20th anniversary of fallen airmen held in Sinj

20th anniversary of the death of Croatian defenders Branko Fridel, Boris Kekez, Davor Šabić, Mladen Škalica and Bojan Vojvoda, members of the Independent Air Force Platoon Split, who tragically died in an AN-2 plane crash in Šimca near Sinj, was commemorated today in Sinj.

On behalf of the MOD and Armed Forces a tribute was paid by the Commander of the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence, Brigadier General Dražen Šćuri, and the commemoration was attended by families of deceased war veterans, friends and commanders, and the delegations of 93rd Air Force Base, the Guards Motorised Brigade, the Split-Dalmatia County, Split, Sinj, and representatives of the Ministry of Interior and the Association of Homeland War of Split-Dalmatia County.

General Šćuri expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the fallen aviators, and said that their enthusiasm, patriotism and courage were key drivers in the creation and development of the first units of the Air Force and Air Defence. “Sinj has thus become the cradle of the first Air Force units resulting in Dalmatia, which at one time was part of the 4th Guards Brigade, and later its members contributed through the Air Force units from Divulje”, General Šćuri said.