Defence Minister J. Naď: If there is someone deserving of promotion, it must be the heroes of battles fought for our freedom such as Vladimír Strmeň

Today at the SNP Museum in Banská Bystrica, Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď surprised Lt (Rtd) Vladimír Strmeň, one of the last surviving participants of the 1944 Slovak National Uprising (SNP), by promoting him to 1st Lieutenant. Mr Naď presented the Certificate of Promotion along with the shoulder marks and a Letter of Thank You to Mr Strmeň during the preview of a short documentary film entitled “Silence”, which is dedicated to this exceptional personality. The production of the film was supported by the Ministry of Defence.

Defence Minister Jaroslav Naď said: “Mr Strmeň, as a 17-year old, fought for our country and Nation in the Slovak National Uprising. As a partisan, he faced death every day and was seriously wounded. After everything he lived through, he deserves our immense respect, because despite his bitter memories he has, to date, had the strength to speak about them with the young generation and to actively raise public awareness of the events.” According to his words, 1Lt (Rtd) Vladimír Strmeň remains an inspiration for his determination to renounce his comforts for the good of society, even in difficult pandemic times like these, albeit no longer in war.

He continued: “In the past, we bore witness to the practice of kingpinism when politicians and their aides were promoted for their reported contributions to Defence. Ultimately, I believe that real contributions to security and defence are the ones made by those heroes who committed or are still committing their lives to the struggle for peace, freedom and democracy.”

The promotion of Vladimír Strmeň to 1st Lieutenant is a special surprise organised by the Ministry of Defence during the preview of the short film “Silence”. This exceptional documentary, created as part of the “My Uprising” project, is dedicated to Vladimír Strmeň and other heroes of the Slovak National Uprising.