09.06.2023.
Promotion of youngest Air Force and Air Defence non-commissioned officers
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević has attended the ceremony to admit the fourth class of the Air Force and Air Defence Non-Commissioned Officer Course participants to professional military service. The ceremony was held at the Guard Club in Belgrade, today.
Congratulating the youngest sergeants of the Serbian Armed Forces, Minister Vučević extended special congratulations to their families.- Dear parents of these great young people, on behalf of the fatherland and all the citizens of Serbia, I would like to thank you for raising your children in a way that sets a good example for all of us parents, for teaching your children true values and patriotism, and for encouraging them to take the oath that binds them for the rest of their lives - the oath, the unbreakable bond between each of them and our common home, our motherland, our Serbia. Congratulations to you, generals, officers, and senior non-commissioned officers, to all of you at the Training Command and everyone else who has been involved in the successful training of the youngest non-commissioned officers of the Serbian Armed Forces. You’ve had a serious task, not because these people have not been excellent candidates, on the contrary. These are great individuals and, undoubtedly, a great class. Even though it is your duty to provide the Serbian Armed Forces with new strength and energy, this, too, will be your professional legacy and a stamp you will leave on the Serbian Armed Forces - said Minister Vučević.
The Minister of Defence congratulated the youngest Air Force and Air Defence non-commissioned officers on their admission to professional military service, noting that as of today, their responsibility towards themselves, their families and the entire country is even greater, as well as their maturity.
- The non-commissioned officer rank you have received today makes the burden of responsibility you carry heavier, but I'm sure you are aware of that. And with the best of intentions, I advise you to obey your commanders, your superiors and officers, and senior non-commissioned officers, because obedience is a human virtue, not a sign of weakness. The person who learns to obey is a good person and can help themselves and others. Be firm with your soldiers and look after them responsibly, they are your military; they are the soldiers who will succeed you. They will look up to you and you must take care of them. Look up to the famous non-commissioned officers in our history, to all those who have left an unmistakable stamp, who have created the history, essence, and the DNA of our country. That, too, obliges you, just as this beautiful uniform of the Serbian Armed Forces obliges you - Minister Vučević pointed out.Another class of young people successfully promoted to non-commissioned officer ranks of the Serbian Armed Forces, the Minister of Defence said, is the best invitation for new generations.
- It is an invitation for other young people to consider joining this noble and privileged profession in the Serbian Armed Forces. It is not an ordinary job, other professions cannot compete with it, and I don’t mean to underestimate anyone. It requires strong morality, great responsibility, and above all patriotism. May those words follow you throughout your professional career, and I am sure that we will meet all over Serbia, in all the places where SAF units are stationed, especially the AF and AD units. I’m sure that you will work in peace, that we will protect the freedom of our country, that we will understand the value of peace, but be ready to respond to all kinds of challenges, i.e. every task that our country gives us. Congratulations on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and the Government of the Republic of Serbia. Long live the Serbian Armed Forces! Long live our only homeland, our free, sovereign, independent and never conquered Serbia! - said Minister Vučević.
Sixty-one NCO Course participants have been admitted to the professional military service as non-commissioned officers, with the rank of sergeant, after having successfully completed training in performing maintenance of the Air Force and Air Defence units’ equipment. The best among them - Ivana Zdravković, Dejan Savić and Sandra Jovanović - were awarded non-monetary prizes.Ivana Zdravković, the highest ranking graduate of the fourth class of the Air Force and Air Defence Non-Commissioned Officer Course, said that she and her colleagues had managed to overcome various challenges during their six-month training with joint effort, commitment, desire and love for the motherland.
- For us, this ceremony today is not just a promotion, but taking responsibility for improving ourselves in our future work. This is not over yet, on the contrary, the most beautiful, but also the most difficult part is yet to come. A lot of new challenges, tasks and duties await us. New goals, obstacles, tests and assessments. New achievements, small and big victories. We are eagerly awaiting them and we are ready, because luckily enough, we had someone to learn from - said Sergeant Zdravković.
During the six-month training, the candidates trained as aviation ordnance personnel, aircraft technicians and radar and missile system operators.The ceremony was also attended by Commander of the Training Command, Major General Željko Petrović, Air Force and Air Defence Deputy Commander, Brigadier General Brane Krnjajić, Head of the Human Resources Directorate of the General Staff, Brigadier General Savo Iriškić, and the families of the youngest non-commissioned officers of the Serbian Armed Forces.
