19.02.2020.
Minister Vulin: The Serbian Armed Forces are what they are most of all because of their men
Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin and Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Milan Mojsilović talked today to representatives of institutions and members of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces who had been decorated by President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces on the occasion of the Statehood Day of Serbia.
Order of White Eagle with Swords 1st Class was awarded to the Military Academy, and the Order was received by Head of Military Academy Major General Bojan Zrnić PhD. The same order was awarded to the Fifth Military Police Battalion and the decoration was presented to Commander of the Fifth Military Police Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Petrić. Order of White Eagle with Swords 2nd Class was awarded to the Technical Overhaul Facility in Kragujevac, and the recognition was presented to Facility Director Lieutenant Colonel Rasim Ćiriković. Order of White Eagle with Swords 3rd Class was awarded to the Military Grammar School, and the Order was received by Head of the Military Grammar School Commander Miroslav Ćitić.Gold Medal for Bravery “Miloš Obilić” was awarded to pilot Colonel Zoran Lunić, and Gold Medal of Extraordinary Merit in the field of medical science was awarded to Professor Tomislav Marenović PhD, retired colonel from the Military Medical Academy.
Extending congratulations on the received decorations, Minister Vulin pointed out that the Serbian Armed Forces were what they were because of their men rather than because of the arms.
These are people who, upon decision of the Supreme Commander, deserved to wear decorations for their contribution to the institutions they lead, or because of something that they personally did. Here are the people who have demonstrated extraordinary courage, but they have also displayed hard work, perseverance and organisational skills. The Serbian Armed Forces are made by men, and each of them deserves to be recognised and they all deserve to be decorated – Minister Vulin stressed.
Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić – the minister of defence stressed – is always there for his armed forces and he is always there to recognise and reward the ones who are the best and most successful among us.
- With this, we have remedied a great injustice. All wartime units that participated in battles of Košare and Paštrik have been rewarded and their contribution was recognised. The Fifth Military Police Battalion has not been rewarded until now, although since 1998 until the end of NATO aggression it lost as much as 11 members and it gave an immeasurable contribution to the battles of Košare and Paštrik, and in all those years when the country was to be defended. In this way we have corrected an injustice, but we have also showed that we remember and that we will never forget not even one of our heroes – Minister Vulin stressed.
Head of Military Academy Major General Bojan Zrnić PhD underlined that the Military Academy received the order on the occasion of the jubilee of 170 years of its existence.- This is an extraordinary recognition for our institution, which fulfils its historic mission and task of preparing the best children of this country for its defence – General Zrnić emphasised adding that the Military Academy continued its work, and that the received recognition certainly represented a confirmation that the Military Academy was an institution that enjoys great respect of society and that it was the best recommendation for all young people when it came to education.
Commander of the Fifth Military Police Battalion Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Petrić stressed that the Order which was conferred to the unit on the occasion of the Statehood Day represented an exceptional recognition for the Fifth Military Police Battalion, particularly for its members who had participated in combat actions in Kosovo and Metohija in 1998 and 1999, and for the men who had given their lives there and those who had been wounded.
- This remarkable recognition is a motive for us who are now members of the Fifth Battalion to work even harder, and the significance of the reward for the previous members of the battalion is proven by the fact that all of them called me and other members of the Battalion on Saturday, when we received this recognition, to congratulate us on the received order – Lieutenant Colonel Petrić underscored.
The Gold Medal of Merit was presented to retired Colonel Professor Tomislav Marenović, who, at today’s reception, underlined that the decoration for him personally represented a peak of professional career and a great recognition.
- In fact, this Gold Medal is a Gold Medal that belongs to the Military Medical Academy where I was working for 41 years. It belongs to the staff of the Anaesthesiology Clinic of the MMA, where I spent my entire working life, and to the medical branch of anaesthesiology which is an important segment of medicine. I am very happy because I have received this recognition – Professor Marenović pointed out.
Today’s reception was attended by Vice-Chancellor of University of Defence Lieutenant General Goran Radovanović and Head of Human Resources Department General Savo Iriškić.
