The Romanian Reserve Officers Association (AORR) was awarded by the President of Romania with the Memorial Medal "Centenary of the War for National Unity"
On November 28th, 2019, at the Cotroceni Palace, the Romanian Reserve Officers Association (AORR) was awarded the Memorial Medal “Centenary of the War for National Unity” by the President of Romania, HE Klaus Johannis. AORR was represented by its president, Lt. Gen. (r) dr. Virgil Bălăceanu, the current Secretary Geeneral, Brig. Gen. (r) Iulian Burticioiu and the former one, Maj. Gen. (r) dr. Dan Grecu. The event brought together several military and civilian institutions, supporters of the Romanian military tradition, which received well-deserved recognition for their merits.
“By awarding the medals “Centenary of the War for National Unity” I wish to express the gratitude of the State of Romania for the sacrifice enacted by the generation of the Great Union on the battlefield of the War for National Unity”, stated the Romanian President in his speech.
One of the major projects of AORR, in the year of the Centenary of the Great Union (2018), was the development of the Mobile Expo-Memorial Complex “Glory to the Romanian Soldier”, dedicated to those heroes who sacrificed themselves in World War I. Being materialized as an impressive structure, the Expo-Memorial complex serves as historic testimony, heroes memorial, homage to the Romanian Armed Forces and public history lesson. The monument was inaugurated on November 30th, 2018 in the city of Alba Iulia and it measures 23 meters in height, same as the Monument of the National Union, unveiled at the same historic place and time. This ambitious project wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Ministry of Culture and National Identity, as well as the European Association “Dimitrie Cantemir”.
At the same time, AORR has been an active player at the intersection of the military life and society, involved in several actions, including: a Workshop concerning National Defense readjustment, in cooperation with the Romanian Defence Staff and the National Defense University “Carol I”; a Public Debate in partnership with the Committee for Defense, Public Order and National Security from the Chamber of Deputies, regarding the status of the Romanian Armed Forces and the necessity of developing Reserve Forces / Territorial Forces; active involvement in the program for the recruitment and training of voluntary reservists.
The most recent large-scale project of AORR was the International Experts’ Conference SECDEF19, in partnership with the Military Technical Academy “Ferdinand I”, the Romanian Business Association of the Military Technique Manufacturers – PATROMIL and academic institutions from Poland.