On Veterans Day, Pilsen citizens commemorated fallen soldiers and the 100th anniversary of signing the Armistice of 11 November 1918, which ended the First World War. The armistice between the Allies and Germany was signed in a train car at Le Francport near Compiègne, north of France.
The memorial was held at the Memorial of the Victims of the Wars for Freedom and Democracy in Homolka Park on 11 November 2018 at 11 am.
“Let us not surrender. The past hundred years of our history have taught us how easy it is to switch from peace to war, from freedom to totalitarianism, from hope to hopelessness. Remember how we missed freedom thirty years ago, and let us not get into misery again. We are not a solid and self-confident democracy yet. However, we are close to it. It is necessary not to be silent and intimidated. They, and you know who, are trying to divert us from our democratic and pro-European direction. Let us not give in,” said President of the Region Josef Bernard at the ceremony.
Several awards were presented on this important day. Miroslav Charvát, Vice-Chairman of the Veterans Association, received the medal of the Regional Military Command (RMC) for active cooperation with RMC and support of military traditions in the Pilsen Region, Aleš Vranovský and Miroslav Hus, members of the Czechoslovak Legionnaire Association, received the RMC Medal for Public Presentation of the Czech Army and Ludvík Gasseldorf and Karol Polakovic received the Support of Military Traditions medal.
Representatives of the Regional Military Command in Pilsen, representatives of the Pilsen Region and the Municipalities of Pilsen and Pilsen districts, Czechoslovak legionary communities in Pilsen, representatives of the Czech Union of Freedom Fighters, war veterans, pupils of 20th Elementary Schools and citizens of Pilsen and the surrounding area participated at the ceremony.
The meeting was organized by the Unity of the Czechoslovak Legionnaire in Pilsen and the Regional Military Command in Pilsen.
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