Women soldiers currently make up twelve percent of the brigade’s personnel. They hold a variety of positions: from commanders of companies, platoons and squads, through staff positions, to drivers, paramedics, radio operators, riflemen and soldiers serving as vehicle crew members. Today, no one is surprised to see a woman in uniform carrying out duties alongside men, on equal terms and without any special concessions. This was not so obvious a few years ago. Now women serve in practically every subunit of the armored brigade.
March 8, 2018, began much like any other day, but from the very morning the atmosphere differed from that of the other days of the year. In the corridors of the armored brigade’s buildings, men could be seen carrying individual flowers or even entire bouquets. Anyone entering an office had no doubt that a woman served or worked there. In addition, the women smiled and listened with satisfaction to the wishes offered by their colleagues.
That day, at eleven o’clock, a concert for all the women serving and working at the 10th Armored Cavalry Brigade and the 43rd Military Economic Unit began at the Military Club in Świętoszów. The invited women were welcomed by the commander of the Świętoszów unit.
Brigadier General Doctor Dariusz Parylak addressed all the women on their special day with the following words:
Welcome, ladies, most warmly on this special and unique day. I thought for a long time about what I could wish you, what I could say that you have not heard before. To the women who are employees of the Ministry of National Defence, I wish above all the opportunity for self-fulfillment. To the women in uniform, I wish that you would climb the career ladder and never rest on your laurels.
The commander of the 43rd Military Economic Unit also joined the wishes expressed by the commander of the Świętoszów unit.
For about an hour, the women gathered at the Military Club had the opportunity to listen to the most popular songs by the universally known band ABBA. The Kraków-based group Abba Cover Band performed for the large audience. The fun was excellent. There was no shortage of courageous women who decided to dance to the hits of the 1970s and 1980s.