On Friday, 300 recruits took their oath of allegiance in a solemn ceremony in Zell am See. The swearing-in ceremony marked an important milestone in the young soldiers’ basic training and was held on the sports field in Schüttdorf. The recruits were from various units: the Mountain Combat Center in Saalfelden, the Command Support Battalion 2 in St. Johann im Pongau, the Engineer Battalion 2, the Radar Battalion, the Medical Training Company of the Medical Center West, the Salzburg Military Command and the Jäger Battalion 8 from Salzburg.
The swearing-in ceremony is not only the ceremonial conclusion of the first stage of training, but also a symbolic acknowledgement of the responsibility that the soldiers assume for Austria’s security. In his speech, the military commander of Salzburg, Brigadier Peter Schinnerl, emphasized the significance of this moment: “You have decided to serve with arms and thus make a valuable contribution to our country and our society. I would like to congratulate you on this.”
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Governor Wilfried Haslauer emphasized in his speech: “Well-trained soldiers are the backbone of our national defence. The coming months will certainly be challenging for the recruits in the Salzburg garrisons, but also immensely instructive. With the structure of the federal army and its units in the districts, the state of Salzburg has a strong partner to offer the population the protection that our fellow citizens expect and receive in the event of an emergency. Unfortunately, we in Salzburg have already seen several times how quickly disasters or exceptional situations can occur. The assistance missions of the Austrian Armed Forces to deal with storm damage are one of the main pillars of its tasks and of great importance for the civilian population.”
In his speech, the mayor of Zell am See, Andreas Wimmreuter, paid tribute to the work of the Austrian Armed Forces, particularly in disaster relief operations: “In recent years, our soldiers have repeatedly stood ready to evacuate people from endangered areas, secure dams and restore destroyed infrastructure. I would like to express my sincere thanks for these deployments.”
The solemn highlight of the ceremony was the traditional pledge of allegiance, which was loudly proclaimed by the recruits with an impressive “I pledge…!” followed by “… to serve!” was loudly proclaimed by the recruits. As a special honor, the Historical Rifle Company Zell am See gave the soldiers a salute of honor. The event ended to great applause and left a lasting impression on all those present.
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