“A Heroic City – to the Heroes of Bosnia” is the motto under which the recipients of the highest war awards gathered in Goražde today, at the 28th Golden Lilies of Bosnia and Herzegovina meeting.
The city on the Drina is hosting the central event marking May 9, the Golden Lilies Day, for the fourth time, and on this occasion, around 600 recipients of the highest war awards from all over the country arrived in Goražde, including heroes from Krajina.
The President of the Association of Recipients of the Highest War Awards of USK, Sead Hambasic, emphasizes that it is an honor for them to come to heroic Goražde, with which they have special ties
“We are marking a date that is of great significance not only for us but also for the state of BiH – Golden Lilies Day, Victory Day over Fascism, Camp Inmates’ Day, and 80 recipients of the highest war awards came from USK. We do not miss the opportunity to come to heroic Goražde, to socialize, to share memories, because when Bihać and Goražde are mentioned, it is especially emotional. We were in joint battles. We have always helped each other in a way that we, on our side, opened some new fronts to make it easier for the people of Goražde, and vice versa, and it is logical that everyone especially appreciates those two cities. We tried to help each other on all fronts,” said Hambašić.
Along with the parade through the streets of Goražde, delegations of ‘lilies’ from all cantons of the FBIH laid flowers at the memorials to the fallen defenders of Goražde, members of the police, Commander Zaim Imamović and the murdered children of Goražde.
Honor was also paid to the heroes of the homeland at a ceremonial academy in the Cultural Center. It was announced that May 9th is a day of remembrance and a day of pride in Bosnia and Herzegovina and that on this date the state especially remembers its heroes, people who, when it was most difficult, stood between evil and the homeland, defending the idea of a free Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The president of the Cantonal Association of Winners of the Highest War Awards, Derviš Hadžić, welcomed the numerous guests, emphasizing the importance of the survival of BiH on the Drina River.
“The brave defenders managed to save this piece of the Drina. I fear what BiH would look like today if we had lost this part. In the strategic documents of the bad guys, on the other hand, it was often underlined in the basis of the command that the Drina basin should be taken and that corridor established. We are still here today, on our own, not to defy anyone, but to bear witness to a past time in which 2,125 fighters, over 2,000 civilians, over 150 children died for this city,” emphasized Hadžić.
The Federal Minister for Veterans and Disabled Veterans of the Defense and Liberation War, Nedžad Lokmić, also paid tribute to the bravest sons of BiH.
“By defending BiH, you also defended fundamental civilizational values. You showed the world that truth, justice and freedom are not just words, but values worth sacrificing for. That is why it is important that today from Goražde we send a strong message of unity and determination in marking the Day of the Golden Lilies, the Day of Camp Inmates, the Day of Victory over Fascism and the Day of Europe. Let this message be our vow that we will never and must not forget,” said Lokmić.
Vice President of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Refik Lendo, emphasized that the brave fighters are the ones who are most deserving of the fact that we have the state of BiH today.
It is as it is, internally divided, divided jurisdictions, but when the borders and what makes BiH and what our sons, our comrades, brothers and sons died for, exist and exist today. It needs to be expanded, preserved, defended even today in peace. Ljiljani have been woven and grown in Bosnia and Herzegovina throughout history – emphasized Lendo.
Alija Kožljak addressed the audience on behalf of the Chairman of the BiH Presidency, Denis Bećirović, emphasizing that it was an honor for him to be in the city of heroes, together with heroes.
“Today we do not only honor brave individuals. Today we preserve the truth about the honorable fight for freedom, independence and survival of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today we continue that fight, together with you who defended this country in 1992 and we are defending it in 2026. We are also gathered to express our deep respect for the people who, in the most difficult moments of our history, showed courage, determination and selflessness, love for the homeland at the end. The winners of the highest war honors represent the greatest moral vertical of our country, and your deeds remain a permanent testimony that the patriots of Bosnia and Herzegovina defended universal civilizational values,” said Kožljak.
As part of the Golden Lily Day celebrations in Goražde, the book “Freedom Written in Blood” was promoted. The author is Refik Kauković, a Golden Lily winner and wartime commander of the “Hamza” Special Purpose Battalion, an elite unit of the 505th Bužim Knights Brigade of the 5th Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, commanded by the hero Izet Nanić.
As it was pointed out, the book represents a powerful testimony of a generation of fighters, members of the “Hamza” detachment, who in the most difficult days of Bosnia and Herzegovina chose honor over comfort, homeland over security, life and death on the front lines instead of retreat.
