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Dear officers and soldiers of the 528th Regiment of Engineers of the Korean People’s Army,
I warmly welcome all of you, officers and soldiers of the regiment, back to your country. In performing your overseas mission you demonstrated the heroic spirit of our army and its specialized features with credit, and carried out your combat tasks in a responsible manner.
I really appreciate you all for coming back in good health.
Just as you yearned, every moment of the day on the foreign battleground, for all the precious things in your country, everyone in your country have never forgotten their beloved sons even for a moment.
Upon receiving the daily reports about your combats, I was deeply moved by the unyielding mettle you displayed in executing the orders from your Party and country death-defyingly. And each time, my wish grew stronger for every one of you to return safely and gladly.
In retrospect, for me, this can be said to be a year of longing; to the marrow of my bone, I have felt the pain of waiting that I have never experienced before.
One hundred and twenty days have passed since the moment when I had to dispatch you, combatants of this regiment, to the dangerous battleground; every day of this period seemed like a decade, just as when I had been waiting for the combatants of the special operations units, who had been involved in the liberation battles.
As the days went by, I found myself unable to accustom myself to, or get used to, worrying about the safety of the precious sons of this country who were fighting on the foreign battleground.
I am fairly relieved to see all of you come back like this.
True to the expectations of the Party, the country and all who are dear to your hearts, you displayed your mettle befitting true combatants, to the admiration of the world. Now you look more robust and dignified, and once again I warmly congratulate you, all the combatants of the regiment of engineers, for returning home with pride.
The 528th Regiment of Engineers is another proud combat unit that justly represents the matchless bravery and powerfulness of our army and its specialized features.
This regiment was formed on May 28 according to the decisions and orders of our Party Central Military Commission to build on the valuable victory in the overseas military operations. Early in August you, engineers of the regiment, left for the Kursk region of the Russian Federation, which your comrades-in-arms had retaken at the cost of their lives, and you achieved brilliant results in the course of performing your combat tasks there.
You fought in a life-and-death situation, braving the grave invisible dangers here and there, and your faith and willpower were tested every step of your way. Despite the harshness of the circumstances on the battleground, our engineers of the regiment never vacillated or hesitated, but all of you were courageous and responsible all the time.
As all of you, both officers and soldiers, displayed mass heroism overcoming unimaginable mental and physical burdens almost every day, you could work a miracle of turning a vast area of danger zone into a safe and secure one in a matter of less than three months, the task which was believed to be impossible to be carried out even in several years.
The cardinal importance of the battle results the regiment achieved this time lies evidently in that they were not feats performed by a few well-trained fighters but the fruition of mass heroism displayed by all the officers and soldiers.
In the rigorous battleground, where even a trifle slip or carelessness was not allowed and where even going to and from the battleground was accompanied by combats, you, caring for your comrades-in-arms first, shielded one another from the bursting shrapnel, and fulfilled your missions unto death even when you were critically wounded. Your ennobling comradeship, matchless self-sacrificing spirit and indomitability deserve everybody’s admiration, I believe.
I was convinced that our regiment of engineers would fight like that as they were ordered by the Party Central Committee.
Your brilliant battle results were also associated with the devoted efforts of the signalmen and medics who accomplished their tasks faithfully risking their lives almost every day.
All the officers and soldiers were equally brave, competent, devoted and heroic, indeed.
The fundamental key to the invincible fighting strength our regiment of engineers demonstrated in the alien battleground lies in the revolutionary fighting spirit that prevailed in the entire unit.