MEMORIAL FOR SERB GUARDSMEN IN TRNOVO ON SUNDAY

EAST SARAJEVO, OCTOBER 17 /SRNA/ – On Sunday, October 19, a memorial will be held in Trnovo to mark the 31st anniversary of the deaths of 23 members of the First Guards Motorized Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army's Main Staff, who were killed during two enemy offensives on October 1 and 29, 1994.

The marking of the October Days, i.e. a memorial to the pivotal events for this unit, is organised by the Association of Guardsmen of the First Guards Motorized Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army's Main Staff. A memorial service for the fallen guardsmen, as well as for all the soldiers and civilians who fell defending Trnovo, will be held at 12:00, followed by the laying of wreaths and flowers at the memorial site. Press statements are scheduled for 11:30, and a spiritual ceremony and historical lecture will be held at 13:00, the Association told SRNA. Muslim forces began their offensive on October 1, 1994, in the early morning hours, targeting Republika Srpska Army's positions on the mountains of Igman, Bjelašnica, and Treskavica, recalls Željko Dakić, the author of a monograph on the Guards. The operation began with heavy artillery support, followed by an infantry assault. The direction of the attacks was focused on areas defended by the Guards Brigade. On the slopes of Bjelašnica and Treskavica mountains, 15 guardsmen lost their lives defending Republika Srpska and the Serb people - Dimitrije Arežina i Igor Jerković from Mrkonjić Grad, Dragoljub Arsić from Drvar, Željko Bjelaković i Mirko Kostić from Šekovići, Goran Ćorić from Grahovo, Jovica Dobrinjac from Gradiška, Vladislav Gavrilović from Bijeljina, Tomo Jelić from Rudo, Dragoljub Milosavljević from Višegrad, Dragan Nedinić from Derventa, Bojan Nježić from Laktaši, Sergeant Goran Stančić from Čelinac, Saša Stanojević from Doboja i Boris Trifković from Brod. Fears of a broader offensive were confirmed on October 29, 1994, when, once again in the early morning, Muslim forces launched a full-scale attack with strong artillery support along the entire defensive line held by the Guards Brigade towards Bjelašnica. Fighting lasted all day. In the afternoon, the attack was repelled and broken, and the opposing forces retreated to their starting positions. All available forces and resources of the First Guards Motorized Brigade were mobilized to stop the enemy's advance and defend the territory. The brigade's command left its base in Kalinovik and joined the soldiers on the front lines. In heroic battles, eight guardsmen were killed - Jovo Bašić and Radomir Ćurtović from Trebinje, Rade Elez, Vitomir Regoje, and Slavko Pržulj from Kalinovik, Simo Novičić from Osmaci, Miroljub Radikić from Lopare, Draženko Šopalović from Kneževo By order of the Commander of the Main Staff of the Republika Srpska Army, General Ratko Mladić, the formation of the First Guards Motorized Brigade was mandated. The brigade had multiple roles – to represent Republika Srpska and its army, to provide security for the Supreme Command and Main Staff of Republika Srpska, and to act under direct command of the Supreme Command in endangered areas, objects, or regions. The brigade was intended to be an elite unit, filled voluntarily with personnel from all regions of Republika Srpska, i.e. the former BiH. The First Guards Motorized Brigade was officially established and ceremonially assembled on January 19, 1993, on Epiphany. After breaking through the corridor and capturing Trnovo in July 1993, the brigade was relocated to Kalinovik, from where it continued its wartime mission with even greater momentum. As a gratitude for the sacrifice and heroism of the Serb guardsmen in the defense of Trnovo, the local community named one of its main streets after the First Guards Motorized Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army's Main Staff.