TRIBUTE PAID TO FALLEN SOLDIERS AND SERB CIVILIANS IN BROD

BROD, OCTOBER 7 /SRNA/ - A memorial service was held in Brod on Wednesday for fallen soldiers and Serb civilians, as 34 years since Republika Srpska forces entered the town in October 1992 was marked. Speakers at the ceremony said Army of Republika Srpska troops had found burned and mined homes, seven detention camps and 10 mass graves after entering Brod on October 6, 1992.

Those attending said the generation that fought in the war had fulfilled its duty and that younger generations now had a responsibility to develop the municipality and preserve the memory of those who died.

The memorial service was held at the "Protector" monument in Patriarch Pavle Square, where wreaths were laid by Republika Srpska Minister of Labor and Veterans and Disability Protection Radan Ostojić, representatives of veterans' organizations and local authorities, families of fallen soldiers and other delegations.

Zoran Vidić, president of the Presidency of the municipal Veterans' Organization, said the events preceding the entry into Brod included the displacement of Serb residents from their homes on May 12, 1992. He said a small group of soldiers later established a defensive line near Liješće and halted further advances towards Podnovlje.

"From the municipality of Brod alone, 244 soldiers gave their lives for this municipality and for the creation of Republika Srpska. We must never forget them or their families," Vidić said.

He said the operation in Brod formed part of Operation Corridor and that members of the Brod Battalion entered the municipality on October 6, 1992.

"General Slavko Lisica said October 7 was Brod Liberation Day, and for 34 years we have marked October 7 as the day this municipality was liberated," Vidić said.

Brod Mayor Milan Zečević said the generations that fought in the war had fulfilled their responsibility, while younger generations now had the task of developing the local community so that the sacrifice of those who died would not be forgotten.

"All of this must be rooted in a strong culture of remembrance. We must not forget. New generations must learn about the foundations of their freedom," Zečević said.

Pero Ignjić, president of the Brod Municipal Board of the Republika Srpska Veterans' Association, said they were marking 34 years of peace.

Ignjić, who served in the Brod Battalion of the Vučjak Brigade, said troops had encountered burned buildings, destroyed facilities and signs of wartime suffering after entering Brod.

The commemoration will continue with a ceremonial academy at the amphitheater of the Nikola Tesla Secondary School Centre, where municipal awards will also be presented.