens of sleepless nights on training grounds, and exercises on polygonal backcountry roads in freezing temperatures, rain or scorching heat, the brigade carried out tasks involving live-fire exercises. To anticipate the facts: we would visit the Kapustni Jar training ground six more times, most recently in 1988. We always returned “with our shields.”
Despite the enormous number of tasks carried out daily by commanders and other officers supporting their training and educational activities, representatives of the unit readily took part in the public life of the city and voivodeship. Many successfully worked in local-government, social and political organizations. Whenever the need arose, our soldiers always stood in the front line of those helping the civilian population. This included work for the city and surrounding area, such as assistance in building the municipal stadium and bathing complex, work for the state forests, the telecommunications office and local schools, help in eliminating the effects of natural disasters such as floods and forest fires, snow removal from railway routes, and eliminating the effects of the settling-tank failure at the “Konrad” mine in Iwiny.
Finally, there was charitable assistance for schools and care institutions. Last year, this also included cooperation with Jacek Kuroń’s “Pomoc społeczna SOS” foundation and cooperation with the Bolesławiec branch of TPD, which resulted in organizing two summer holiday camps for children. It is also worth mentioning the soldiers’ activities supporting healthcare. There were years when the amount of blood donated voluntarily reached 200 liters annually. A recently organized charity ball became a symbol. The proceeds from it, together with money collected from the professional staff, totaling nearly 12 million zlotys, went to the Bolesławiec hospital fund.
The social, political and economic transformations taking place are forcing adjustments on various fronts. This also applies to the armed forces. We are convinced that the restructuring process will affect the 18th Artillery Brigade in the near future. Regardless of what roles may be entrusted to us in the future, today’s Jubilarians assure all the residents of the town on the Bóbr that the soldier will carry out his duties in a way that does not conflict with the interests of the nation, whose defense he was called upon to undertake.