29.06.2019.
Traditional Vidovdan gathering of veterans of 63 Parachute Brigade held
Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin and Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović, attended today at Midžor, Stara Planina, 19th Vidovdan gathering organized by the Association of Veterans of 63 Parachute Brigade.
Following the minute of silence to honor the parachutists who were killed and those who died between the two Vidovdan gatherings, Minister Vulin addressed the assembly, saying that he could not call them veterans, since that was the word that the Roman legionnaires used for a worn-out man, a man no longer of any use.
- I cannot call you veterans. I can say that you are warriors, that you are fighters, that you are paratroopers, that you are an active reserve, but I cannot address you as worn-out men, a man no longer of any use.Referring to the time when the “Red Beret” was underrated and in which it was not allowed to talk about the merits of the brave worriers and the sacrifices they made for the homeland, Minister Vulin recalled that an Armed Force is not just about the weapons, training and equipment, but about the morale.
- There cannot be morale if you do not have whom to call to, if you have no one to rely on, if you have nothing or no one to be proud of. That is why the memory and remembrance were systematically and deliberately destroyed, to strip the future generations of any exemplars, so they would accept the surrender.
The Minister of Defense thanked everyone who gathered today, cherishing the memories and looking after each other, and said that he knows that our country can always count on them, and also that they will always have the support of the Ministry of Defense and the gratitude of their country and Armed Forces.
On behalf of the Association of Veterans of 63 Parachute Brigade, the retired colonel Vidoje Kovačević said that the Association will continue to strive to preserve the memory of its fallen comrades and to provide support to their families as well as wounded fellow fighters.Kovačević reminded of the most important activities of the Association between the two Vidovdan gatherings.
- Our members, 37 of them, signed organ donor cards, and 23 members of the Association volunteered blood. On our proposal, Milorad Dodik posthumously honored seven of our dead paratroopers who built their lives into the foundations of Republika Srpska. In January, we organized a big charity concert at Kolarac, and donated the funds collected to pay for the frescoes of the Russian church in Belgrade in recognition of the gratitude to the Russian people for what they did for the Temple of St. Sava – said Kovačević, mentioning more initiatives of the Association one of which is to have 22 streets in Niš named after the killed members of the Parachute Brigade, as well as participation of members of the Association in the event “Immortal Regiment”, at the formal celebration “Not to forget – the Battle of Košare” at the Sava Center.
- We marked 24 March solemnly and soldierly, a day of remembrance when the criminal assault of the NATO alliance fell shamelessly on the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. We were in the first ranks of veteran echelons at the military parade held on the occasion of Victory Day on 10 May 2019 in Niš. Twenty-three of our members took part in the documentary film “War Stories from Košare” and contributed to writing the book “Košare” from the edition “Ratnik” (“Worrier”) – said Kovačević.On the occasion of Vidovdan, Veterans’ Day of 63 Parachute Brigade, the Association awarded plaques and certificates for outstanding contribution to the work and affirmation of the Association.
The plaques were awarded to the Minister of Defense, Chief of the General Staff, RTS journalists Slađana Zarić, and among the awarded were the war Commanders of 63 Parachute Brigade during the NATO aggression, Major General Ilija Todorov and Brigadier General Miroljub Čupić.
In memory and veneration of all the killed and wounded members of the Brigade, as well as a sign of respect to the families of the fallen soldiers, the assembled visited the place where the Commander of 63 Parachute Brigade, Colonel Saša Đorđević and Lieutenant Dejan Rajčević were killed, and attended the memorial service.Brigadier General Savo Iriškić, as well as members of families of the killed Parachute Brigade members, were present today.
The traditional Vidovdan gathering, which gathers former members of 63 Parachute Brigade and war veterans, is organized in order to uphold the traditions of 63 Parachute Brigade and the defensive wars of the Republic of Serbia.
