04.12.2024.
Minister Gašić attends event marking Veterans’ Day
The envoy of the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić, Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić, has attended tonight the solemn observance on the occasion of Veterans’ Day, at the Guard House in Topčider. The ceremony was attended by the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović.
At the beginning of the ceremony, after the playing of the national anthem, a minute of silence was observed to honour all war veterans who gave their lives defending their homeland in the liberation wars of Serbia.After that, the congratulatory message of the President of the Republic of Serbia on the occasion of today's holiday was read.
On the occasion of the entry into force of the Regulation on Military Traditions, this evening, Minister Gašić has ceremoniously presented the military veterans’ flag to Colonel Đorđe Kalanj, Head of the Department for Tradition, Standards and Veterans of the Human Resources Sector.
At the beginning of his address, Minister Gašić emphasized that the celebration of one of the most important military holidays - the Veterans’ Day - shows “the deepest respect to those who honourably and proudly wore the uniform of our army and defended with their lives everything we live for and believe in”.- The foreign press wrote, towards the end of the First World War, that few soldiers “fought the way the Serbian soldier fought” – they say, “he died where he was ordered to stand!” Our ancestors did not prefer death to life in order to pointlessly expose it to bullets or bayonets. On the contrary! Life in slavery was more hateful to them than death. And they made that choice, bleeding, for us and our descendants – Minister Gašić said, emphasizing that the decision to establish the 4th December as a military holiday is just one way to show respect and preserve the memory of people who put the welfare of their homeland and their people above all other motives and needs.
He said that the Veterans Day “is not only an opportunity to remember those who laid down their lives on the altar of freedom, but also those who, defending the freedom of Serbia, exposed themselves to danger, all those who, as active or reserve military members, put on a uniform, took up arms and stood under our tricolour”.- Tonight’s ceremony is organized in honour of you and all your comrades and colleagues. Thus we say to you – thank you for defending Serbia! Thus we say to you and the younger generations that the values of patriotism and love of freedom are sacred and eternal, and that those who defend these values deserve the greatest respect. The time when your deeds were hidden and disregarded is not so far behind us. We remember well the period when aggression was said to be a campaign or, at best, a bombing, when we were ashamed of everything that was worth being proud of, when, despite all our merits, you were treated as second-class citizens. Thank God, that shameful time is behind us and we will never allow it to return – the Minister of Defence emphasized.
Addressing veterans and numerous guests, Minister Gašić said that we live in an age of instability and threats to global peace.
- Being aware that only a strong army is the guarantee of our freedom and independence, we have decided to reinforce our defence. We are acquiring new weapons and equipment, training, investing in infrastructure, raising the economic standard of our members, trying to bring as many young people as possible into our ranks. And we do all this not to endanger others, but to deter any potential aggressor from thinking that he can forcefully impose a will on us that is contrary to the interests of our state and people – Minister Gašić said.On this occasion, the Minister of Defence particularly reminded of the importance of cultivating a culture of remembrance among our people.
- The attitude towards the culture of remembrance is the attitude towards our identity. And identity is the foundation on which we build the future. That is why it is important that oblivion never envelops the people to whom we owe gratitude for freedom and an independent state. If we persist in this, we will repay our debt, not only to our heroic past, but also to those who will call themselves sons and daughters of Serbia after us - Minister Gašić emphasized, congratulating the holiday of Veterans’ Day.
As part of the cultural and artistic program, the ‘Stanislav Binicki’ Artistic Ensemble of the Ministry of Defence performed at the ceremony, and through stage performances, guests had the opportunity to see and hear a tribute to the heroes of Serbian history, remembering those who fought for the freedom of our people.
Today’s ceremony was attended by members of the collegiums of the Minister of Defence and the Chief of General Staff, representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, representatives of the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, as well as military veterans and families of deceased members of the military, representatives of the military-diplomatic corps, religious communities and traditional and veterans’ associations.
Earlier today, Acting Assistant Minister of Defence for Human Resources Siniša Radović presented military memorials for the defence of the homeland against NATO aggression to retired Lieutenant General Radojko Stefanović and retired Major General Vukajlo Čađenović at the Guard House.
The Veterans’ Day – 4th December is marked in memory of the day when the armistice was signed in the First Balkan War in 1912. At that time, around 400,000 soldiers of the Army of the Kingdom of Serbia received the title of “old warriors”, or “veterans”.
