Croatian veterans buried after more than three decades listed as missing

In spite of earlier promises to provide information as to the final resting place of the remains of Croatian civilians and soldiers killed during the Serbian and Yugoslav People’s Army war of aggression in the early 1990’s, Belgrade has consistently blocked efforts to find the remains of the more than 1 800 people Croatia is still looking for from the Homeland War.

The final farewells and burials of the identified remains of Croatian veterans were held at the Memorial Cemetery of Victims of the Homeland War in Vukovar, on Saturday. Stjepan Patko was a member of Vukovar's 204th Brigade. He disappeared in November 1991 at the infamous Velepromet hangar. Another Croatian veteran, Pal Horvat, was a member of the Reserve Corps of the National Guard and the 3rd Guards Brigade. He also disappeared from the same location. Their remains were found in a mass grave at Petrovačka dola, which is the most demanding and longest-researched mass grave location from the Serb and Yugoslav People's Army war of aggression in the 1990's. For the president of the Vukovar mothers association Manda Patko, it was painful yet long awaited day, when she was finally able to achieve some closure and properly bury her husband's remains: “Finally, after 34 years, this difficult, joyful and also painful day has finally arrived. But I thank God that I found him before I died. I have been to Petrovačka dola many times, but it never crossed my mind that I might be walking right on top of his remains.”

The special envoy of the Veterans Affairs Ministry Stipo Rimac noted that the Serbs responsible for the war crimes had repeatedly tried to hide their horrific acts: “The remains were dug up, transferred and reburied two or three times. In other words, in an attempt to cover up this horrible crime. This tragedy affects us all, but especially the victims' families.”

Source: HRT