06.11.2015.

Ceremonial academy on the occasion of the Day of the First Brigade

On the occasion of marking 9 November, the Day of the First Brigade and the Day of Liberation of Novi Sad in the First World War, tonight on the small stage of the Serbian National Theatre in Novi Sad, the Ceremonial Academy was held, which was attended by Army Commander Lieutenant General Milosav Simovic, Commander of the First Brigade Brigadier General Zeljko Petrovic, Bishop of Backa Irinej, Novi Sad Mayor Milos Vucevic, numerous guests and members of the Novi Sad garrison.

- In this region, there has always been the army that emerged from the people and lived with the people. Therefore, we are dedicating the ceremonial academy to our history - General Petrovic said, noting that the First Brigade was able to perform any task set before it by its superior command.

Of the importance of the historic entry of the Serbian Army in the City of Novi Sad in 1918, participants were reminded by Milos Vucevic, stressing that army members had always carried the greatest burden of freedom for which our ancestors had paid the highest price.

Bishop Irinej said in his speech that the Serbian army had never been mercenary nor had fought under a foreign flag, and that this glorious our Armed Forces had kept and cherished to this day.

The artistic part of the Ceremonial Academy was the performance of the Art Ensemble of the Ministry of Defence "Stanislav Binicki". Under the baton of maestro Pavle Medakovic, in the first part of the program, with tumultuous applause of the audience, famous Serbian marches were played: "March of King Peter I", "French" and "March of Duke Stepa" and "Round of Cannons," while in the second part of the program, they performed melodies "Pukni Zoro", "Serbian Woman" and "Vojvodjanski Splet". Alongside "Binicki", the mixed Serbian-Russian women's choir "Luchinushka" from Belgrade performed several numbers, while Zeljka Jelic and Miodrag Petrovic, actors of the Serbian National Theatre, recited passages from the works of Serbian literature.

During the Ceremonial Academy, members of the First Brigade that had participated in combat operations in the former Yugoslavia were awarded commemorative medals.