U.S. Ambassador Attends Mihaly Kovats Memorial Ceremony
- 29 May 2012 9:01 AM
Ambassador Kounalakis attended a memorial ceremony honoring Mihaly Kovats on May 11, 2012 in Karcag. Colonel Kovats, a native of Karcag, left Hungary to fight in the American Revolutionary War. He wrote a letter to Benjamin Franklin offering his services and then recruited, trained and led the first U.S. cavalry unit into battle. He died on May 11, 1779, when he led a cavalry charge against the British troops in South Carolina to liberate the city of Charleston.
The Ambassador said in her remarks that although the 90th anniversary of the U.S.-Hungarian diplomatic relations was celebrated the day before at CEU in Budapest, the ties between the two countries go beyond 90 years as evidenced by Colonel Kovats.
She also said that Hungarian and American troops now fight for the same values as Mihaly Kovats did over 200 years ago. Ambassador Kounalakis spoke highly of the Hungarian Defense Forces stationed in Afghanistan and thanked the troops for their sacrifices, hard work and courage.
Rural Development minister Sandor Fazekas also delivered remarks at the ceremony.
Remarks by Ambassador Kounalakis at the memorial ceremony
Source: U.S. Embassy Budapest
Photo: Ambassador Kounalakis pays tribute at the Colonel Kovats memorial plaque during the ceremony. (Embassy photo by Attila Németh)
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