The last of the Austrians

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20 Aug 2013

The last of the Austrians

August 20, 2013 A final military parade was conducted to farewell the last of the command elements of the AUTCON on 29 July, 2013. The occasion marked the end of 39 years of Austrian peacekeeping service in Golan.

The last of the Austrians included; Deputy Force Commander, Brig Gen Stefan Thaller, UNDOF HQ Staff Officers, Military Police, logistic personnel and the crew of UNDOF Position 22.

In his farewell speech, the Force Commander and Head of Mission, UNDOF, MGen I. S. Singha poured out praises for the longest serving contingent in the Golan Heights. He mentioned that the Mission would always be grateful towards Austria's successful contribution towards the UNDOF mission mandate.

In an emotional speech, the first and last Austrian DFC mentioned that he thought their mission with UNDOF would be a never ending story. "Unfortunately the story ended on 06 June, 2013 when Austrian Forces were told to withdraw due to political reasons," he said.

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