Three former members of Headquarters Multinational Corps Northeast (HQ MNC NE) were honoured with Medals of the Polish Armed Forces for their contribution in promoting integration and strengthening cooperation between the German and Polish Armed Forces.
First-class service
German servicemen Colonel Joachim Smola, Lieutenant Colonel Lutz Rademacher and Sergeant Major Dirk Meier were decorated with medals “as the acknowledgement of merits in the field of cooperation of the Polish Armed Forces with the armed forces of other countries and works devoted to integration of Polish servicemen employed in the Headquarter Multinational Corps Northeast as well as for assistance offered to Polish servicemen engaged in the process of implementing and getting acquainted with operational procedures in the international environment as well as for significant contribution to propagate Polish Armed Forces in international structures”.
Polish-German partnership
The awarding ceremony took place on 20 March in the Polish Embassy in Berlin in the presence of the Polish Ambassador Dr Marek Prawda, Polish Military Attaché in Berlin Colonel Andrzej Sobczyński, a representative of the German Land Forces, several generals of the Bundeswehr and guests from HQ MNC NE – Commander Lieutenant General Zdzisław Goral and Chief of Staff Brigadier General Josef Heinrichs.
The floor was taken by the Ambassador and Military Attaché who stressed in their speeches the importance of these decorations. The medals not only highlight a positive nature of Polish-German interpersonal relations but also prove the support Poland received from the German side in the early years of Poland’s presence in NATO. As a matter of fact, the decoration of the German soldiers coincided with the 10th Anniversary of Poland's membership in the Alliance and was simply a good opportunity to express gratitude. MNC NE Commander General Goral as the one who requested for the decoration, presented the achievements of the servicemen and thanked them for their involvement.
One of the awarded, Lieutenant Colonel Lutz Rademacher, stated “I accept the decoration with a great sense of honour, since it demonstrates to me that old historic trenches between Polish and German armed forces have been surmounted and nowadays a trustful, mutually common and, thus, beneficial activity determines the daily routine cooperation. The fact that I have been able to contribute to the strengthening of this cooperation, makes me feel very proud”. He also highlighted that he enjoyed his tour of duty at HQ MNC NE and found the city of Szczecin very friendly.
| Sergeant Major Dirk Meier served at the Headquarters from June 2003 to September 2008. As Leader Registry Group he was responsible for the registration and processing of nearly all documents, orders and concepts of the staff. He held the same function during the ISAF mission in Afghanistan proving excellent working skills and competence. | Lieutenant Colonel Lutz Rademacher served as Chief of Exercise and Training Branch in G-3 Division from November 2005 to July 2008. He tirelessly and consistently planned and supported all training and exercise undertakings of the Corps. Together with other HQ MNC NE staff, he was deployed to Afghanistan in 2007, where he served as Chief Operations. | Colonel Joachim Smola served at the Headquarters from August 2004 to March 2007 being responsible as Deputy Chief of the G-2 Division for planning and exercises within this Staff Division. His reliable work performance contributed to the excellent preparations of the Division for the ISAF mission. |
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