Tadeusz Buk

Buk graduated from Juliusz Słowacki high school in Kielce. In 1984, he graduated from the Academy of Armed Forces Officers in Poznań.

• In 1984, he joined the 29th Medium Tank Regiment in Żagań and served in this unit until 1991.
• In 1991, he enrolled at the Faculty of Land Forces of the National Defence Academy in Warsaw.
• Between 1993 and 1995, he served, inter alia, in the 18th Battalion Airborne assault and 6 Air Assault Brigade.
• From 1995 to 1998, he served in the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade in Tomaszów Mazowiecki.
• In 1999, after completing the annual post-graduate command post in the USA, he was appointed deputy commander of his unit.
• From 2002 to 2005, he served as commander of the 34th Armoured Cavalry Brigade in Zagan.
• In 2004 and 2005, he was deputy commander of Multinational Division Central-South in Iraq.
• Between 2005 and 2006, he was deputy director of the NATO Joint Force Training Centre in Bydgoszcz.
• From 2006 to 2007, he was Deputy Commanding General of the Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan.
• On 15 June 2007, Buk was appointed commander of 1st Mechanised Division of Warsaw.
• On 25 July 2007, he took command of the IX amendment NEC and Multinational Division Center-South in Iraq
• On 15 September 2009, he was appointed by President Lech Kaczyński to commander of the Army.
• On 10 April 2010, he died in the presidential plane crash near Smolensk.

• Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2010, posthumously)[1]
• Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (2005)[2]
• Commander's Cross of the Order of the Military Cross (2008)[2]
• Silver Cross of Merit[2]
• Bronze Cross of Merit[3]
• Iraq Star[2]
• Silver Medal in the Service of the Armed Forces of the Fatherland[2]
• Silver Medal of Merit for National Defense[2]
• Legion of Merit, Commander Degree (2008)[4]
• Commemorative medal of the Multinational Division Central-South
• Badge of Merit for the Polish Veterans' Association and Former Political Prisoners (2008)