28.01.2023.
Minister Vučević unveils memorial bust for hero of Košare Goran Ostojić
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević, together with the wife of late Lieutenant Colonel Goran Ostojić, chief of staff of the 63rd Parachute Brigade, unveiled a memorial bust for this fallen hero of Košare, in Bačko Dobro Polje today.
Wreaths were laid next to the memorial bust by the delegate of the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, Milorad Veljović, Minister Vučević, accompanied by Head of the Human Resources Department (J-1, General Staff), Brigadier General Savo Iriškić, and the Commander of the 63rd Parachute Brigade, Brigadier General Nenad Zonić, family members of Lieutenant Colonel Ostojić, representatives of the government, provincial and local authorities, representatives of the Association of the 63rd Parachute Brigade Veterans and numerous citizens.Addressing the audience, Minister Vučević said that it was an honour but also a great responsibility to speak in front of "true heroes who honourably fulfilled their military pledge" and added that "our words cannot do them justice” and that it was hard to talk about someone "who was braver than the bravest, the hero of heroes".
- It is our duty, as the country of Serbia, not to let this ever be forgotten. We must not allow 25 years to pass again without remembering our heroes; we must not speak quietly and shyly about them, nor let anyone try to erase our memory and the knowledge of what we are and who we are ever again. Serbia must never forget the heroes and all the people who fought so that the citizens of our country can speak their language freely today, so that they can live freely. We will never forget the people whose love for Serbia was greater than their love for their own lives. That is why their heroic deeds are eternal, and their names are engraved in the name that sounds the most beautiful - Serbia - emphasized the Minister of Defence.
According to him, Lieutenant Colonel Goran Ostojić Ostoja was one of the best young officers in the former Yugoslav Army, and fate made him become eternal, a legend, "the greatest patriot, a giant, a hero with a big heart, the bravest among the bravest".- He died on that cursed July 28, 1998, in the area of the Junik Mountains, near the widely known Košare outpost, which has been praised in epic poems. He died commanding the best of the best, the soldiers of the famous and glorious 63rd Parachute Brigade. Our Ostoja died preventing the illegal arming of Šiptar terrorists and their entry into Kosovo and Metohija from Albania - said Minister Vučević and added that Ostojić, as chief of staff of the 63rd Parachute Brigade, was very much loved as a commanding officer, a fearless warrior who sacrificed his life at the altar of the fatherland, trying to extract his colleagues, brothers and comrades from an ambush, and thus deserved never to be forgotten by his native Bačko Dobro Polje, his Vrbas and his homeland.
Unlike those who were ashamed of our heroes and did not speak about them, today Serbia speaks proudly about the truth, heroism, camaraderie, patriotism, about the Battle of Košare and other things, and pays tribute to our fallen heroes, the Minister of Defence said.- Today, Serbia is strengthening its military, because there is no country without a strong military, and no one will ever again dismantle our famous units through administrative measures, no one will take away the flags from the 63rd Parachute Brigade or the 72nd Brigade, because they have earned those flags with their victories and the lives of their fallen members. I am certain that in the future, Serbia will not give up any of its military units or its heroes, because we have an obligation to them. Serbia is aware that there will always be good and bad people, but it will not allow the shadow of the past to be cast on our heroes. We will protect our Serbia firmly and proudly. Goran Ostojić and many other heroes, who died on the territories where Serbs live, oblige us to do so - stressed Minister Vučević.
He said that "we will not touch what is not ours, but we will defend a free and independent Serbia".
- And that is a promise to the great Ostoja and to all heroes and their families. That is also a promise to you, veterans, and to our people. I promise that Serbia will not give up its freedom and independence and that we will make sure that it continues to strengthen, to progress in all fields, to walk with its head held high and to be proud. We will hardly ever live up to your heroism, but we will do our best to make sure that no future generation has to make the sacrifice that you did so that we can live freely and proudly today. Eternal glory and thanks to Lieutenant Colonel Goran Ostojić, the hero of the homeland. Thank you for the freedom you defended for the sake of all of us and all future generations - said the Minister of Defence, adding that the freedom of Serbia "was and will be the greatest value for which we live and die."
- May God give eternal glory to all our heroes, fighters and liberators who fought in all liberation wars in which our country and our people took part. May our only homeland, Serbia, live in freedom, sovereignty and independence – concluded Vučević.The President of the municipality of Vrbas, Predrag Rojović, said that the municipality had warmly welcomed the initiative of the Association of the 63rd Parachute Brigade Veterans to erect a memorial bust for the hero of Košare in his native village and thus pay him tribute.
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