President Milanović Bestows Posthumously the Order of Duke Domagoj with Ribbon upon Ivan Sokač, Lieutenant Colonel of the Croatian Army and Commander of the 104th Varaždin Brigade

The President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović bestows posthumously upon Ivan Sokač, Lieutenant Colonel of the Croatian Army and Commander of the 104^th Varaždin Brigade the Order of Duke Domagoj with Ribbon, for displayed prowess and heroism during the Homeland War.

At a ceremony held in the barracks of the 7^th Guards Brigade “Pumas” in Varaždin, President Milanović presented the decoration to the Sokač family, noting that this decoration is awarded for the greatest gift Ivan Sokač gave Croatia in 1991, his life, and did not live to see it free.

“His sacrifice for Croatia and his contribution of laying down his life for his country shall never be forgotten. This is but a small example of how Croatia can repay the deserving ones, those who were here when it had to be defended in order to be able to liberate it later, and for Croatia to be an orderly state today with its deficiencies. It will remain even after us, but some improvements will be made too. I believe we will be stronger, more successful and resistant to the challenges and threats that lie directly or indirectly ahead in our contemporary world, which is more and more complex and ambiguous, and to clarify the situation in Croatia – we needed people such as the late Ivan Sokač”, President Milanović stated upon presenting the Order of Duke Domagoj with Ribbon to the Sokač family.

Until mid-1991, Lieutenant Colonel of the Croatian Army and commander of the 104^th Varaždin Brigade Ivan Sokač was stationed in the Territorial Defense and at the same time organizing and equipping the first military units on the territory of the former Community of Municipalities of Varaždin. When the 104^th Brigade of the Croatian National Guard was founded in the summer of 1991, Sokač openly put himself at the disposal of the Republic of Croatia. His skills especially came to the fore in September 1991 when battles took place to conquer the barracks in Varaždin and Međimurje. He led his unit in liberating operations in the broader Pakrac-Lipik area.

During Operation Alfa ’91 (an operation in the scope of the second part of the offensive operation Orkan ’91 that lasted from 26 to 29 December 1991 aimed at liberating the communities east and southeast of Pakrac and continuing towards Okučani), unfortunately, the goals were not achieved. That area was liberated three and a half years later, in military and police operation Storm. On 28 December 1991 in Gavrinica, a neighbourhood in the town of Pakrac, when new forces from the 2^nd Ivanec Battalion were being brought to the left flank of the 1^st Varaždin Battalion, Ivan Sokač and a group of defenders come across an enemy tank and he is killed together with three Croatian defenders.

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta