SPOMENKO GOSTIĆ - EXAMPLE TO ALL OF HOW TO LOVE HOMELAND

DOBOJ, MARCH 20 /SRNA/ – A memorial service was held today in the courtyard of the Memorial Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Doboj for Spomenko Gostić, the youngest decorated soldier of the Republika Srpska Army, who was killed on this day 33 years ago on the Ozren-Maglaj battlefield.

Archpriest-stavrophor Rastko Maksimović told reporters that in this way gratitude was expressed to Gostić and all heroes who died in the Defensive-Patriotic War, as they gave the most valuable thing they had for Republika Srpska. "Today, 33 years after Spomenko's death, we remember his beautiful example, which showed us all how to love the homeland, our people, and how to preserve our birthplace," said Father Maksimović. He emphasized that Spomenko deserves to be written in the heart of every Orthodox Serb and that it is everyone's duty to remember him not only in prayers, but in other ways as well. "Spomenko reminds and warns us to apply at least a part of what he did in our own lives, because only in that way can we call ourselves a people who love every person, protect what is ours, and do not wish to take what belongs to others," Maksimović added. The memorial was also attended by representatives of the Doboj City Veterans' Organization. Its presidency chairman, Dušan Knežević, stated that Gostić's sacrifice for Republika Srpska is great and must not be forgotten. He said that by laying wreaths and lighting candles at Gostić's memorial bust, the message is that the victims of the Defensive-Patriotic War and other liberation struggles must be remembered for the sake of future generations. Spomenko Gostić was born on August 15, 1978, in Doboj. As a member of the Army of Republika Srpska, he was killed by a shell on March 20, 1993, near his village of Jovići on Mount Ozren. Along with him, five other Serbian soldiers were killed. After being left alone during the war, Spomenko joined the army, first serving as a courier and later delivering food to soldiers. A few months before his death, he stepped on a mine while delivering food by horse-drawn carriage along the front line, suffering minor injuries. He later joined the artillery unit, where he lost his young life. The young hero from Ozren received a memorial bust in Doboj, placed on March 20, 2014, in the courtyard of the Memorial Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. In 2017, members of the Nasljeđe /Heritage/ Association of Children of Fallen Soldiers from Bijeljina restored the monument at the local cemetery in Gornji Ulišnjak, while Doboj artist Deni Božić painted a mural with Gostić's image in Vojvode Stepe Street in Doboj. A statue of Spomenko Gostić was erected on August 24, 2021, in the courtyard of the Monastery of St. Nicholas in Petrovo. A 45-minute documentary film titled "Spomenko on Eternal Guard" was made about him, and a book "Spomenko and Ozren" was written by Mile Savić. The Deveta Dimenzija Association of Comic Book Authors and Fans of Republika Srpska from Banja Luka published a graphic novel "Spomenko - A Story of a Childhood." Spomenko was posthumously awarded the Miloš Obilić Medal for Bravery by the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić.