On 12 January 2010, the monument “Vatanga Qasamyod” (Oath to the Motherland) was unveiled in the city of Tashkent.
A compact and agile professional national army has been shaped in our country as a result of the wide-ranging reforms in progress under the leadership of President Islam Karimov to boost the combat readiness as well as the equipment and mastery of the manpower of the Armed Forces, to secure the provision of our military with contemporary weapons systems and machinery.
The reforms in the military, and in particular the decision to contract the conscription period to one year, the introduction of the rule whereby the draft is called once a year, the arrangement of a mobilization-conscription reserve and the system of training sergeants, the provision of privileges when applying to a higher education institution for young men who have earned a recommendation letter from the command of military units, the care for the improvement of housing and other living conditions for military service men and women – all this has been facilitating the enhancement of prestige of military service. Today, the service has become not only a duty, but also an honor and authority, and the national armed forces are a reliable guarantor of the territorial integrity of the country and the peace among the people.
The monument “Vatanga Qasamyod” erected in Tashkent under the idea and initiative of President Islam Karimov has come to be a bright symbol of honor and valor of the defenders of the native land, and an expression of deep respect and love of the people for them.
The monument epitomizes a courageous warrior who, solemnly kneeled and tenderly kissing the State Flag, brings oath to the Motherland to be always ready to protect it and preserve each of the sacred land’s span as the apple of the eye. The loving mother who embodies the native soil and who has given birth to and raised such an audacious soldier, gives her blessing to her son to perform his high duty.
As the popular saying goes, the word of a man is firmer than the granite. Hence, by having given the word, one has to stick by it. We are a people who put pride and honor above everything. Thus, the military oath is by no means a mere official undertaking. That is an oath of the courageous and brave defenders of the Motherland for the dedication to one’s own country, people and President.
The Day of Motherland Defenders is a major holiday for military servicemen as much as our entire nation. After all, there has barely been an affair more honorable and sacred than the protection of one’s native land. This holiday urges the youth to value the peace and harmony reigning in our country, be worthwhile successors of the colossal creative endeavors underway across the nation.
One can encounter flowers under the “Vatanga Qasamyod” monument all year round. The place is always crowded on the eve of the holiday. It is packed with soldiers and officers performing their duty in military units, cadets of higher military education institutions, schoolchildren of general schools, students of lyceums and colleges as well as higher education institutions, parents, guests of the capital city and tourists from abroad.
“The “Vatanga Qasamyod” monument is instrumental in fostering the youths in the spirit of dedication to the Motherland,” suggests Uktam Mavlanov, Doctor of History, head of the department for Fundamentals of Ethical-Spiritual Education at the Abdulla Avloniy Central Institute for Retraining and Raising the Professionalism of Public Education Personnel. “Thus, every time I visit the monument, my heart gets overfilled with elevated feelings.”
“Our military school has all the opportunities and environment for attaining profound knowledge and sporting skills,” says Alisher Doliev, cadet of the Chirchik Higher Academy of Tank Command and Engineering. “During theoretical and practical classes, I try to be keen and grasp deeply the military profession I have chosen. I intend to serve the Motherland with dedication.”
As President Islam Karimov notes, there is a potent factor that adds power and might to the army, and when needed it becomes the decisive one – and it is the moral-psychological training of military servicemen and women, their unshakeable will and spirit, their proactive civic stance, and crucially, a thorough understanding of who and what they perform their military duty for.
Natural as it is, feelings like these are born in the soul of every person who visits the “Vatanga Qasamyod” monument. After all, everyone living in the land of Uzbekistan is liable for the protection of this soil.
