The Guatemalan Republic of China (Taiwan) Embassy held the award ceremony recognizing winners of the Taiwan Military Scholarship on Thursday. The scholarship awardees included six Guatemalan officers and five military academy students who will depart for Taiwan in March to receive further military training.
Many high-ranking members of the Guatemalan military, including Chief of National Defense Brigadier General Hermelindo Choz Soc, and several officers who had previously studied in Taiwan attended the ceremony, demonstrating the importance attached to it. The Taiwanese Defense Scholarships have helped many, locally and internationally, fund higher education in the military.
Ambassador to Guatemala Vivia Chang (張俊菲) addressed the winners in a speech, saying they now bore a great responsibility, expressing hope that the chosen officers and students would cherish the opportunity. Welcoming both the award winners and Air Force pilots and military medical officers set to visit Taiwan in June of this year, she emphasized that “Taiwan is your second home.”
According to Defense Ministry statistics, more than 70 military scholarship students have visited Taiwan since 1993. Currently, there are nearly 30 Guatemalan military scholarship students attending basic military academies in Taiwan.