UsaNewsOnline.com, Washington DC, 21 November : The 44th anniversary of Bangladesh Armed Forces Day was celebrated at the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC with due solemnity, enthusiasm and high spirit of patriotism.
On November 21 in 1971, the Bangladesh Armed Forces comprising army, navy and air force came into existence and launched an all-out coordinated attack on the Pakistan Army, expediting the country's freedom.
To mark the occasion, a reception was hosted at the Bangabandhu Auditorium of the Embassy. Bangladesh Ambassador to USA Mohammad Ziauddin, Defense, Military, Naval and Air Attache’ Brigadier General Mohammad Shamsuzzaman, aowc, psc and US General Frank J. Grass, chief of National Guard Bureau spoke at the reception.
Ambassadors, senior officials of the Pentagon, State Department and other US organizations, defense attaches of more than 130 foreign missions in DC and local elites attended the reception.
The Ambassador in his speech remembered the sacrifices and contributions of the armed forces during and since the independence of Bangladesh and said the Bangladesh Armed Forces is the pride of the nation.
“The men and women in uniform have always stood by the people at the important junctures of our nation’s history,” he said.
The Ambassador mentioned the role of the armed forces during natural calamities as well as their involvement in critical issues of security, as combatting terrorism and extremism, smuggling, human and drug trafficking, and in supporting the civil administration in conducting their jobs in times of crises.
Referring to the UN peacekeeping missions, the Ambassador said Bangladesh today is the number one troops contributing country to the UN peacekeeping operations with over 9,000 blue helmets in nine missions in nine countries.

Till now, 122,000 Bangladeshi troops have served in 54 missions in 25 war ravaged countries. Of them 119 valiant soldiers have laid down their lives for the cause of international peace and security.
“Today, Bangladesh has become a BRAND name in Peace Support Operations,” the Ambassador told the reception.
He said the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who is also the Defense Minister is modernizing the armed forces and her effort is supported by the US government.
Ziauddin said due to confluence of the work agenda and priorities, the cooperation between Bangladesh and the United States have got a significant momentum. Bangladesh thanks the USA for its technical assistance in setting up BIPSOT and turning it into a globally reputed institute for training the peacekeepers.
The Ambassador said the US has also contributed with hardware assistance, leadership development, information sharing and military to military bilateral talks. The military to military dialogue that took place in Dhaka in October this year was great success, he added.
Bangladesh Defense Attache’ Brig Gen Mohammad Shamsuzzaman said the Bangladesh Armed Forces has earned its reputation as modern and professional military at home and abroad, which was a dream of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
General Grass said Bangladesh is a strong partner of the USA and this partnership and friendship would be deepen further through cooperation, training and exchange programs between the two armies.PRESS RELEASE