Ștefan Vodă honors fallen Romanian border guards
In Ștefan Vodă, an obelisk was unveiled and consecrated in memory of the border guards from the 5th Cetatea Albă Regiment who fell in the line of duty defending the borders of Greater Romania along the Nistru River.
The commemorative monument was erected in the churchyard of the "Pious Ruler Stephen the Great and Holy" church. After its unveiling, the obelisk was blessed, and during the event, the national anthems of Romania and the Republic of Moldova were played.
In 2019, the monument had been reconstructed in Olănești village based on historical photographs, but it was vandalized shortly after.
"The project is now complete because, in the end, we decided to place it here in the churchyard so that it can be protected and never be vandalized again by anyone," said Veniamin, Bishop of South Bessarabia.
"We will have the honor and the opportunity to be present here on significant days to remember our past," stated Father Vadim Dimitrenco.
According to the project initiators, in 2023, following heavy rain, the upper part of the original monument was found at the edge of Olănești village, bearing the initials of all the regiment's border guards.
"The border guards who fell on the Nistru were hero martyrs, as was Aurelian Mihăilescu. When the stone from Aurelian Mihăilescu's monument surfaced 100 years after his death, it was nothing less than a discreet manifestation of divine will," states Iulian Rusanovschi, president of the Monumentum Association.
Several town residents attended the event. Some said they had wished for such a monument to commemorate the heroes who defended the Romanian people.
"He was also my grandfather's brother. That's why I came. My father also fought in the war," said museographer Vasile Pisarenco.
"It is of great importance for the townspeople, but its greatest importance is for the future, for children, and I am very glad that our children were invited and involved," says teacher Stela Lazarev.
"The heroes of our past must be honored, and surely I cannot miss an event in their honor," stated Oleg Gherman, a resident of Ștefan Vodă.
"Every time I have the opportunity, I will come by here. I dreamed of such a monument being built," says another resident, Bronislav Iascinschii.
According to researchers, around 800 border guards died during the interwar period defending the border of Greater Romania along the Nistru River against the Bolsheviks.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
