15.09.2019.
Marking the century of the Association of Reserve Military Commanders of Serbia
Minister Vulin: The state cannot do it alone
The ceremonial academy at the Kruševac Theater marked 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Association of Reserve Military Commanders of Serbia. The ceremony was attended by Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin, who, congratulating them on the holiday and a great jubilee, emphasized that the military officers and NCOs cannot be divided into active and reserve ones, as he said, “On this day, while breaking the Macedonian front, neither enemies nor friends divided those military men charging into active and reserve”.
- The Serbian people, as a nation of military victors, won because no one could tell the difference between the people and the armed forces. That is why we were invincible - said Minister Vulin.According to him, in order for a state and a nation to be ready to defend itself all sorts of evil that may occur, the state cannot be the only one that will organize the people.
- All citizens should be prepared to serve their country, fight for their country and prepare for the defense of their country. When I say defending the country, it does not include only the military, I do not refer only to weapons. It also means being ready to help in the natural disaster, to provide first aid, to preserve the values that make this country worth preserving, to preserve the values that have rendered this nation libertarian. The Association of Reserve Military Commanders is an organization of particular importance to the Ministry of Defense since we recognize the same values. These are the people who can rightly say that regardless of their active or reserve status, they are there, at the disposal of their country - said Minister Vulin.
Serbia has always, during past century marked by intense warfare included, been able to say that it had people who were capable to defend and protect her, Minister Vulin said, adding that he hopes that there would never be war again, but that we must always stand ready to defend our country. This is the reason why, from this year, we have reintroduced into certain school subjects the skills that prepare us for defending the country, for safeguarding the integrity of the state, but also for helping every person who needs help.
Milojko Nikolić, President of the Union of the Organizations of the Reserve Military Commanders of Serbia, stressed that the Union brings together 88 organizations with more than 17.000 members and that these organizations cover the entire territory of Serbia. Reserve military commanders are people who need a strong connection with the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces, since this is their natural environment.- We all need to be aware of the responsibilities and the times we live in. Reserve military commanders in their organizations must find an additional motive that will mobilize them for the activity in contributing, developing, and strengthening our state, which is, for yet another countless time, at a historic turning point. This additional motive for the times to come is the very survival of the state. As Pašić’s maxim used to say “There is no salvation for us, but we must not perish”, I call one and all of us to courage, perseverance and love for our only homeland, which must be preserved at all costs and passed on to future generations as strong as possible - said Nikolić.
In gratitude for contributing to the Reserve Officers and NCOs organization regaining the status of an organization of special importance for the defense of the country, as well as for the promotion of the reserve military commanders after 20 years, the President of the Association, Milojko Nikolić, presented the Honorary Membership Card to the Association of the Reserve Military Commanders and a statue of Emperor Lazar, the symbol of Kruševac, as a reminder of today’s ceremony.For the merits in the development and affirmation of the organization, as well as the high level of cooperation the Association has achieved with the institutions of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces, the President of the Association was awarded the first and second orders of Vojvoda Stepa Stepanović sabers and sets of books from the edition “Srpske vojvode u Velikom ratu” (“Serbian Voivodas in the Great War”).
On the occasion of a century from its founding, the Association of Reserve Military Commanders of Serbia was awarded the plaque of the Ministry of Defense, which was presented to President Nikolić by Minister Vulin.Members of the “Stanislav Binički” Art Ensemble, vocal soloists Katarina Božić and Jelena Stojilović, actors Bojan Veljović and Predrag Milenković and a dance couple from the Kruševac Dance Club Gala Milojević and Radivoje Radovanović performed in the cultural and artistic part of today’s ceremony.
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