01.12.2019.
Minister Vulin: Not all sacrifices are the same, and the sacrifices of the Serbian people deserve the highest reverence
- The Serbian Armed Forces are among the most important national institutions and it is not an isolated organization that does not deal with its people. We are the guardian of national values, and thus we are the guardian of the collective national memory. That is why, only 100 years later, the Serbian Armed Forces were able to gather strength and list at least some of our horrendous and enormous World War I casualties in order to create and erect the largest monument to all our people who were killed and all our people who fell victims – Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin said after ceremonial promotion of the project “Popis vojnih i civilnih gubitaka Kraljevine Srbije u ljudstvu u Prvom svetskom ratu – arhivska građa vojnog arhiva” (“List of Military and Civilian Casualties of the Kingdom of Serbia in the First World War – Historical Materials of the Military Archives”) at the Central Military Club.
As he further commented, for 100 years it seemed as if we were ungrateful, as if we had forgotten, as if because of politics, because of other people’s ideologies, because of someone else’s values, we had forgotten those who created us, who defended us.
- I wish to thank the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces for having launched this initiative in 2013, at the time he was the Minister of Defense, and for providing us with an opportunity to, now, finally, pay homage in this manner to all our illustrious ancestors who were killed. A nation that dares to forget one million of its victims, a nation that makes no effort to list all those who have been killed, is not a nation that can hope to be remembered, and is not a nation that can hope that one day our descendants would mention us for the good we did, to mention the outstanding and valuable things we have done in our life – emphasized Minister Vulin.
Today, as the Minister of Defense pointed out, at least symbolically, we have paid tribute to the killed, today we have confirmed that we would never allow a revision of history.
- We confirmed today that the Serbian people do remember, that we are proud and that we want to utter one great and significant thing 100 years following the First World War – that not all sacrifices are the same. The sacrifice of those who killed on Mačkov kamen cannot be the same as the sacrifice of those who were defending Mačkov kamen; the sacrifice of those who burned women and children in the crowded churches of Šabac and in Mačva and Podrinje and the sacrifice of those who were burned. We confirmed today that it was known who was the victim and who the aggressor was, and that 100 years later, simply enough time had not passed to forget who started the war, who participated in the war, to survive and defend themselves. Not everyone are the same, not all sacrifices are the same, and sacrifices of the Serbian people deserve the highest reverence. If we Serbs do not remember, then who will remember? – concluded Minister Vulin.
