06.09.2023.
Minister Vučević unveils memorial plague, lays wreath at war volunteer Janoš Rauk’s grave
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević unveiled today at Elementary School “Nikola Vukićević” in Sombor a memorial plaque dedicated to Janoš Rauk, a volunteer who died in the 1999 NATO aggression heroically defending his homeland.
Minister Vučević, accompanied by State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs Mile Karanović, unveiled the memorial plaque at the school that Janoš Rauk once attended. The unveiling ceremony was also attended by the Mayor of Sombor, Antonio Ratković, and the head of representatives of the local Sombor committee of the 549th Motorized Brigade Association “Car Dušan Silni”, Ivica Periškić. Through joint effort, the said association and the City of Sombor have made sure that the memory of the heroic sacrifice of Janoš Rauk is kept alive and never forgotten.
Previously, Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević laid a wreath on the grave of Janoš Rauk, the fallen volunteer, at the Great Orthodox Cemetery in Sombor, accompanied by Major General Željko Petrović and Brigadier General Goran Momčilović. Wreaths were also laid by family members, members of the Serbian Armed Forces, representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, as well as representatives of the Ministry of the Interior, local self-government and veterans' association.Janoš Rauk was born in 1954 in Sombor. During the NATO aggression, he fought as a volunteer serving in the 55th Border Battalion (Prizren), which was subordinate to the 549th Motorized Brigade of the Yugoslav Army. Janoš Rauk was killed on April 15, 1999 at the "Mladen Stojanović" frontier post in a NATO AH-64 Apache helicopter raid.
The ceremony paying tribute to Janoš Rauk was also attended by the head of Deputy Prime Minister’s private office, Žarko Mićin, representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, local self-government and veterans' associations, as well as the citizens of Sombor.