Sie sollen Straßen, Brücken und Gebäude schützen und für die Sicherheit der militärischen Infrastruktur sorgen, wenn die kämpfende Truppe der Bundeswehr im Krisenfall an die NATO-Ostflanke verlegt wird. Bei Katastrophen soll das Land ebenfalls auf sie zählen, und auch die Streitkräfte befreundeter Nationen werden von ihnen unterstützt: Am Freitag ist das neue Heimatschutzregiment 5 in einer feierlichen Zeremonie vor dem Wiesbadener Kurhaus unter dem Kommando von Oberst a. D. Siegfried Zeyer offiziell in den Dienst gestellt worden. 150 Rekruten, die bisher nicht gedient hatten, legten anschließend ihr feierliches Gelöbnis ab, weitere 50 Männer und Frauen aus ganz Hessen, die noch nicht fertig ausgebildet sind, nahmen in Zivil an der Veranstaltung teil.
Insgesamt rund 700 Reservisten und angehende Reservisten hatten sich auf dem Bowling Green versammelt, als das Heeresmusikkorps Koblenz mit der Ehrenformation und der zu diesem Zeitpunkt noch verhüllten Truppenfahne auf dem Platz erschien und den Marsch „Regimentsgruß“ spielte.
Vor dem Kurhaus hatten sich außer zahlreichen Vertretern der Bundeswehr auch Abgeordnete des Hessischen Landtags, des Bundestages, der US-Armee und der hessischen Wirtschaft eingefunden, um den Soldaten die Ehre zu erweisen. Zudem verfolgten Hunderte Wiesbadener den feierlichen Aufstellungsappell.
“Dear soldiers, you are the focus here with your commitment,” said Brigadier General Bernd Stöckmann, commander of the Hesse State Command, and welcomed the participants to the “community of soldiers”. Stöckmann specifically mentioned the men and women in civilian clothes, because after the call last autumn to apply for the 5th Homeland Security Regiment, more than 2,600 citizens in Hesse signed up. “You surprised us extremely positively and perhaps overwhelmed us a little,” said the brigadier general.
“They fight for freedom in Europe”
The applicants have now been registered, but have not yet been assigned to a post in the regiment. Nevertheless, a good 200 of them came, and Stöckmann was impressed: He couldn’t imagine more solidarity, more commitment and more seriousness for the cause of homeland security.
“Each of you is a guarantee for 84 million people in Germany. They are a guarantee of freedom, stability and security. “They fulfill the state’s promise of protection to its citizens,” said Hesse’s Prime Minister Boris Rhein (CDU), adding: “They fight for freedom in Europe and the freedom of each and every one of us.” The Bundeswehr belongs at the center of society.
Major General Andreas Henne, deputy commander of the Bundeswehr’s Territorial Command, then put the homeland security regiment into service. In the future, the homeland security companies from North Hesse, South Hesse and Central Hesse, as well as other companies from Thuringia and Saxony, will be subordinate to the regiment. The regiment will ultimately have around 1,200 posts and is based in Ohrdruf, Thuringia. According to Henne, the homeland security companies in North and South Hesse are already “90 percent full of staff”. “Home is important to us in Hesse,” said the major general, pointing out that there were more than twice as many applicants as there were positions for the regiment.
Henne then handed over command to Colonel Zeyer, who immediately practiced the regiment’s new battle cry with the reservists. “I call homeland security, you call safe so that homeland hears it too,” said Zeyer and 500 soldiers loudly shouted “safe” three times in a row. “General, I am reporting to you the handover of command for Homeland Security Regiment 5,” said Zeyer, who has returned from retirement to work for Homeland Security.
After the regiment was commissioned, recruits from the “Training Unserved for the Reserves” project took the solemn vows. “I talked to the comrades and asked why they were doing this,” said Zeyer, adding: “People realize that security is not God-given, but that you have to do something for security. Only a well-fortified democracy can survive.”
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