The time after World War I brought new tendencies in Europe. The states, which aspired for freedom for many centuries, became independent. The state of Latvia was also born, but, unfortunately, its establishment did not end the war. The newly established country was attacked from both the East and the West, and Latvia’s freedom was very fragile.
Today we can be proud that there were brave men in Latvia, who were ready to stand and fall for independent and free state of Latvia. They were ready to fight for their country holding weapons in their hands!
Even 14 to 20 years old boys and youngsters from Valmiera and Cesis were among them, whom we remember as the courageous Cesis Student Company and that can serve as a basis for national self-confidence for many people.
These soldiers fought without requiring what the pay would be for it, but they wanted to become guardians of their homeland like the Latvian riflemen hundred years ago.
Therefore, we shall commemorate participants of the freedom battles with gratitude, especially Colonel Oskars Kalpaks and Jorģis Zemitāns, General Jānis Balodis and Pēteris Radziņš, who took Latvian forces to victory, even being aware of superiority and believing in the idea of their land at the same time. Thank you for their invaluable and inappreciable personal contribution so that we could celebrate Lāčplēsis Day today!
We live in a free country now. Once we won our freedom in the battles, but independence of a country is not a matter of course and guaranteed for lifetime! Although no military force endangers our independence directly at present, we must be ready and capable of defending together with our allies our country and ourselves.
We have to be strong and wise; we must be determined to work together, because we belong to the family of nations of the European Union and NATO.
I am confident that our army and every soldier is a selfless, courageous, and professional, and we can count on them.
The soldier, who loves his land, is ready to fight for it. Being proud of his or her country, each of us is ready to do our best every day for our country to be prosperous, for us to feel safe here and for the name of Latvia pronounced and manifested in the world would be admired by others.
Let us be proud of our country that for our ancestors had paid so dearly.
Let us be proud of Latvia, which others tried to take away from us for so many times!
I am proud of our soldiers and the Latvian army!
God bless Latvia!