The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, today advised new pilots in the Portuguese Air Force (FAP) to think “a thousand times” when trying to lure them out of the military, arguing that the country will try to retain them.
“Always think, but always, once, twice, three times, a thousand times when the temptation to be drawn to other paths means ‘flying’ away from the house that formed you,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
The head of state, who was speaking at a ceremony held today at Beja Air Base No. 11 (BA11), where nine FAP soldiers received their pilot-aviator wings, said that the country will do everything it can to ensure that these soldiers remain in this branch of the military.
“We will try almost impossible to get you arrested, to look after you more, much more. But you know that once you’re in the military, once you’re in the Air Force, once you’re an Air Force pilot, you’re always in the military, always in the Air Force, always an Air Force pilot,” he said.
Today’s session at BA11, which was also attended by the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, General João Cartaxo Alves, was the first brevetting ceremony for new airline pilots that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has attended as President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
According to the head of state, it was a “great day” for the new pilots, their families and the Air Force itself, which wants to be “alive, at the forefront, thinking about the future, thinking about the concrete, flesh-and-blood people who are the Portuguese”.
In a speech marked by numerous motivational phrases addressed to the new pilots, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa also reminded these nine soldiers that they will be facing new geopolitical, strategic, scientific, technological, security and defense challenges, the rule of law and democracy.
“Your world is going to experience moments of persistence and generosity, of idealism and realism, of enthusiasm and frustration, of dreams and achievements,” he warned, asking the soldiers to be “always apprentices” so that they can be “masters”, to be “always free” so that they can be “supportive”.
The awarding of pilot-aviator wings marks the transition between the training period and the start of operational activity, according to the FAP, which stressed that it is a “moment of extreme significance for the careers of military personnel” in this specialty.
