By Sarah Saad
Director of the Egyptian Veterans’ and War Victims’ Association, Maj. Gen. Medhat Abdelaziz Fawi, has said that apart from commemorating Field Marshal Abdel Moneim Riyad, March 9, a day that honours war veterans and martyrs, is a profoundly significant day.
Egypt’s history, he said, is filled with evidence of heroism and sacrifice.
“However, March 9, 1969, was a pivotal day in Egyptian military history, especially by putting the Arab-Israeli wars of 1948; 1956; 1967, and the War of Attrition, into consideration,” Maj. Gen. Fawi said.
“It is also so by putting the great victory of October 1973 in mind,” he added.
He noted that this war restored Arab dignity and confidence, proving that Egypt is steadfast and cannot be defeated.
He reiterated at a press conference at the headquarters of the association, which offers care to war veterans and war victims and their families, the association’s commitment to providing various forms of care for veterans, martyrs’ families, and injured war victims.
Maj. Gen. Fawi said Egypt ran into several wars throughout its modern history.
These wars, he said, exhausted the country’s human and economic resources.
“A whole generation paid the price of these wars,” he said. “Nevertheless, Egyptian soldiers had either one of two goals: victory or martyrdom.”
The Egyptian Veterans’ and War Victims’ Association was established in April 1951 to offer care to the families of the martyrs of the 1948 Palestine War.
Gen. Mohamed Naguib, the first president of the Egyptian republic after the overthrow of the monarchy, was injured during the 1948 Palestine War.
In 1953, the association joined the International Federation of Veterans, headquartered in Paris (currently Geneva). It was one of the first associations to join the federation.
In 1960, the association invited both Syria and Palestine to establish the Arab Union of Veterans and War Victims.
In 1961, the Arab Union of Veterans and War Victims was declared in Cairo. Organisations dedicated to the service of veterans and war victims in the Arab world then joined this union one by one.
In 1971, the Egyptian Veterans and War Victims Association started functioning under the umbrella of the Egyptian Ministry of Defence, instead of the Ministry of Social Affairs earlier.
In 2005, the Loyalty and Hope Association, was merged into the association to become one of its branches.
In 2012, the Egyptian Association for the Care of Armed Forces Families was merged into the association as well.
The association provides various services for the families of martyrs and war and terrorism victims, including medical; social; educational, and cultural care.
“President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s era is a golden age for people with disabilities,” Maj. Gen. Fawi said.
Under Sisi, he said, the state works hard to support and empower disabled persons and provide them with the best care.
He added that this care includes the development of their skills, providing them with training and rehabilitation services, discovering and nurturing their talents, promoting effective community participation, and providing equal opportunities on the basis of non-discrimination.
“Our association is committed to all these services,” Maj. Gen. Fawi said.
He said the Veterans’ Club is the sole representative of the Armed Forces in the field of sports competitions for disabled persons.
The club, he said, has been registered at the Paralympic Committee and its associations since 1995.
He revealed that the club’s sports teams won four cups and 149 medals in the 2022/2023 sports season in basketball, table tennis, weightlifting, swimming, athletics, and badminton.
Addressing Egyptian youth, Maj. Gen. Fawi said peace does not come from nothing.
“It does not endure, except with force that can protect it,” he said.
“Peace is a price paid by nations with the blood of their heroes and the souls of their martyrs,” he added.
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