Land Forces Day 2024, celebrated by ANCERM Gorj | Breaking local news, video news

Tuesday, April 23, 2024, on the Day of St. Great Martyr George, the bearer of victory and the spiritual patron of the Land Forces, a delegation of nine people from the “Regina Maria” Cult of Heroes National Association – Gorj “Tudor Vladimirescu” County Branch (ANCERM Gorj ) participated, at the invitation of the local authorities, in the religious service conducted by priest Adrian Gogoșanu, at the church in the village of Pîrîu, Brănești commune, which is patron saint of the Great Martyr Gheorghe, and in the churchyard there is a Memorial Cross of the Village Heroes, erected by the farmer Mihai Viorel Călugăru.

The ANCERM Gorj delegation consisted of: col. (retired) Dr. Eng. Walter Loga, col. (ret.) Gigi Buse, lt. col. (rtr.) Acorn Ovidiu Gabriel, Prof. Dr. Ion Mocioi, director. Viorica Ionescu, Eng. Vasile Ionescu, jurist Ion Ungureanu, Prof. Dr. Vasile Gogonea and Marin Dogaru, laid a wreath at the Commemorative Cross of the Village Heroes, after which they participated, together with Mayor Gheorghe Stoichițoiu and several councilors locals, together with the parishioners of the village, at the religious service performed by the priest Adrian Gogoșanu and at a church agape, a parastas meal dedicated to the souls of those who have gone to heaven and the heroes of the village.
After the end of the service, the parish priest gave a beautiful sermon about Man and the power of God, but also about Saint George, whom we celebrate today. “The Holy Great Martyr George was born in Cappadocia, of Christian parents. He lived in the time of the persecuting emperor Diocletian. Due to his victories and bravery, he became the leader of the army. In the year 303, when the emperor Diocletian started the fight against the Christians, St. George did not shy away from confessing his faith in Christ, which is why he was imprisoned and tortured. He was subjected to various torments, but none of them made him give up his faith. Many who witnessed the sufferings of St. George renounced the pagan faith and received the faith of Christ. Even Empress Alexandra, Diocletian’s wife, embraced Christianity. Because he did not renounce his faith in Christ, St. George was sentenced to death by beheading, on April 23, 304. The iconography preserves the image St. George on a horse, spearing a dragon. He is also shown in a red cloak with a metal diadem on his head, with a plate under the cloak, holding a cross in his right hand and a sword in his left. Among all the saints celebrated in the Christian world, few have reached the fame that St. George enjoyed and enjoys among the Romanian people. In the villages and towns of the country many churches are erected in his honor. And this church, consecrated on September 26, 1894, has the feast of Saint George the Great Martyr. A town in the country and the third arm of the Danube, in the Delta, bear his name. More than 950,000 Romanians celebrate their St. George’s name anniversary”.
Colonel Walter Loga spoke on behalf of ANCERM Gorj – the president of the “Tudor Vladimirescu” Gorj County Branch, who specified the reason for the presence of this delegation. “The Holy Great Martyr George is the spiritual patron of the Land Forces or Dry Troops (Infantry, Artillery, Tanks, Cars, Missiles and Anti-Aircraft Artillery, Genius, CRBN Defense, Transmissions, Research, Paratroopers and Military Police), and your church is his patron and that is why I came to you. Also, in the church yard there is a commemorative Cross of the Heroes of this village where we laid a wreath of flowers in their honor”. Then he stated that: “The time has come and we must understand that without God nothing can be done. There is a great struggle today between light and darkness. God is the light and the devil, the darkness. All over the world, I think you have noticed, this struggle is always deepening. Bring the grandchildren to church and teach them to love God at home too. This gave strength to the Romanian people to overcome all the vicissitudes suffered throughout history”. At the end, he asked the parish priest to gather the people around him and explain to them that the only chance to resist and last on this ancestral land is faith in God.
The celebration of Saint George the Great Martyr ended with a church agape, a parastas meal dedicated to the souls of those who have gone to heaven and the heroes of the village, together with the parishioners, the priest, the mayor and the local councilors present at the service. I asked the mayor Gheorghe Stoichițoiu, who submitted his candidacy for the sixth consecutive term at the head of the Brăneşti City Hall, to support the priest Adrian Gogoșanu for the renovation of the churches in the villages of Gilortu and Pîrîu, historical monuments.
On returning home, to Târgu Jiu, I visited all the monuments of the heroes on the route. The first was the Monument in front of the recently renovated church in Aninoasa, in the form of an obelisk with a cross, erected in 1997 in honor of the heroes of the Second World War (1941 – 1945) by Bădescu C. Ion, during the time of the mayor Popa Simu Nicolae, and which risks being completely covered by a walnut growing next to it, and the names of the heroes are barely distinguishable.
The next monument was the one from Bibești, Săulești commune, located at the intersection of DJ 662 and DJ 661, also in the form of an obelisk with a cross, erected in honor of the heroes of the Second World War (1941 – 1945). And on this one, the names of the heroes can barely be distinguished, but it is better maintained than the one from Aninoasa.
We passed through the villages of Săulești, Dolcești, Musculești, Petrești and arrived at the church in Bărbăți. In the churchyard, on one side and on the other of the alley leading to the church, there are cenotaphs of the village’s heroes from the Second World War and a Commemorative Cross on which it is written “IN MEMORY OF THE HEROES FROM THE VILLAGE OF BARBATEȘTI” erected by the family of Dr. Cornel Munteanu in the year 2022. On some cenotaphs the writing is hard to distinguish. Congratulations to the family of Dr. Cornel Munteanu for the cross erected in memory of the village heroes!
The last monument visited was the one in Vierșani village of Jupânești commune. It is located in front of the church, built in the form of an obelisk with a statue of a soldier on top, it is fenced and well maintained. It was built by I. Ispășescu from Târgu Jiu for the glory of the heroes of the First World War (1916–1919). Congratulations to the local authorities, the parish priest and everyone who took care of this!
We didn’t stop at the monument in Târgu Cărbunesti because of the rain, and the monument, where we laid wreaths several times, is well maintained, and the one in Pojogeni is the same. Congratulations again to the local authorities, parish priests and everyone who took care of this!
Col. (retired) Gigi Buse