Contingent personnel of Brigade Lebanon XXXVIII receive the UNIFIL medal

• The Head of UNIFIL Sector East, General Melchor Marín Elvira, presides over the medal award ceremony

Ceremony for the presentation of medals of the UNIFIL mission to the personnel of BRILIB XXXVIII deployed since last November. The main ceremony took place at the Miguel de Cervantes Base.

Similar events were also held at the different United Nations positions (UNP) where the rest of the BRILIB XXXVIII personnel are stationed, specifically at UNP 9-64, UNP 9-66 and UNP 4-28.

This decoration is awarded to all personnel who exemplarily serve a minimum of 90 days under UN mandate in Lebanon, and is endorsed by a mission certificate signed by the Chief General of the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon.

The military event took place in the Plaza de D. Quixote de la Mancha. Four Companies, the Honour Squadron, the War Band and the Guidons and Banners of all units of the Lebanon Brigade took part, as well as the flags of the different contingents and the flag of Lebanon, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel José Félix Calviño González.

The ceremony was presided over by the Head of Sector East of UNIFIL, General Melchor Marín Elvira, accompanied by the Spanish Ambassador to Lebanon, Jesús Ignacio Santos Aguado, and other Lebanese civilian, religious and military authorities.

The ceremonies began with the presentation of the flags of the United Nations, Lebanon, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador and Serbia. Afterwards, General Marin received the honours of ordinance, and dressed the Force. To the strains of the anthems of the United Nations, Lebanon and Spain, the flags were hoisted and flew in the parade ground until the end of the ceremony.

After the reading of the Order of awarding the UNIFIL medal, the medal was presented to the personnel of BRILIB XXXVIII.  After the awarding of the medals, General Marín addressed a few words, in which he greeted the troops present at the ceremony, congratulated everyone for having received the UNIFIL medal, added that the work is not finished, that we must remain focused on the mission and finally he remembered all those who had died in the line of duty.

He then began the tribute to the fallen, making special mention of those who died on Lebanese soil, the Legionnaire's song was sung and two spirits of the Legionary Creed were recited, after which the units left the parade ground to begin the parade, bringing the military ceremony to an end.