LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Romanian army special operations forces soldiers recently remembered the ultimate sacrifice by one their own, Capt. Tiberius Petre, four years ago on April 3, 2009, while serving as an Operational Detachment Alpha commander in Ebrahim Kheyl Village, Baraki Barak district in Logar province.
Petre was killed in action while working to mentor and train Afghan National Security Forces.
Petre was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal of the United States and promoted to major, plus he was posthumously awarded the Steaua Romaniei in grad de cavaler cu insemne de razboi (The Star of Romania in knight or cavalier rank in wartime).
Ever since, Romanian special operations forces have continued to stand shoulder to shoulder with NATO’s ISAF and the mission Combined Special Operations Task Force 10 originated over five years ago, working as part of a multination, SOF Task Force in the Regional Command East area of Afghanistan to train Afghan Provincial Response Companies, whose specialties include civil order security and high-risk arrests.
Romanian SOF have assisted in this mission for almost the entire five years that the task force, which they are a member of, and has been in existence with regular rotations in support of ANSF and ISAF.
Maj. Daniel, a Romanian SOF counterpart of Petre’s said, “I am very proud that I was able to be his friend because he was a great soldier and a great leader, but most of all a great friend.”
“Our unit and I were very lucky to have served alongside him,” Daniel exclaimed. “It is my hope, however, that everyone will remember the sacrifice paid by my friend Maj. Petre and what his loss has meant to his family and those of us who were fortunate to have served with him and I really hope the world will remember…that his sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Romanian special operations forces currently continue to serve with CSOTF-10 and other NSOCC-A brothers-in-arms from partner nations including Hungary and Croatia to train the PRCs to develop capacity for future, sustainable tactics and inter-ANSF collaboration in the months ahead to ensure Afghan people and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan are ready to independently face the security challenges of the future.