US Ambassador to Slovakia Theodore Sedgwick presented Commendation Medals to five Slovak bomb-disposal specialists who have taken part in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan. Two more specialists were awarded Bronze Star Medals at a ceremony that was held on November 27 at the National Centre for Explosive Ordnance Disposal (NC EOD) in Nováky.
Sedgwick in his address said that the specialists deserved the medals, as their work was important, demanding and life-threatening. Slovak teams are the only ones that are carrying out such work in Afghanistan, said the ambassador, who praised Slovakia’s contribution towards foreign military missions and co-operation between the US and NC EOD.
Chief-of-General-Staff of the Slovak Armed Forces Peter Vojtek said that the awards were the result of the tough work carried out by Slovak EOD specialists.
“We have two very important entities - the Explosives Ordnance Disposal Centre of Excellence in Trenčín and the National Centre for EOD here in Nováky,” said Vojtek, as quoted by the TASR newswire. “Both have shown since they have been founded that they provide top specialists, and we'd also like to use them more in explosives disposal and in tackling various emergency situations here in Slovakia.”
A total of five EOD teams from Slovakia have been deployed in Afghanistan since 2010. They have been tasked with disposing of explosive devices in the centre of Kandahar and its vicinity as part of military support for American troops.
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
