The Republic of Estonia conferred her first decoration on August 5, 1919, to the symbol of bravery and sufferings of World War I, the city of Verdun in France.

With this expression of esteem, Estonia tied herself to Europe and democratic goals already at the time when we were still fighting the battles of the War of Liberty.

After the restoration of our independence, we have, above all, honoured with decorations the Estonians and foreigners whose work has helped to maintain the Republic of Estonia through the difficult years of foreign occupations.

On the eighty-third anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, Freedom Fighter Eduard Leetna will receive the II Class Order of the National Coat of Arms. In August 1942, during the nazi occupation, he and his companions who shared his views initiated the Free Estonia Front, published the newspaper ''Free Estonia''; he fought against both German and Russian occupying powers and for the restoration of the Republic of Estonia. The Soviet security service arrested Eduard Leetna, and he spent most of his life in a Komi concentration camp in far North.

Today, we decorate statesmen and scientists, creative artists and teachers, state officials and members of the defence forces, who have, in hard times or in free Estonia, underpinned the Republic of Estonia, helped to maintain the Estonian language, Estonian culture, Estonian perseverance.

Five orders of the Republic of Estonia have been established at different times, and are all still conferred today: the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land, the Order of the National Coat of Arms, the Order of the White Star, the Order of the Cross of the Eagle, the Order of the Estonian Red Cross.

Today, I will - quite out of the ordinary - start by conferring seven Orders of the Cross of the Eagle. They belong to seven veterans of the War of Liberation, who in the years 1918-1920 devoted their youth to the defence of the Republic of Estonia in the War of Liberation.

I congratulate all of you, dear fellow countrymen and guests, and extend to you the gratitude and respect of the people of Estonia!

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