Sergeant Jiří Mráz of the 13th Artillery Regiment is not one for grand words. His years of service, rigorous training, experience in the ring, and work as a special physical training instructor speak louder than any words. His story is one of discipline, humility, resilience, and the ability to be of service to others.

He has been serving with the 13th Artillery Regiment since January 1, 2004. Today, he serves as deputy commander of the fire control battery security platoon. In practice, this means he is responsible for the guard and transport squads, securing the main command post, organizing its setup, and protecting the field ammunition depot and military equipment. He also participates in tactical and marksmanship training.

A combination of life experience, physical fitness, and the need to do work that has a clear purpose led him to the army. Even before entering professional service, he had completed his basic military service and knew from the start that he wanted to be a good soldier. “I wanted to be an asset to my fellow soldiers. It’s fulfilling for me personally,” says Mráz. It is precisely his physical fitness, mental resilience, and ability to handle pressure that have long converged in one key area of his life – boxing.

Discipline in the Ring, Resilience Through Training

He has been boxing since 1997. He started in Chomutov, where he is from, and gradually trained under several coaches who shaped him both as an athlete and as a person. Boxing wasn’t just another sport for him. He wanted a contact sport that would truly test him and give him something to carry into life. Later, he earned his coaching certification in Příbram and also served as an assistant coach for the local club, The Champions.

He has had a rich competitive career. He boxed in the Extraliga for several clubs, including Chomutov, Most, Ústí nad Labem, Děčín, Liberec, and Samson České Budějovice. He also fondly recalls international tournaments, the Czech Republic Championships, and the Julius Torma Grand Prix in Komárno, where he took second place. In total, he fought 159 bouts, winning roughly two-thirds of them.

Yet he doesn’t speak of himself as someone who already knows it all. Quite the opposite. He says that today he relies more on his head, whereas in the past he used to “power through” many situations mainly with strength and physicality. The more he trains, the more he realizes there’s always room for improvement. Boxing has given him endurance, tenacity, strength, speed, and toughness. But it has also given him discipline, respect for his opponents, self-control, and the ability to keep his emotions in check.

That is precisely why he sees a strong connection between the ring and military service. In both worlds, preparedness, resilience, and the ability to perform under pressure are crucial. A boxer must learn to listen to his coach, handle grueling training, build physical conditioning, and work on technique, tactics, and his own mental game. A good soldier needs similar qualities: discipline, endurance, composure, the ability to learn, and the will to keep going even when the body says “enough.”

In addition to boxing, he also works as a special physical training instructor. He focuses on self-defense, close-quarters combat, and survival training. He teaches soldiers practical skills that can make all the difference in challenging conditions: navigating the terrain, finding water, starting fires, building shelters, utilizing natural resources, overcoming obstacles, and handling unexpected medical situations.

He says himself that his role as an instructor is just beginning. He is constantly learning, training, and looking for new ways to combine physical fitness, close-quarters combat, and the ability to survive in harsh conditions. He isn’t interested in showmanship. He’s interested in functionality – in skills that are useful in real-life situations.

Toughness, Responsibility, and Setting an Example for Younger Soldiers

Jiří Mráz’s story is built on rigorous training, sports, and long-term service. But it’s not just about physical strength. What’s more important is the ability to persevere, keep a cool head, and be reliable when it counts. According to him, this is where boxing, the military, and survival training converge.

An equally important part of a soldier’s preparedness is the ability to provide first aid. This is not a skill reserved solely for medical personnel. Any soldier may find themselves in a situation where they must quickly assess a person’s condition, remain calm, and take the right action at the right time. Mráz has experienced this firsthand. One of the moments he’s truly proud of is when he saved his son from choking. The day before, he’d been discussing the Heimlich maneuver with a medic. A day later, he actually put that knowledge to use. In a matter of seconds, theory turned into a life-saving action.

He considers being separated from his family to be one of the hardest parts of military service. He doesn’t say this as a complaint, but as a reality that is part of the job. A soldier must cope with training, assignments, and extended absences from home. And his family often bears the consequences of his service alongside him. According to him, that, too, is part of the responsibility that comes with wearing the uniform.

Off duty, he relaxes simply. When his body is tired, he lets it wind down. Other times, he picks up his guitar, goes into the woods, or spends time in the greenhouse. It is there that he devotes himself to one of his long-standing passions – growing chili peppers. He started doing this when he was young, and his friends call him the “Chili Master” because of it. He didn’t stop at just growing them. He also cross-breeds the peppers and has gradually developed his own varieties, which he jokingly calls “Mrazák’s varieties.” This, too, reflects his character: patience, consistency, and a desire to do things his own way. It’s not an escape from military service. Rather, it’s a way to keep his mind clear and remain effective in the long run.

Today, he wants above all to be a role model for younger soldiers and an asset to his unit. His journey shows that the military isn’t just about technology, ranks, and orders. It’s mainly about people who work on themselves over the long term, shoulder responsibility, and are able to pass on their experience to others.

Sergeant Jiří Mráz is one of them. He is a soldier who combines perseverance, discipline, and experience with a willingness to share what he has learned – not with words, but by leading by example. “The military has given me the opportunity to do well what I enjoy and what I live for,” he says.