[1] He was advanced in rank by Presidential decree issued by former President Traian Băsescu on 21 October 2010.
[2] Viorel Oancea was the first Army officer to take a stance against the Communist regime during the Romanian Revolution on 22 December 1989.
[3] This act led to his imprisonment under General Ștefan Gușă[citation needed] In 1992, he was awarded the PL Foundation Freedom Award, shared with Radu Filipescu for his fight against the Romanian regime led by Nicolae Ceaușescu and his human rights advocacy.
[4] Viorel Oancea was the first freely elected Mayor of Timișoara, an office he held from 1992 to 1996.
[6] His last political appointment before retiring from public office was Romanian Secretary of State (2009–2012), representing Romania's defense interests on the NATO Council.