05.05.2020.

Minister Vulin: By order of the Supreme Commander, the entire March Class has been promoted

Today, the Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin and the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović, visited the March 2020 generation of soldiers who are doing voluntary military service at the Training Command’s Third Training Centre at the “Vojvoda Petar Bojović” Barracks in Leskovac.

- By order of the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vučić, and at the suggestion of the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Mojsilović, all soldiers doing voluntary military service in the March class will be promoted to a higher rank based on merit. These young people have deserved it and each of them has made a huge contribution to the fight against Covid-19. They set up temporary hospitals, and did everything else that was expected from them, they did not enquire about their working hours and they did not ask when they would go home - Minister Vulin emphasized after the tour.

- This is how the Serbian Armed Forces repay them and show them how much they value them. Over 200 soldiers, more than 80 percent of all those who were doing voluntary military service in March, decided to continue their careers in the Serbian Armed Forces. The Serbian Armed Forces and their commanding officers could not receive a greater compliment, and the state of Serbia could hardly have received better news - Minister Vulin pointed out.

The future of Serbia and the freedom of Serbia are certain with such military and such commanding officers, the Minister of Defence concluded.

Acting Commander of the Training Command, Brigadier General Jelesije Radivojević, emphasized that in the last two months the situation in the Republic of Serbia has been very complex, as well as in the barracks of the Serbian Armed Forces, and that "people show who they really are in times of crisis".

- I am extremely proud of the officers, non-commissioned officers and soldiers, and especially the young soldiers who have made a tremendous contribution by giving support and assisting in the accomplishment of tasks and training. They have outstandingly endured these conditions and will be adequately rewarded with incentive measures and admission to professional service. A large number of them expressed their intention to continue their service in the Serbian Armed Forces - more than 80 percent. It will be our pleasure, because we have established human, military contact and we will continue our further work in order to improve the capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces - General Radivojević said.

One of the March generation of soldiers doing a voluntary military service is Private Brankica Ristić from Lebane, who says that everyone is doing their best during the training and that no soldier has lost motivation, even though they are in the barracks all the time. She inherited her love for the military profession from her grandfather, who was in the military.

- I have really loved this profession since I was a child, and my goal is to continue to work in the military - says Private Brankica Ristić, adding that her days in the military are passing quickly because she has activities throughout the day, her training is interesting and her colleagues are nice.

Lance Corporal Miroslav Stojanović from Čekmin says that he applied for military service because he loves his homeland, that the training is good and that the commanding officers teach them a lot of things which will mean a lot to them later in life.

Like his colleague Brankica, Miroslav points out that after his military service, he wants to work in the military and be a professional soldier.

After the briefing given by the commander of the Centre, Colonel Siniša Nikolić, Minister Vulin and General Mojsilović attended a training demonstration of soldiers on voluntary military service who performed preparation for the preliminary 7.62 mm automatic rifle firing, training in the use of a 64mm M80 hand rocket launcher, 7.9 mm sniper rifle and 7.62 mm machine gun, as well as mastering the tactical course.