PM Ciuca: Respect and eternal memory to Romanian heroes!

Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca sent on Thursday a message of respect and eternal memory to the Romanian heroes, stressing that the thoughts are dedicated, with gratitude for the last full measure, to all those who have fallen in the fight for ideals and for a better destiny of their descendants, Agerpres reports.

"Today, Romania symbolically intertwines its Christian and historical being, marking at the same time two great celebrations: the Day of Ascension of the Lord and the Day of Heroes. At 12 o'clock, the bells will be ringed in all places of worship, a moment of silence will be observed in the public institutions and the educational units, and after the officiating of the Divine Liturgy of Ascension, the festivities of commemoration of the heroes will begin, at the tombs and commemorative works of Romanian war, as well as at the foreign ones on the territory of Romania. To pay tribute to the memory of those who sacrificed themselves on the battlefield throughout history, the Romanian Government, the Romanian Orthodox Church, the local authorities, associations and nongovernmental organizations, the citizens who come to be present at the demonstrations meet today in deeds and thoughts - and we thank them for joining us," states, on the occasion of Heroes' Day, Nicolae Ciuca.

He recalls that for the first time appeared the generous idea of honouring all those who fell on the battlefield, by caring for the graves and maintaining the commemorative works of war dedicated to them, in the Treaty of Versailles, signed in 1919 between the belligerents of the First World War.

"Romania became the first state to consecrate the commemoration of foreign heroes alongside the national ones. By the Decree-Law of May 4, 1920, it was established that the Heroes' Day to be celebrated on the occasion of the Ascension Day, a similar decision being taken, in the same year, by the Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church. The Society tombs of Heroes Fallen in War, founded in 1919 under the high patronage of Queen Marie, inaugurated, in 1923, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and supported the construction, in the interwar period, of numerous monuments and commemorative plaques throughout the country. After the Revolution of 1989, the tradition founded in 1920 was re-knotted, so that today we dedicate our thoughts, with gratitude for the supreme sacrifice, to all those who died in the struggle for ideals and for a better destiny of their descendants," adds Ciuca.

"Even if our respect is equal to all the heroes, a special thought goes to the Romanian heroes, men and women, to whom we owe the independence, unity and status of our country in the world today. If we have our language, our home, our faith, if we have no security fears, if we start to become regional leaders in important sectors of activity, if our young people can go to study anywhere in the world, in short, if we have identity and future, this is due to those who died with gun in hand, defending our identity and our future. Respect and eternal memory of Romanian heroes! And let's not forget that anyone can become a hero, if what he is and what he has ends up in danger!" says Ciuca.