28.04.2023.
Minister Vučević lays wreath at monument to fallen soldier of Battle of Košare Tibor Cerna
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević laid a wreath today in Debeljača near Kovačica, at the monument to Tibor Cerna, a fallen soldier who died in the Battle of Košare in 1999.
At the wreath-laying ceremony, Minister Vučević said that there were two kinds of death, the physical one, and the other, more painful one – being forgotten.- We are witnesses of the fact that Tibor Cerna did not experience eternal death, the death by falling into oblivion, and that his comrades, his family that suffered the most following Tibor’s heroic death, his neighbours, the villagers of Debeljača near Kovačica, and many other people from all around Serbia are aware how big his sacrifice was and that Tibor Cerna was one of the heroes of the Battle of Košare, one of 108 soldiers who had remained at the Košare outpost to stand sentry forever, a member of the 125th Motorized Brigade – said Minister Vučević.
According to Minister Vučević, we must never forget those who defended our country when it was needed.
- That is something we must not forget, not because we do not want to provoke new conflicts, but simply because we must never forget those who were the bravest and the most loyal to our country. It is my honour, as a man who comes from the north of our country, to be here. A man from Banat, member of the Hungarian community, defended Serbia as his precious homeland, because his parents had raised him that way, because he had been that kind of man. He was a great man, so may he be blessed and honoured forever! – said Minister Vučević.
Minister Vučević laid the wreath accompanied by brigadier generals Goran Momčilović and Miroslav Talijan. Wreaths were also laid by members of Cerna’s family, members of the Ministry of the Interior, representatives of local self-governments and veteran associations.Following the wreath-laying ceremony, the Minister of Defence visited and spoke to some members of the fallen soldier’s family.
Private Tibor Cerna, a rifle squad leader at the 125th Motorized Brigade took part in the defence of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during NATO aggression. He died defending the Košare outpost near Djakovica in 1999, and was posthumously awarded the Order of Merit in Defence and Security, 1st Class.
In 2017, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, unveiled the monument to Tibor Cerna in Debeljača.
