CVIJANOVIĆ: SRPSKA MUST BE AWARE OF ITSELF AND SERBIAN PEOPLE MUST BE AWARE OF THEIR VALUES

DOBOJ, OCTOBER 3 /SRNA/ - Serb member of the BiH Presidency Željka Cvijanović said in Boljanić that she wants the memory of Operation Halyard, during which Serbs rescued Allied pilots in the Second World War, to live on, and for Republika Srpska to remain aware of its identity and for the Serbian people to remember their values.

Cvijanović said she wants the contribution of the Serbs to be remembered through joint efforts.

"Whenever I speak here, I always begin by thanking this area, these wonderful residents, these people who, in such difficult times of war, when they lacked everything they needed for a decent life, still managed to show humanity towards the Allied pilots," Cvijanović said at a ceremony marking the 82nd anniversary of Operation Halyard and the rescue of Allied pilots by members of the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland.

She said that gratitude should go to all those who at the time showed a willingness to protect the lives of the Allied pilots, as well as to all those who safely sent those servicemen home.

"If we look at the overall number, we can see that 500 lives were saved, which means that 500 people returned to their families," Cvijanović said.

She said that the Serbs from this area made an enormous contribution by giving strength to those who were helpless at that moment.

Cvijanović also expressed her gratitude to representatives of the Halyard Foundation.

"A few years ago, I came into contact with the people who run it in the United States, and I saw just how much they want, with so much love, to rescue from oblivion this historical moment, which is certainly important to America, but equally important to us," Cvijanović said.

Cvijanović stressed that today’s generations can preserve the memory of such events, which are important to Serbian history.

"We have committed ourselves to making this site such that everyone who comes here will know that great deeds took place here and how much heart and love the local residents put into saving the pilots, who were Americans as well as members of other Allied forces," Cvijanović said.