Member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željko Komšić attended, among numerous guests, the 27th traditional gathering of recipients of the highest war awards of the Army of the Republic of BiH, which was held on Friday in Kakanj, during which the Day of the Golden Lilies was celebrated.
The Association of Recipients of the Highest War Awards of the Zenica-Doboj Canton (SDNRPZDK) and the Association of Recipients of the Highest War Awards from Kakanj were the technical organizers of this event this year, organized by the Association of Recipients of the Highest War Awards of the Federation of BiH, which brings together recipients of the “Golden Lily” war award of the Army, as well as the “Police Medal for Courage” and “Golden Police Badge” awards of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of BiH.
The gathering began with a gathering in front of the Central Memorial to Martyrs and Fallen Soldiers in Kakanj, in front of which flowers were laid, a history lesson was held, and the units of the Armed Forces of BiH and the Ministry of the Interior of the ZDK were lined up.
After the ceremonial parade of participants through Kakanj, a ceremonial academy was held at the Cultural and Sports Center in that city.
Komšić, who himself is a recipient of the “Golden Lily”, thanked them for the opportunity to be together again today.
“Dear comrades, members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, holders of the highest war awards – the “Golden Lily” and the “Golden Police Badge”, I would like to congratulate you on this day, which is important to all of us who defended BiH. And it was rightly chosen on the day that is celebrated as Victory Day over Fascism, because everything that happened from 1941 to 1945 and the fight against fascism, is actually something that was replicated from 1992 to 1995,” Komšić underlined.
All of us, he added, who were in the Army and the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, “know that we actually collided with cruel fascism”.
“A great generation of Bosnians and Herzegovinians, to which I had the honor of belonging, did defend the country. There are many people who do not hold these highest war awards, but they were great fighters. Therefore, there is no need for us to create discord among ourselves. I would ask you, as comrades-in-arms, to pass on at least a part of our courage and desire to defend BiH – to not allow enemies to divide and destroy it – to our children and future generations. And in that sense, today’s gathering should be viewed. But BiH constantly needs, both in peace and in war, to defend itself. Unfortunately, such is our fate. Today we defend ourselves with other means and I am sure that we will succeed in doing so again,” said Komšić.
The Vice President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Refik Lendo, also attended the celebration of the Day of Golden Lilies, as part of the 27th traditional meeting of the winners of the highest war award of the RBiH Army.
“This day is an opportunity to show deep respect for the bravest among us and to reverently remember all those who gave their lives for the homeland. It is our duty to preserve the truth about the defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina and pass on the memories to future generations,” stressed Lendo.
The Prime Minister of the Zenica-Doboj canton, Nezir Pivić, said that this day carries a double emotion – pride for heroism and sadness for losses.
“We carry it in our hearts, aware that the peace we live in today is not accidental, but deserved, defended and paid for in blood,” he stressed.
As he said, our task as the generation that came after is not to forget, to respect, not to allow history to be relativized or for oblivion to cover the names of those who woven into the foundations of BiH the most valuable thing they had – their lives.
A total of 1,782 members of the Army were awarded the “Golden Lily” decoration, including 13 female members of the ARBiH, of whom 800 were awarded alive and 982 posthumously, so members of the fallen soldiers are also invited to these meetings.
The “Police Medal for Courage” and the “Golden Police Badge” of the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina were awarded to about 320 police officers, Federalna writes.
