Hungarian officer awarded Cross of Honour

Hungarian officer in the Multinational Medical Coordination Centre/ European Medical Command is awarded Germany's highest military decoration.

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Koblenz - For her outstanding service in the German Armed Forces, Major Olga P.-F. (HUN) was awarded the Silver Cross of Honour of the Bundeswehr. The award of the highest decoration of the German Armed Forces to a foreign soldier is exceptional and therefore even more significant. The officer has served for two years in the multinational medical organization in Koblenz as an Exercise Staff Officer in the Wargaming/Exercises Branch.

3 Questions to the freshly decorated Staff Officer

Did you expect getting decorated and do you know the exact reason for this honoration?

No, it was a huge surprise. I listened to what Brigadier General Dr. Stefan Kowitz read out, and it was really a wonderful moment. For me, this decoration is the highlight of my career.

The decree, which I also received in English, explains what the German version says. It says that the medal is awarded for outstanding service to the Bundeswehr.

I am very proud and happy to receive this decoration. It was already a privilege for me to be assigned to this position 2 years ago as the first Hungarian member of the MMCCMultinational Medical Coordination Centre/EMCEuropean Medical Command and I worked hard in order to represent both my country and the team of MMCCMultinational Medical Coordination Centre/EMCEuropean Medical Command with honour.

What challenges have you had to overcome in the projects you have worked on so far, and what do you expect to be your most demanding tasks in the future?

Since joining the team, I have been involved in all phases of exercises, from design to planning and execution. The most challenging roles for me were as a Facilitator (Observer/Trainer) in the exercise Vigorous Warrior 2022-Casualty Move 2022 (VW22-CAMO22) in Hungary and as OPR (Officer Primary Responsible) of the CAMO23 in Estonia. For CAMO24, I will again serve as OPR, which will be another exciting task for both me and the team due to the focus of the exercise on Medical Civil-Military (CIVMIL) cooperation.

Since you have already been working at MMCCMultinational Medical Coordination Centre/EMCEuropean Medical Command for two years and will stay here for another two years, does this award have an influence on your future work?

I am very grateful to my colleagues and superiors in MMCCMultinational Medical Coordination Centre/EMCEuropean Medical Command as I have received constant feedback on my work. Positive feedback is always a great motivation for the future, and constructive feedback helps to improve and has a learning effect. I work in a really great team where I have been given plenty of opportunities to try myself out in different functions and to be responsible for certain projects and tasks. As I am still in the middle of my tour here, I consider this award as a recognition, but also as a sign of the trust that the management has in me.