The Column of Remembrance, in which war invalids, volunteers and veterans of the Homeland War, and children of fallen defenders from the area of the city of Orasje and the municipality of Domaljevac-Samac take part, set off yesterday from Orasje towards Vukovar.
The participants will walk for three days in order to pay tribute to the fallen defenders and civilians, both of Vukovar and of Posavina.
This year, 91 people are participating, which makes this column the most numerous since 2008.
The oldest participant and his message
Although in the ninth decade of his life, the oldest participant, Marijan Baotic from Donja Mahala, who went through the wartime path and was wounded, is walking in the Column again.
“I am going to pay tribute to the victims of Vukovar. I was in the war, I know how everything was, and I respect that. I will go as long as I can,” said Baotic.
Leadership of the Column and the symbolism of the march
The Column is led again this year by former defender and minister of veterans of the Posavina Canton, Ilija Miskovic, emphasizing that the message is always the same:
“To remember all those who were killed, who gave their lives, both in the city of Vukovar in the Republic of Croatia, and here as well. The Croatian Defense Council (HVO) members, I have compared for years, that Orasje and Vukovar went through something similar in this entire war. Unfortunately, Vukovar experienced the fate it did, and as for Orasje, we managed to hold on here.”
For the participants, this march also has a therapeutic significance.
“Here we remember our friends and the war and all those events in the war, and it is simply good socializing for all of us defenders, socializing that is somewhat therapeutic, so that we can free ourselves a bit from all these everyday events. This is simply therapy for us,” said Joso Markovic, participant of the Column and former minister.
A journey of 75 kilometers and spiritual support
More than 75 kilometers lie ahead of the participants. With spiritual accompaniment, they say, the effort is easier to endure.
“If a person has no feeling for someone who suffers, and we both suffered, then he simply is not a human being. From that perspective, having a feeling for someone else’s suffering also shows personal greatness,” said Rev. Dr. Darko Tomasevic.
Involving younger generations
Because of age and health difficulties, there are fewer and fewer defenders who can walk this route, so younger generations have followed in their footsteps.
“Our motto for the past few years is to include younger generations, the children of fallen defenders. And this year the number of children of defenders has increased, so on this occasion I call for next year and in the future that as many young people as possible join, because as you know we are older every day, there is illness and everything, and it would be good that this does not die out,” said Pavo Kosic, president of HVO Association of Croatian Homeland War Volunteers and Veterans of the city of Orasje.
The participants stated that their walking sacrifice is small compared to the enormous sacrifice that Vukovar endured during wartime events. Before their very departure, they also paid tribute to the fallen and deceased comrades in Orasje and Domaljevac.
