20.12.2019.

Minister Vulin: A strong and powerful armed forces guarantees safe and long peace

Today, at the ‘Vojvoda Živojin Mišić’ barracks, defence minister Aleksandar Vulin, on behalf of the president of the Republic of Serbia and commander-in-chief of the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vučić, congratulated the December 2019 generation of soldiers doing their voluntary military service on taking the oath of enlistment. The oath taking ceremony was also attended by the chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović.

- You are the people’s army. You are not an army of mercenaries who can be ordered to go anywhere and do anything. You are the Serbian Armed Forces, an army that has sworn today to defend its country and to defend its people wherever it is threatened. Neither Jasenovac nor ‘Storm’ operation nor the March pogrom will ever happen again, because you exist. We chose to be militarily neutral; we chose not to belong to any pact, no one to decide instead of us and for us. We have chosen not to do to anyone’s children what was done to our children, not to kill any other three-year-old child sitting on the potty, nowhere and never. We have chosen to be free. Because we have chosen this, you can be sure that you will preserve only your country and only your people, that you will remain as honourable as you have come to us – minister Vulin said.

Today, like 100 years ago, according to minister Vulin, the military ranks are facing the same questions – what are they ready to do for peace and freedom.

- Both then and today, a Serb is ready to do almost anything for peace, and for freedom, a Serb is ready to do exactly everything, because life without freedom makes no sense. There is no rich slave, no successful colony, no luck unless we decide for ourselves what our name is, what language we write, what God we believe in. There is no luck if we do not decide for ourselves what Serbia will look like and how our children will grow – the minister of defence said.

Minister Vulin emphasised the symbolism of taking the military oath in Valjevo, a city that was the capital of pain and suffering in 1915.

- We have gathered you where Serbia has gathered in the most difficult and darkest hour of its history, to look, count, see what is left of it and swear to itself and its children that they will survive, win and that they will remain free. When we look at you so proud and self-assured, Serbia is also proud and sure, because a strong and powerful army guarantees a safe and long peace – minister Vulin emphasised, adding that the army would be more modern, equipped and more secure and that Serbia would be the same.

Among the 218 soldiers who took an oath today, there is Mina Boškan from Novi Sad. Knowing that she serves her fatherland and the nation with his colleagues in the ranks, contributed to her attitude that nothing was hard to her as she was doing her military service and, as she says, she endured everything in the military manner.

- I am coming to Valjevo with my colleagues to do my voluntary military service from the First Training Centre in Sombor. The main reason why I applied to volunteer for military service with arms is love for the homeland and a personal challenge. Most of all, I would like to emphasise team spirit, work, order and discipline – Mina Boškan said.

Soldier Severin Kisin is a native of Gradiška, Republika Srpska. The reasons he decided to serve in the military were patriotism and the desire to contribute to the development of the state with his knowledge and skills.

- I would like to highlight the experience that the commanding officers conveyed to us, the vast knowledge of the military that we can apply in the field, and the acquaintances. As for the training and functioning in the military, it was not difficult. I would recommend to young people who have not served military service to apply and take responsibility, so that together we can defend our country if and when it is needed – soldier Kisin said.

The military ceremony in Valjevo was also attended by acting commander of the Training Command, Brigadier General Jelesije Radivojević, chief of the Human Resources Department, Brigadier General Savo Iriškić, representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the City of Valjevo, and numerous members of the families of the soldiers who took the oath.