There is some public connection...
At Military High School in Sarajevo, many generations grew to become NCOs, officers, generals until 1992. Now, for six whole years, they have virtually revived their school, not caring about state borders, differences in nationalities or those who see danger in their friendships.
The website has almost 600 associates, over 7,000 photos, documentation on numerous events, with many individual memories – all created during several decades. All that would not be unusual if these were public figures, institutions, or popular medicine. However, these are thousands of members of the former Yugoslav People’s Army, current or former armies from various countries. What the virtual communication is saying here slowly gains a far more important meaning than mere nostalgia or mourning for youth.The Military High School in Sarajevo existed for 40 years, until 1992. The school’s website has existed for 6 years. With the sound of ceremonial march, there you can find pictures of the barracks, the education structure, listings and photos of the heads of the school, records of important social events, members of certain classes, senior staff, professors, private ranks and equipment, arms, diplomas, emblems, stamps, photos from classes and field training, holidays and ceremonies, sports, free time, meetings...
The sole author and editor of the website and Facebook profile is Milan Lisanin. A longtime resident of France, the website has been his only cure for the nostalgia for the state and the times of which he was proud, while being a private in Sarajevo. That is how it began. He invested his money, thousands of hours of his free time... With no journalism experience or education – he edited the technical part and contents of the website that has drawn so many military senior staff. He was also very surprised with the overwhelming response.
Other surprises quickly followed. For quite a while, dozens of young people, born after the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, have joined in, writing about the stories of the elders of how there used to be a time of a different friendship – “the true one”.
Zorica Stankovic
