Kosovo Force (KFOR) Soldiers gather to pay tribute to their Slovak comrades who lost their lives in an airplane crash accident in 2006, while returning home from their KFOR Mission in Kosovo, during a memorial ceremony at Camp Film City, Kosovo on Jan. 19, 2023.
During the ceremony, Brigadier Gen. József Szpisják, the deputy commander of KFOR, and Ratislav Kostilnik, head of Slovakia Liaison Office, gave speeches and laid wreaths on the monument erected in memory of the crash on Camp Film City. Those present also held a minute of silence to honor the fallen KFOR members.
“Friends and fellows, we share the memories of those who lost their lives in the tragic accident,” said Szpisják during the ceremony. “These stories keep their memory alive. It is always our duty to remember the fallen by getting together to remember what they did for peace.”
On Jan. 19, 2006, the plane, carrying 28 soldiers, seven support staff and eight crew, crashed in northern Hungary, on its way home, after the Slovaks had completed their tour in Kosovo.
“The Slovak troops (served in) KFOR from 1999 to 2010, contributing to keep the peace in Kosovo,” said Szpisják. “The 42 names we honor today were lost to us in 2006. Forty-two brave Soldiers gave their lives at the end of the mission, when no one knew that a crashing airplane would end the journey, and transform the pride and happiness to grief and silence.”
During the ceremony, Kostilnik expressed his thanks to the KFOR Soldiers for their excellent cooperation during the time when Slovak Soldiers were a part of KFOR, and after, as they keep alive the commemoration of those who lost their lives.
Even though this is the 17th anniversary of the accident, each new rotation of KFOR Soldiers and leadership keep alive the memory of those lost.
“The memory of the Slovak Soldiers will always be in the center of our headquarters, in this green garden, allowing us to stop for a moment and share our prayers with friends and family, and to remember how precious the peace, and our life, is,” said Szpisják.
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