President Milanović Decorates, Tells Members of 2nd Guards Brigade ‘Gromovi’: Our goal is for the Croatian Army to be well paid and modernized
The President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović hosted a reception in the Office of the President on the 30th anniversary of the formation of the 2nd Guards Brigade ‘Gromovi’ [Thunders] and on this occasion presented decorations to members of the brigade.
Before presenting the decorations, President Milanović addressed the members of the ‘Gromovi’ brigade with these words: “Dear ‘Gromovi’, Croatian heroes. Thirty years ago, your glorious, victorious and impeccable journey began. We are proud of you and we are here today to mark those 30 years, to honour everyone who needs to be honoured. It is difficult to pay tribute with a medal and a charter to what a small number of people have done. I repeat myself often on such occasions, but repeating makes sense because it should be emphasized every time that Croatia is grateful to a small number of people for what it has acquired and defended – a small number of people who were ready to go into the unknown, into risk and danger.”
In addition to thanking the members of the ‘Gromovi’ brigade, President Milanović commented on the Croatian Army’s current operations. “A new period is ahead of us. In a few days, 150 of our soldiers will go to Kosovo. This bothers our neighbours, although it was not intended to bother them; it was not intended as a provocation. It is our right, we are participating in (the mission) and will act accordingly,” said the President.
President Milanović also mentioned that it is necessary to modernize the Croatian Armed Forces and invest in people. “The Croatian Army is a modern army, and you all know well how much that costs. Our goal is for the Croatian Army to be well paid, to have opportunities for training, for knowledge enrichment, for growth and ambition. The decisions before us, on the procurement of combat aircraft and other means of modernizing our armed forces, cost money. And without money, there is no defense. A brave heart, an unyielding attitude and a cool head when needed… there is no army without this. But there is also no army without smart spending and smart people who know how to use what has been procured. An army without the human factor is going nowhere. I will advocate that the Croatian Army has all of that,” said President Milanović, ending his address with a message to the members of the ‘Gromovi’ brigade: “Croatian heroes, congratulations, glory and eternal gratitude to the fallen members of your brigade. Faithful to the Homeland!”
The Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski, for a deed of valour in the Homeland War, is awarded to Dubravko Petrović, Dragutin Kos, Ante Čarapović, Željko Makek, Selim Hurtić, Branko Mikulić, Davor Jurišević and Vladimir Martinez.
The Order of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan with Gilded Interlace, as an honourable sign of the eternal memory of those who died for the Croatian state in war, is posthumously awarded to Zdravko Mihalić.
The Order of Ante Starčević, for contribution to the maintenance and development of the concept of Croatian statehood, through the establishment and development of the sovereign Croatian state, is awarded to Ivan Krupec.
The Order of the Croatian Cross, for having sustained serious wounds in the Homeland War, is awarded to Stanko Turković, Ivan Krupec, Damir Maćešić, Nenad Puškarić, Željko Vrbanić and Adam Muminović.
The Order of the Croatian Trefoil, for extraordinary services to the Republic of Croatia in a state of war and under special circumstances in peace, is awarded to Nenad Vukojević, Zdravko Curman, Ivan Premrl, Mirko Buzina, Slavko Belanović, Senko Puškar, Jasminka Uroić-Tončina, Vlado Noršić, Drago Kovačević, Ivana Marković, Karlo Vinković, Goran Rešetić, Dražen Žagmešter, Dražen Marčić, Zlatan Horvat and Emil Majstorović.
The Order of the Croatian Interlace, for extraordinary contribution to the development and reputation of the Republic of Croatia, as well as to the welfare of its citizens, is awarded to Ivica Žeger, Mate Gadža and Zvonko Marić.
On behalf of the Association of War Veterans of the 2nd Guards Brigade “Thunders” its president Ivan Krupec expressed words of thanks.
Attending the formal reception on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the formation of the 2nd Guards Brigade “Thunders” were the Minister of Defense Mario Banožić and the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Admiral Robert Hranj.
Alongside the President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces were the Head of the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of Croatia Bartol Šimunić, the Adviser to the President of the Republic of Croatia for Defense and National Security Dragan Lozančić, the Adviser to the President of the Republic of Croatia for Human Rights and Civil Society Melita Mulić and the Special Adviser to the President of the Republic of Croatia for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Ana Marija Katić and Filip Glas