The celebrations began with a liturgy at the Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Bolesławiec. At the same time, as part of the open barracks day, the unit hosted school students, who had the opportunity to learn about military equipment and the traditions inherited by the Bolesławiec unit.
The main part of the celebrations was a military roll call, whose importance was underscored by the participation of delegations from units cooperating with the Bolesławiec artillerymen: soldiers of the 13th Artillery Regiment from Jince in the Czech Republic and American soldiers of the 218th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, who will be stationed in the barracks of the 23rd Artillery Regiment.
“The holiday celebrated today is a special opportunity to honor the memory of those who created the history of our unit—the memory of our predecessors, who through their dedication, sacrifice, service and work created the conditions for our operation. Today, we pay tribute to them and thank them for their hardship, effort and the work they left behind. Our rich artillery traditions are a source of pride, but at the same time they oblige us to carefully preserve them,” said the acting regimental commander, Lt. Col. Sławomir Kula.
The ceremony provided an opportunity to honor soldiers for special merits and their personal contribution to carrying out official duties, as well as to present commemorative badges of the 23rd Artillery Regiment. (The artillerymen received them from the commander of the 11th “Lubuska” Armored Cavalry Division, Maj. Gen. Stanisław Czosnek and the regimental commander).
The regimental holiday also provided an opportunity to present appointment documents for the next military ranks, as well as gold and silver “Medals of Merit for National Defense” to former soldiers of the National Armed Forces. The medals were presented by the commander of the “Black Division” and the military recruitment commandant in Bolesławiec, Lt. Col. Andrzej Łuka. Alongside the soldiers, the mayor of Bolesławiec was honored; for services to the Association of Polish Artillerymen, he received the Association’s “Honorary Badge” from the member of the SPArt Main Board, retired Col. Jerzy Kociałkowski, and the president of the Bolesławiec SPArt Branch, retired Col. Henryk Harkot.
At the end, soldiers of the 3rd Rocket Artillery Squadron demonstrated hand-to-hand combat skills of the combat type. The dynamic demonstration, prepared by self-defense and hand-to-hand combat instructor Senior Private Mateusz Gawura, included classical karate techniques used in combat, elements of krav maga and Filipino escrima. The military roll call marking the Holiday of the 23rd Silesian Artillery Regiment concluded with a parade of subunits accompanied by the Bolesławiec Municipal Orchestra.
After the ceremony, soldiers, employees of the Ministry of National Defence at the 23rd Artillery Regiment and invited guests gathered around an Easter table. The unit’s holiday celebrations, held in the period preceding Easter, provided an opportunity to exchange holiday greetings and share traditional Easter dishes.