Prague, Nov 11 (CTK) – The Czech Defence Ministry wants to offer retraining courses for jobs in state-run companies to war veterans, Defence Minister Martin Stropnicky (ANO) and Chief of Staff Josef Becvar told journalists yesterday.
Thanks to this, the soldiers sent by the military to foreign missions may work as repairmen of military equipment, Stropnicky and Becvar said.
The ministry has also launched a web site with offers of the companies giving discounts to their products and services, they added.
The press conference was held on the War Veterans Day celebrating the signature of the armistice at the close of World War One.
“The country that does not respect its war veterans does not respect itself,” Stropnicky said.
At present, the Defence Ministry registers 817 veterans from World War Two and 12,908 modern veterans. They participated in foreign military missions in the past 25 years. About 10,500 of them are aged 26-50.
The Defence Ministry wants to focus its activities on the latter. They are to be offered retraining courses and jobs with state-run companies.
The soldiers discharged from the military may gain jobs at the Vojensky opravarensky podnik (VOP) military repair company.
Deputy Defence Minister Tomas Kuchta said the VOP had to be able to repair military equipment at any time and in time for its use, not being dependent on private companies.
“This is why the firm needs experts knowledgeable in military equipment who are able to repair it even abroad during missions,” Kuchta said.
For this, the war veterans are ideal because they know well the environment of the missions, he added.
They may repair the ground equipment with VOP and aircraft or helicopters with the LOM Praha firm, Kuchta said.
The ministry also wants to widen the preventative health care for the veterans and the capacity of long-term care, social services and permanent accommodation for the veterans in need.
The veterans will find the offers from 18 companies with various discounts at a new website.
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