American General Receives Honorary Bratislava Citizenship
An American General has been made the fourth honourary citizen of Bratislava, according to the Slovak Spectator. Major General Roy Martin Umbarger, commander of the US National Guard in Indiana, was selected based on his contribution to "peace and friendship between the Slovak and American nations", as well as his "help in professionalizing and modernizing the Slovak armed forces" as part of NATO.
Major General Umbarger was awarded the honourary citizenship by Bratislava Mayor Milan Ftacnik. Three others also hold this title: Helmut Zilk (former mayor of Vienna), Edit Gruber (German soprano), and Maximilian Pammer - the former Austrian ambassador to Slovakia.