Funeral ceremonies of the Smolensk crash victims
2010-04-29

On 28th April funeral ceremony of Air Force commander Gen. Andrzej Błasik was held. This was the last of the funerals of the victims of the crash of Tu-154M aircraft on 10th April near Smolensk airfield carrying Polish delegation heading for commemorative events of the Katyn massacre.

The late General Blasik was escorted by the Minister of National Defence Bogdan Klich, Vice-minister - Marcin Idzik, the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces - Maj. Gen. Mieczyslaw Stachowiak, the Deputy Polish Air Force Commander - Maj. Gen. Krzysztof Zaleski, the Chief of USAFE - Gen. Roger Brady, the Commandant-Dean of the Polish Air Force Academy - Brig. Gen. Jan Rajchel as well as many other representatives from the Land forces, Navy, the Polish government, and delegations from the embassies of: Belarus, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Rep., Denmark, Finland, France, Netherlands, Japan, Canada, Lithuania, Germany, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, USA, Hungary, Great Britain and Italy.
The mourners reminisced General Blasik's service and the demanding tasks he fulfilled while in office - the successful implementation of the F-16 Block 52+, the modernisation of the Air Defense Forces, the building of the Backbone radar systems. Thanks to his work, NATO leaders could always count on the Polish Air Force.

Red and white roses and bouquets were laid upon the coffin as the words of the "Airmen's March" were sung. General Blasik died a pilot's death - he has returned to the skies, the skies that he loved so much.

On 20st and 21st April the farewell ceremonies of the chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces Gen. Franciszek Gągor were held.
“No words can render the pain we feel”, Col (Rev.) Sławomir Żarski said during the funeral sermon on 21st April. “Now, we have in heaven an advocate of soldier’s matters”, Dean of Land Forces Col. (Rev.) Dariusz Kowalski accompanied him. The tribute to the deceased General paid soldiers of General Staff, representatives of the government and other state and non-governmental institutions. The late General was also escorted by the chiefs of defence from all over Europe among others from: Austria, Belarus, Croatia, Czech Republic Denmark, Georgia or Lithuania. All the representatives of the Diplomatic Corps gathered for the ceremony as well.
“A soldier does not die, soldiers goes to stand on an eternal sentry”, these are the words Gen. Gagor used to say during funeral ceremonies of soldiers fallen in the missions, the same words were told during his last farewell.

See the gallery from the ceremony >>

Also during that time the funeral ceremonies of former Ministers of National Defence Jerzy Szmajdziński (20th April) and Aleksander Szczygło (21st April) took place. To the final rest were brought as well as the bodies of the chiefs of the branches of the armed forces: Land Forces Comander LtGen. Gen. Tadeusz Buk (18th April), Navy Commander Admiral Andrzej Karweta (26th April), Operational Commander Gen. Bronisław Kwiatkowski (24th April), Special Forces’ Commander gen. Włodzimierz Potasiński (25th April), and also other military victims of the crash.
Most of the victims laid to rest at the Powązki military cemetery.

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