Monument to defender Vinko Budimir – "Slon" unveiled in Vukovar

On Trpinjska cesta in Vukovar, at the turnoff for the suburban settlement of Lipovača, a monument was unveiled on Wednesday to Vinko Budimir - Slon ("Elephant"), a Croatian defender who tragically died on this day in 1991. It was unveiled by Duje and Marija Budimir, the son and mother of the fallen defender.

"For me, Vinko Budimir was not just a Croatian defender and another name in history. He was my father, whom I loved, whom I got to know through memories and stories, and through what he left behind. Every ceremony like this reminds us of what we lost, but I am proud because I see how many people remember my father," said Duje Budimir.

He added that his father had dreams, plans, family, and friends, but at one point, he risked all of that for what he considered more important.

"Thank you to everyone who kept the memory of my father alive, ensuring that his name and legacy remain permanently inscribed in this city. Because of them, my dad is not forgotten, and this monument is a permanent reminder of Vinko and all those who gave their lives for the freedom we have today," he said.

Today we have Croatia, and that is what Vinko loved the most and what he gave his life for, said Zvonko Milas, State Secretary of the Central State Office for Croats Outside the Republic of Croatia, speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Andrej Plenković.

As a Vukovar defender himself, Milas said that defenders and brothers-in-arms must stick together and remember the friends who are no longer among them.

The envoy of the Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković, Vukovar-Srijem County Prefect Ivan Bosančić, said that Vinko Budimir - Slon is a role model for all generations, and that his courage should serve as an example and a testimony to be passed on to future generations.

The Mayor of Vukovar, Marijan Pavliček, said that monuments must preserve the truth about the Homeland War and not allow it to be altered or distorted.

Right next to the monument is the Croatian flag, which Vinko refused to let the aggressors remove from the local community building on Trpinjska cesta. “The monument is dedicated not only to Vinko Budimir, but to all participants in the defense of Trpinjska cesta, Vukovar, and Croatia,” Pavliček stated.

Source: HRT