Croatia celebrates Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, and Croatian Veterans Day

Croatia celebrated Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, and Croatian Veterans Day today, a national holiday. The day marks the 26th anniversary of the Storm military-police operation. In just 84 hours, 11,000 square kilometers of Croatian territory occupied by rebel Serbs was liberated. 

Prior to the operation negotiations with the rebel Serbs were drawn out and unsuccessful, and the operation was unavoidable because at the end of July in 1995, Croatia was caring for a little under 385,000 Croats that fled the area or were persecuted by rebel Serbs, while at the same time neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina needed assistance.

In Knin today, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković and President Zoran Milanović addressed the public, while retired Colonel Danijel Rehak spoke on behalf of Veterans.

Due to epidemiological measures, the central celebration in Knin was moved from the main town square to the Dinara Football Club city stadium. Wreaths and lit candles were laid in memory of soldiers that gave their lives. A thousand guests gathered. The raising of the Croatian flag at the Knin fortress was broadcast live on a video wall at the city stadium. Following the flag raising, the names of the 241 killed soldiers and two missing were read. They are engraved on a monument at the central square in Knin.

Retired Colonel Danijel Rehak, a disabled veteran and president of the Association of Serbian Concentration Camp Detainees, addressed those gathered on behalf of Croatian veterans.

“The truth is that we former concentration camp detainees don't take freedom for granted, nobody should. We are aware of its importance and the difficult path that led to it. In our thoughts we must preserve the memory of the immortal heroes of the Croatian revolution, while at the same time looking to the future,” said Rehak.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković emphasized that we will always celebrate Operation Storm with dignity in order for future generations to nurture the values of the Homeland War. "Precisely because of that, we continue to implement the symbolic gestures expressed at last year's Storm anniversary, guided by the policy of reconciliation, coexistence and understanding," added Plenković.

“With respect to the historical truth and expressing piety to all innocent victims, magnanimity in victory, doesn't mean that we will ever allow anyone to bring the legitimacy of operation storm into question, nor the defensive character of the Homeland War. That is also a message to our neighboring country Serbia, which in my opinion should abandon the futile rhetoric of the past, face their own responsibility, and turn to a policy of reconciliation and the future,” said the Prime Minister.

President Zoran Milanović told what he called friends and neighbors in Serbia that Croatia will not give up the search for missing people. The majority of his address was dedicated to Operation Storm, where he noted that it was one of the boldest undertakings in Croatian history.

“Often I wish the Croatian state, in its efforts, ambitions, work, successes and confusion had the organization and firm discipline, in a democratic society of course, that the Croatian Military had then,” said the President.

Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said that operation Storm was a legal military operation and that this is a historic fact that no false interpretation will shake. He added that the Homeland war is the rock on which the Croatian state stands.

“We need to strengthen that victorious Croatian spirit and patriotism, regardless of political affiliation and regardless of worldviews. Loving the homeland, building a portion of yourself into progress and caring for public wealth, should be the task of all of us,” said Jandroković.

The central ceremony ended with a performance by the "Wings of Storm" acrobatic flying group which was followed by holy mass.

Source: HRT