The anniversaries of “Gromovi” Brigade and Battalion
The 28th anniversary of the establishment of the legendary 2nd Guards Brigade”Gromovi” and the 12thanniversary of its successor -the 2nd Mechanised Battalion “Gromovi” of the Guards Mechanised Brigade of the Croatian Army were marked in Krapina on 15 May 2019.
The marking events were attended by the former and present members , by the Envoy of the President of the Republic Ante Deur, by the Envoy of the Prime Minister ty, the envoy of the President of the Republic of Croatia Ante Deur, by Minister of the Homeland War Veterans Tomo Medved as the Envoy of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia m, by the Envoy of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Žarko Tušek, by the State Secretary for Defence Zdravko Jakop as Envoy of the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, by the Chief of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces General Mirko Šundov, by the representatives of the associations from the Homeland War, by the representatives of the Ministry of Defence and of the Croatian Armed Forces, of the Ministry of the Interior, of the local government, by the wartime commanders of the units of the Croatian Army and others.
The visitors viewed the weapons and equipment id the Croatian Armed Forces on a static display in the centre of Krapina, and respects were paid at central cross in the cemetery of Krapina to the fallen, deceased and missing members of the Brigade.
A formal ceremony in the Open University in Krapina was held, featuring a war history of the Brigade, two short documentaries and the presentation of decorations to the distinguished members of the “Gromovi” Brigade, and the inauguration of the postage stamp honouring to the Brigade.
In his address the Envoy of the President of the Republic Ante Deur said that the values of patriotism and unity displayed by the 2nd Brigade during the war were crucial for the modern-day Croatia too. “The young members of today’s Battalion “Gromovi” who are with us today have displayed the same strength of the Croatian Amred Forces as their predecessors did.
“This is a n important date, we are proudly marking,” said the Homeland Veterans Minister Tomo Medved, who recalled that the Brigade fulfilled its tasks in the hardest times and in the liberating operations of 1995.
The future rests on the Homeland War and the sacrifice of the Croatian defenders”, said the Minister, who also emphasised that the wartime history of the 2nd Brigade should be the example of service for the members of the successor “Gromovi” Battalion.
The State Secretary for Defence Zdravko Jakop in his address stressed that the members of the “Gromovi” Brigade should be proud of their war history, courage and devotion, of their glorious victories and of the brave fellow combatants, who sacrified their lives for a free country and its Army.
The State Secretary for Defence also said that the members themswere the decisive element in the Homeland War, that they made the difference and constituted the main segment of the present day’s defence system.
The Chief of General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces General Mirko Šundov stated that the Brigade “Gromovi” and other guards brigades and other Army and police units were the backbone of the defence and of the victory, and that their strength lied in the combatants, who displayed courage audacity and defiance.
The addresses were delivered by the Envoy of the Speaker of the Croatian Parliament Speaker Žarko Tušek, the Prefect of the Krapina-Zagorje County and the Mayor of Krapina Zoran Gregurović, who congratulated the „”Gromovi” on their anniversaries and extended gratitude for their during the Homeland War. They also praised the ceremony taking place in Zagorje, where many of the members of the Brigade and other warrtime and successor unit came from.
The ceremony was followed by a memorial mass for the fallen, deceased and missing defenders, recited in the Church of St. Nicholas in Krapina.