Defence minister lays wreath at Memorial of Hungarian Heroes

Defence Minister Tibor Benkő on Sunday laid a wreath at the memorial of Hungarian Heroes, marking the national day for Hungary’s Heroes.

After the ceremony on the Heroes’ Square in Budapest, Benkő said “the homeland, our loved ones and our values need protection not only in war but also in the time of pandemics and other disasters.”

The Hungarian Armed Forces do so by offering stop-gap or long-term employment to those who have lost their jobs during the coronavirus epidemic, he said.

The memorial day is dedicated to soldiers and civilians who have made sacrifices for Hungary’s survival and independence.

Parliament declared the last Sunday in May a national day for Hungary’s Heroes in 2001, partly reviving a 1917 law under which all towns and cities were obliged to erect monuments to soldiers who died in WWI.