Widow of the deceased Lt. Lukasz Kurakowski – the first Polish soldier killed in Afghanistan – has accepted on his behalf the “Meritorious Service Medal” bestowed by President Lech Kaczynski in Poznan.
Kurakowski, killed in August 2007 on the ISAF mission in Afghanistan, was nominated for the medal by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. The ceremony took place in Poznan at the Center for Ground Army Training.
“I consider this medal a present for Lukasz. Tomorrow is his birthday. It has been a year and a half since he died,” stated Aneta Kurkowska, the lieutenant’s widow.
General Waldemar Skrzypczak, who led the ceremony, called the medal a symbolic recognition for the efforts of all Polish soldiers in Afghanistan.
“This distinction is granted to the family of those who were killed in the NATO mission, as well as to the most prominent soldiers who stand out in a given mission. This is the first medal of its sort that I have bestowed in my career,” Gen. Skrzypczak said.
Lt. Kurkowski died as the result of a fatal wound he received during a patrol about 20 kilometres from the southeastern Gardez base in the Paktia province of Afghanistan. The soldier died en route to hospital. He was 28 years old.
To date, during the Polish ISAF mission in Afghanistan, nine Polish soldiers have been killed. Most recently, Officer Andrzej Rozmiarek was killed in a car accident last week. (mmj)