August 17, 1990 - The Veterans' Day

The laws which make the veterans in this war equal in status to the fighters in previous wars do not only present the morale boost for going to the front; they also represent a pathetic attempt to give the repeat of the Second World War and another manipulation with the casualties.

The long-term effects of this war will be felt for decades on both personal and family level. They could prove to be even greater since this conflict has very little moral and political justification.

In their attempt to ease the widespread resistance to mobilization and "cut down on the deserters on the front", MP Dragoslav Petrovic (The National Party, Novi Sad) put forth a proposal to the Serbian Parliament to include the veterans of this war in the law concerning the protection of the status of fighters, invalids and war victims. The government and the respective Parliament board gave their consent - with some additional remarks. Petrovic, namely, suggested that the rights of the veterans in this war should be made equal to the Second World War ones; that part of the proposal was lost, while the new one was put forward: the veteran status will be granted to the citizens of Serbia who took part in the conflicts in Yugoslavia after August 17, 1991.

Let us see who will in legal terms be covered by the status of the war veteran in the Republic of Serbia. These are the war veterans from the 1912-1920 wars and the Toplice uprising of 1917; the veterans who participated in the Second World War before January 1, 1944 and the veterans from the armed forces of Yugoslavia who participated in the clashes after August 17, 1990. The definition of war invalid was extended to include the volunteers and the police officers who were injured after that date.

It would be interesting to note that the Veteran's Federation of Serbia has not commented on the above, unlike its Montenegrin counterpart, whose presidency has been the scene of the conflict surrounding this war and its fighters.

Commenting on this proposal, Mr. Dragomir Corovic from the respective Serbian ministry said for VREME that this draft "covers the protection of invalid veterans for the entire republic" and includes the new categories as well. "The federal law, says he, "does not cover the irregulars and other formations". He added that the veterans will get financial benefits provided they do not have sufficient income.

Unlike the situation in Serbia, where the details have not yet been specified, the memory of the Montenegrins was immediately refreshed: when around 35 000 reservists and soldiers learned that they wartime experience is qualified as "military practice" and that wartime pensions have a strange way of reaching the recipients, their ranks were halved. The Montenegrin minister of defence, colonel Bozidar Babic, intercepted further discontent by promising that the time spent at the front will be taken into account: "The fascists have forced us into participating in one of the dirtiest wars ever recorded. This is the reason our fighters will get all the legally provided benefits which accrue to the Second World War veterans", says colonel Babic.

The fighters from Andrijevica are now calling for the changes to be introduced into the statute of the veterans' organization, since it represents "the continuation of the 1941-1945 patriotic liberation war". The fighters from Herzeg-Novi require equal rights for all fighters. The insistent attitude that Montenegro is not in war is of no consequence here, despite the efforts of the Montenegrin president Momir Bulatovic to convince the world in Montenegro's peace-oriented position. But, peace is one thing and a pension another. Everyone is trying to bank on this: at first 31,000 reservists were conscripted along with around 5000 volunteers; the companies under the control of the ruling Socialist Democratic Party and the National Party undertook massive lay-offs of the workers who refuse to go to war; Titograd University offered the privileges for occupying the students' flats, but he gave up after twice as many confirmations came concerning the ones who went to the front than the number of the actually conscripted students; the military funds were depleted after the pay outs to the workers currently at the front, which were based on the company reports, so the military authorities have now started the investigation concerning the issuing of false certificates. Being an orphan of a war veteran orphan is still considered to be important in Montenegro: there are still those who, when applying for a job or a flat, call upon their status, as well as those who are still trying to prove their veteran status. The Montenegrin Veteran Organization already has as many as 23,000 members; the influx of 35,000 would make it the most influential political party in the Republic, which would considerably affect its budget.

In Serbia, where the warrior reputation is rapidly losing popularity, the practical implications gave way to other considerations. The first is typical: will everyone be awarded the wartime certificates? The case in point here is that the number of those who have refused to go to war is approximating the number of the fighters currently in the war. The second is of even greater importance: how come that August 17 1990 was chosen as the Veterans' Day? On that, now historical day, the crowd stormed the arms warehouse of reserve militia, after the announcements of the Croatian police that it needs the arms for its new police ranks.The situation gave cause for grave concern: the Serbian National Council had already been formed, dr Milan Babic (the president of SAO Krajina) had already removed dr Jovan Raskovic (the ideological father of the Krajina's uprising) from the scene.

The pace of history has been quickened though: the younger Knin police inspector and the defence minister of Krajina, Milan Martic did not serve the full term in office. On the celebration of this historical event on August 17 1991 Mr. Martic stated the following: "Today when the Serbs are looking for something more than a territorial autonomy, which many of them considered to be a utopia at first, there is no reason for me not to say that the break-in incident of a year ago was staged". On that occasion minister Martic promised to establish in the near future the control over "Petrinja, Karlovac and Zadar since the people of Krajina and the Army need a big port". "The Army ", pointed Martic, why should we hide it, is with us".

Thus the promotion of the new Veteran's Day on August 17 has taken on a new dimension. In the view of this, the offer of the veteran status to the ones involved in this war has somewhat altered its significance: instead of being an act of recognition and a compensation for the war victims, that status also means an unsuccessful attempt to appease the conscience of the regime. Those veterans went to war guided by their civilian trust in the legal authority; the fact that they did not, as many of their compatriots, question the legitimacy of the war and the role of the government is not something which they should answer for. It is the other way around: the regime which has subjected its loyal citizens to death, invalidity and misery should be held accountable for its actions. That kind of responsibility has no price.

The sad irony of this whole adventure could be unveiled in full very soon, if the Krajina Republic (along with Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srem) really does become an independent and sovereign state in the Balkans.

The history has, once again, repeated itself as a farce the consequences of which, of course, are tragic for the individual. It seems that the whole project is on the verge of disintegration for a very silly reason: for the veteran's status to really pay off, one should win the war first.