MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR 52 FALLEN AND DECEASED SOLDIERS HELD

PALE, MAY 29 /SRNA/ – A memorial service was held today at a memorial in Mokro, Pale municipality, for 52 fallen and deceased soldiers of the Defensive-Patriotic War, with the message conveyed that their sacrifice must never be forgotten.

Ljiljana Lizdek, the child of a fallen soldier, emphasized that visits to such places are highly emotional but also important for preserving the memory of all those who died for freedom.

"We are here not only as children of fallen soldiers, but also as grandchildren and descendants of all those who suffered for freedom," Lizdek told the press.

She recalled that the memorial bears the names of 52 soldiers killed in the Defensive-Patriotic War, while another memorial contains the names of 137 soldiers from the Second World War.

"We have a duty to preserve the memory of them, to remember them, and to ensure that their sacrifice is never forgotten. It is especially important for new generations to know what the Serb people endured during the 20th century and the price many paid for freedom," Lizdek stressed.

Former company commander from Mokro and participant in the Defensive-Patriotic War, Janko Minić, said that they had gathered to pay tribute to fallen comrades who defended the area.

He stressed that the soldiers fulfilled their duty and defended the territory, preventing the enemy from reaching the region.

"We enabled our children to attend school and live normal lives while we stood on the defence line and preserved it," Minić emphasized, adding that he was proud of all soldiers from Mokro, especially the fallen comrades, in whose honour wreaths were laid and candles lit.

Istočno Sarajevo Mayor Ljubiša Ćosić stated that every May, tribute is paid in Mokro to Serb victims from this region from both the Second World War and the Defensive-Patriotic War.

He recalled that the Mokro area suffered greatly, especially during 1942, as well as during the most recent war, when soldiers of the Republika Srpska Army were defending the Sarajevo-Romanija region and their homes.

Ćosić stressed that young people should nurture the tradition and culture of remembrance so that the suffering and sacrifices of the Serb people are never forgotten.

He thanked the Pale Municipality War Veterans Organisation and the Mokro Local War Veterans Organisation for organizing the commemoration and preserving the memory of fallen soldiers and civilians.

Teacher Nenad Tomović said that during May, commemorations and remembrance classes with elementary and secondary school students had been organised at several locations in the Pale area.

He emphasized the importance of educating younger generations, through curricular and extracurricular activities, about events from both recent and older history of Serbs.

"Every nation that preserves its national identity must nurture a culture of remembrance. The future belongs to the young, which means that everything valuable in the moral, spiritual, and national sense should be passed on to younger generations," Tomović said.

After the memorial service, wreaths were laid at the memorial to the fallen soldiers.

The commemoration was organized as part of the event "Days of Remembrance of June 1992," organised by the municipal War Veterans Organisation.