A Hungarian Officer On Leadership, Service, And Multinational Operations

Major Sándor Farkas grew up in a small town in Hungary, knowing that he wanted to be either a Police Officer or a Soldier. He attended the Zrínyi Miklós National Defense University, and was selected for a scholarship to attend two semesters at the Virginia Military Institute. He seized the opportunity to travel extensively along the east coast, and enjoyed his time in America. After graduating from the National Defense University, he attended the Infantry Officer Basic Course at Ft. Benning, and later completed Ranger School. Returning to Hungary, he led a platoon of Soldiers and eventually deployed four times to Afghanistan, serving in a variety of positions. Currently, he is working towards his doctoral degree while teaching at the National University of Public Service in Budapest. In this interview, he describes his childhood and his experiences at the National Defense University, at VMI, and in American military schools. He discusses his deployments to Afghanistan, and some of the lessons he has learned and applied to his own leadership philosophy. Finally, he talks about teaching, and explains what his service means to him.