Military Police recruits take oath for first time in Latvia’s defence service

More than 1,200 soldiers in Latvia’s State Defence Service took a ceremonial oath on Friday, 4 September, including the first recruits to do so in the Military Police, LSM reported.

The oath ceremonies took place simultaneously in several Latvian cities at 11 a.m. The recruits pledged to fulfil their duties as soldiers and defend their country.

Seventy Military Police recruits, who began their service in mid-July, took the oath in the garden of the Christmas Battles Museum, a museum at a World War I battle and memorial site. They had completed the first stage of basic military training and gained new experience, knowledge and confidence, according to LSM.

Families and friends attended the ceremony, trying to hear the names of the soldiers among the proceedings. “It is such pride and honour. Yes, he is in the Military Police. It seems like an interesting event. He applied himself. We supported his choice,” said Edgars Burmistris, the father of one of the recruits.

After the ceremony, attendees were shown some of the skills the soldiers had learned during their first months of service. The recruits competed to see who could disassemble and reassemble a weapon the fastest.

The Military Police is also taking on State Defence Service recruits for the first time. This encouraged some of the soldiers to choose the unit, while some said they had already begun considering professional military service.