The 33rd anniversary of the founding of the Third Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was celebrated today in Maglaj.
The third corps, founded on December 1, 1992, operated in the area of Zenica, Kakanj, Travnik, Jajce and numerous other municipalities. The headquarters of the corps was in Zenica, and the commander was General Enver Hadžihasanović. In the defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Third Corps made a huge contribution: 6,343 martyrs and fallen fighters, 277 members were awarded the war award “Golden Lily”, while 41 members received the “Golden Police Badge”.
The event started with a parade through the Park Domovini – Lily Park, with the laying of flowers on the memorial, and then a ceremonial academy was held, where the Prime Minister of Zenica-Doboj Canton Nezir Pivić and the Minister of Veteran Affairs Adnan Sirovica addressed the attendees.
Prime Minister Nezir Pivić pointed out that the first half of the nineties represents one of the most difficult periods in the history of our homeland, but also an extremely important moment in the military history of our people and country. The Third Corps was a strong obstacle to the goals of the aggressors, and the courage of its units was seen on the defense lines and in the liberation actions throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina – from Vozuća and Vlašić to the liberation of Bosnian Krajina.
– We paid for the defense of our homeland with the blood of thousands of martyrs, fallen fighters and wounded, to whom we pay special tribute on this day. Without their courage and sacrifice, we would not be living in the freedom we have today – said Prime Minister Pivić.
Pivić emphasized that it is important to preserve the memory of the defensive-liberation war and take care of the defense population. He congratulated all Bosnian-Herzegovinian patriots and citizens of the Zenica-Doboj Canton on the 33rd anniversary of the formation of the Third Corps with the wish that the memory of its magnificent war journey will live on for a long time.
The Minister of Veteran Affairs, Adnan Sirovica, emphasized that the Third Corps of the RBiH Army represents the backbone of the defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the guarantor of the freedom we live today. He added that it is the duty of all institutions not to allow the heroism of the defenders to be forgotten, and to prevent the distortion of the truth and attempts to equate the victim and the aggressor.
– Taking care of the veteran population and nurturing the culture of memory is a permanent obligation, and the position of veterans and their families is one of the priorities of the ZDK institutions. The Ministry and the Government continuously provide support through concrete measures, programs and an increase in budget funds. In the coming period, it is expected that the veteran’s allowance will be adopted at the level of the Federation, which will further strengthen the support for the veterans from the canton – said Minister Sirovica.
Prime Minister Pivić added that the budgets are not sufficient to meet all the needs of veterans and their families, but that the Government is making the most of the available funds. This, as he emphasized, is an obligation and duty towards the heroes who defended the greatest human and civilizational values.
