Credit: © Armée Luxembourgeoise
On Friday 12 January 2024, the Luxembourg Army held the 201st solemn oath ceremony for recruits at the military centre in Diekirch, in the presence of Luxembourg's Minister of Defence, Yuriko Backes, General Steve Thull, Luxembourg's Chief of Defence, Colonel Alain Schoeben, Commander of the Armed Forces, and members of the army.
During the ceremony, 61 volunteer soldiers who had successfully completed four months of basic training took the oath. They pledged to uphold the Constitution of Luxembourg, state laws and military regulations and to faithfully serve the Crown and flag in the performance of their military service.
Out of a total of 90 recruits, 61 soldiers successfully completed their basic training, which corresponds to a success rate of 67.7%. The Luxembourg Army noted that success marks the end of initial training for volunteers, but also the start of their military service in the army. The next steps for these soldiers will be advanced individual training followed by specialised individual training, in order to best prepare them for their engagement within the various units, always with the aim of creating robust, more operational and available troops.
The solemn oath ceremony is an expression of the esprit de corps of the Luxembourg Army. Faithful to tradition, recipients received the fourragère, symbolising the conversion of recruits into full-fledged soldiers. Furthermore, five recruits were rewarded for their "excellent" performance during their basic training, namely soldiers Anetta Mosr (1st ranked), Alex Muller (2nd ranked), Hugo Cardoso (3rd ranked), Meo Reuland (best sportsman ) and Chris Friederich (best shooter).
"Today we celebrate and honour 61 young women and men who successfully completed their basic training. They can be proud of themselves and their accomplishments," said Minister Backes. "I am delighted that a particularly high number of young recruits took the oath today, because the army needs young and motivated women and men to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow."
The ceremony also featured music by the Luxembourg Military Band and was commentated by Stéphanie Haan.
(Minister Yuriko Backes; © Armée Luxembourgeoise)
