Soldiers of the 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade commemorated their colleague – Mateusz Sitek, who was killed while serving on the border. In his honor, one of the brigade's Abrams tanks was named Sitek-21. It was presented during Thursday's parade.
During the parade, the army presented the M1A1 Abrams tank, which recently entered the brigade's equipment – it was given the name Sitek-21, painted on the barrel of the tank's gun.
The inscription was unveiled earlier by Emilia Sitek, the mother of the deceased serviceman.
The tank was named “Sitek-21” in honor of Sergeant SitekCourtesy of TVP
Tragically wounded with a knife
Private Mateusz Sitek from the 1st Warsaw Armoured Brigade was stabbed on 28 May while serving on the border with Belarus. The soldier was attacked on a section of the border near Dubicze Cerkiewne (Podlaskie Province) by one of the men who were trying to force a steel barrier in a group. When the soldier, using a protective shield, was blocking a breach in the steel barrier on the border, the perpetrator – after putting his hand through the fence – stabbed him in the chest with a knife. Branches and stones were thrown at the injured man and the Border Guard officer who was helping him.
The 21-year-old was first taken to a hospital in Hajnówka, then transported to the Military Medical Institute in Warsaw. He died there on June 6. Mateusz Sitek was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant of the Polish Army and awarded the Gold Medal of Merit for National Defense.
Main image source: Courtesy of TVP