27.06.2023.

First Veteran Commemorative Medals Awarded after 80 Years

Today, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević and Minister for Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs Nikola Selaković awarded posthumously first Veteran Commemorative Medals for killed fighters, twin brothers Srđan and Boban Milić, who bravely lost their lives in Kosovo and Metohija during the defence against NATO aggression in April 1999. The veteran commemorative medals have been awarded for the first time after 80 years.

Ministers Vučević and Selaković conferred the Veteran Commemorative Medals to their mother Nada Milić.

Addressing the present, Minister Vučević stated that any time such terrible tragedy happens to someone, as it happened to the Milić family and Nada Milić, a man cannot but question the purpose of life and the reason for living in this world.

- Since the dawn of time, the people strived to resolve this mystery. The solutions they offered ranged from scientific and philosophical point of view to religious notions. Since the beginning of life until the present, each people and civilisation on the globe, tried throughout all the epochs to provide and suggest their answer to this eternal question. From the Babylon to ancient Egypt, through the Hellenic culture, Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, rationalism, enlightenment, nihilism and modern theories and interpretation. That is not just one theoretic question whose purpose is useful deliberation. It is the issue of value, which is essential, which defines us, which draws the trajectory of our lives, and our destinies, and determines all human activities and doings. It identifies the purpose and existence of all human creations from the use of fire to the creation of states, technical achievements and everything that man has created - Minister Vučević said.

As he pointed out, that is the issue that divides people by the answer to that question that they offer to themselves, since our entire life depends on that answer. The minister of defence stated that all the moves and steps that we make, and everything that we do, or that we are going to do, will either ensure that we last throughout eternity, or we will be just an empty form, a shape of life, some ephemeral occurrence.

- When interpreting the purpose of life, our civilisation, faith and people’s notion stick to the Christian notion of this issue. It teaches us that our entire life on this world prepares us for a new, eternal one. The wisdom of our people has given several philosophical sentences on this, and one of them, the best known and most often used says: - The earthly kingdom is but for a little while, but the heavenly one is always and forever! Those who lived their life honestly and fairly, who carried their cross to their own Golgotha as our Lord had done, they have their place in the heavenly kingdom where there is no sorrow or pain, where they, like heavenly angels, stand next to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - the minister of defence said adding that Srđan and Boban dwelled there, in heaven, the brave officers of our heroic armed forces, together with their brother Goran and their great father Dragoljub.

- Their pious souls are with us today. The four of them are in every sunrise and sunset, in starry nights, the scent of hay and murmuring rivers of Serbia. They are in our souls and in eternity. Their lives and suffering, viewed through the prism of our Christian faith, perhaps give us the strongest answer to the crucial question about the purpose of life. Our transient nature and nothingness have no sense without us being grounded in love, faith and hope. Those three categories conquer death as the outcome for every living being. The Milić family has lived and still lives its life anchored in our faith and Lord and our salvation Jesus Christ, living a life filled with love for the family, the loved ones, its fatherland and all other people. Just like the cup of suffering did not pass from Jesus, it did not pass from the Milićs as well. Just like he had conquered death with his suffering, and love and faith, they also shone in eternity standing in heavenly ranks of Serbia praying for us to God – Minister Vučević said.

He stressed that we must never forget their love and sacrifice – the love of one brother for another, the love of a father and mother for their sons, and the love for one’s country.

- Hence, may history be written today. Let it be written in textbooks, let it be spoken of and let it be known that his country has angels in the skies, heroes and knights, martyrs and sufferers, sons of Serbia who have taken our sins with their innocent blood for the sake of our freedom and our free Mother Serbia. May their glory live forever! Be at peace in heavenly Serbia with all our holy ones. We will safeguard the memory of you, our immortal knights – Minister Vučević concluded.

Addressing the media after the official celebration, the minister of defence stated that it was difficult to translate into several sentences the whirlwind of emotions stirred in the Town House in Kraljevo. He congratulated Minister Selaković, the Government, President of the Republic on the resolve to continue cherishing traditions and culture of remembrance, and to reintroduce the Veteran Commemorative Medals in our fatherland, Serbia.

- This is a way in which we can repay and express gratitude to all those heroes, the sufferers, the brave men who fought for all of us from 1991 to 1999, without omitting anyone, no matter if the war conflicts took place in the territory of today’s Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, or in our crucified Kosovo and Metohija. The deserve it because all those men were warriors and sufferers, and most definitely heroes, who were true to their oath, and their word. A man’s word obliges him. They defended their country at the cost of their lives – Minister Vučević explained.

As he pointed out, the story of the family Milić and the strength of Madame Nada Milić is certainly something that everybody in Serbia has to hear and learn.

- If you, the media, could put aside all those starlets and VIP stars just for one hour, of one day, and place the story about the Milić family on the headlines, that would be a story about Serbia, a story about us, and that would be, more than anything, a story about our children and our heroes. I do not know where from Nada Milić draws that strength, but her strength is the strength of Serbia – the minister of defence said adding that it was not a task, but a calling, the matter of honour, and responsibility.

- I believe that we will confer the least that the fatherland can do to all those who we have wronged, forgotten, who we failed to mention when we should have, and remind everyone and call upon them to protect our state, not to demolish it; to defend it with our intelligence and education, and force if need be. I congratulate all the heroes of all fights and battles for our fatherland, because all our fights and battles were for the liberation. We are not a people that conquers and we never waged the battles and wars to occupy others. We have again and again defended our country and our people – stated the minister of defence in his media address.

Having received the Veteran Commemorative Medals, mother of killed twins, Nada Milić explained that she had mixed feelings.

- I am very excited and happy to be here, but also sad because my husband is not here to receive the medal instead of me, since it is he who deserved it, and he used to say that he wrote so that those children would not have been forgotten. Not just my sons, but other children as well. The time has come to right the wrongs done, and for me to express my gratitude to all those who participated in not letting this be forgotten – said the mother of perished Srđan and Boban.

As Minister Selaković pointed out, it is only that state that remembers its heroes, and commemorates its heroes and martyrs, that has the future.

- The Milićs could not have changed the course of their destiny. The Milićs could not have built their home on some other, somebody else’s hearth, and the Milićs could not have loved their fatherland Serbia more, and could not have given a greater sacrifice to defend their fatherland and its freedom than the one they gave. That is why the duty of that fatherland and each of us that makes that fatherland is to remember and be eternally grateful, just like it is written on these medals for Boban and Srđan where it reads “Grateful fatherland”. Serbia is forever grateful to them. It is forever grateful to mother Nada and father Dragoljub for having given the Serbian people such heroes who had not chosen their country and fate, but gave everything for Serbia – said minister Selaković stressing that Serbia is safe as long as it has the men like Goran, Boban and Srđan. He also thanked President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and Minister Vučević for the reintroduction of the Veteran Commemorative Medal, and for speaking about our heroes, remembering them and not letting them fall into oblivion.

In his address, Mayor of Kraljevo Predrag Terzić emphasised that after 80 years the state was awarding the Veteran Commemorative Medal to men who had given everything for their fatherland in wars between 1990 and 1999.

- For years, you were not able to proudly say that you fought for Serbia. Not only was it difficult to say that you were a warrior, but the authorities even found it unsuitable when you said that you were a Serb. It is necessary for all of us to continue remembering the Milić brothers and every fallen warrior, and to take care of veteran invalids, of our fighters; it is our obligation, and I believe that a strong country will manage it – Mayor Terzić stated.

At the official ceremony, an actor Lepomir Ivković recited the excerpts from the books “My Sons” and “Falcons with Broken Wings” written by Dragoljub Milić, father of three sons, Srđan, Boban and Goran before he passed away.

The ceremony of awarding the first Veteran Commemorative Medals was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces, Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Ministry of the Interior, local self-government, representatives of religious communities, and relatives of the Milić family.

Brothers Srđan and Boban Milić were members of Priština corps. They were killed within several days during NATO aggression in 1999 fighting for their country, their people and freedom. The third brother Goran, died of sorrow a year later.

Rewarding Veteran Commemorative Medals was established by the Law on Rights of Veterans, Military Invalids, Civilian Invalids of War and Members of their Families and the Decree on “Veteran Commemorative Medal” passed by the Government of the Republic of Serbia in March 2023. It is a special national recognition, which is presented to persons that have gained the status of warriors in accordance with the Law on Rights of Veterans, Military Invalids, Civilian Invalids of War and Members of their Families.