GRAORAC: THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ARMY OF REPUBLIKA SRPSKA WAS A RESPONSE TO A TIME WHEN SERBS NEEDED DEFENDING

BANJA LUKA, MAY 10 /SRNA/ - The establishment of the Army of Republika Srpska was a response to a time when it was necessary to stand in defense of the Serb people and their freedom, said Isidora Graorac, president of the Republika Srpska Organization of Families of Captured, Fallen Soldiers, and Missing Civilians.

Graorac emphasized that the Army of Republika Srpska was a bulwark of defense, a force of resistance, and a guarantee of the survival of the Serbian people in this region. "It is our duty, with pride and responsibility, to nurture the culture of remembrance, to pass on the truth to future generations, and never allow the fighters of the Army of Republika Srpska, who gave their lives for the Serb people and Republika Srpska, to be forgotten," Graorac told SRNA ahead of the upcoming May 12 commemoration of Army of Republika Srpska Day. Graorac pointed out that this day is not only about marking the date of the army's founding, but also about preserving the memory of the sacrifice, determination, and unity that made possible the preservation of the Serbian people, their identity, and national existence. "It is our obligation, with pride and responsibility, to preserve the culture of remembrance, to pass the truth on to future generations, and never allow those who stood in defense of freedom to be forgotten," Graorac said. According to her, the founding of the Army of Republika Srpska was not merely a military act, but a historical necessity, and its soldiers, guided by courage, honor, and a sense of duty, wove themselves into the foundations of freedom. "Many of our fathers, sons, and brothers gave their lives for that freedom, while thousands of them carried permanent consequences of wartime suffering," Graorac emphasized. At Banja Luka's Kozara Barracks, on Tuesday, May 12, as part of the observance of the Day of the Third Infantry /Republika Srpska/ Regiment of the Armed Forces of BiH and the Day of the Army of Republika Srpska, a memorial service will be held for fallen soldiers and civilian victims of the defensive-patriotic war. The Army of Republika Srpska was formed on May 12, 1992, and by the end of the war had 210,000 soldiers. According to the Republika Srpska Center for Research of War, War Crimes, and Missing Persons, 23,659 soldiers were killed. After 14 years of existence, the Army of Republika Srpska became part of the Armed Forces of BiH, where its military heritage and identity are maintained by the Third Infantry /Republika Srpska/ Regiment.