Josip keeps the cap from the Storm, he was among the 11 magnificent: 'I fight to keep the tears from moving'

On August 5, 1995, Croatian defenders raised a 20-meter-long flag atop Knin Fortress, marking the liberation of the town and signaling the end of a multi-year Serbian rebellion during Croatia's Homeland War. The operation, known as Oluja, began on August 4 and lasted 85 hours, fundamentally altering the course of the war, securing peace, enabling the return of displaced citizens, and paving the way for the Dayton Agreement. This year marks the 31st anniversary of this pivotal military operation, with ceremonies planned to honor its legacy and the sacrifices made during it. The raising of the Croatian flag on Knin Fortress has long been recognized as one of the most iconic symbols of victory in the Homeland War. It became central to national commemorations of Victory Day and Homeland Gratitude Day. On that day in 1995, members of the 7th Guards Brigade “Puma” from Varazdin, under the command of General Ivan Korada, climbed the fortress walls between 9:30 and 10 am to remove the Serbian flag from the mast. Among the first to ascend were soldiers Jasmin Hadzic, Mario Bilac, and Eduard Baltic. Due to mechanical issues, the large Croatian flag could not be hoisted immediately and was instead unfurled over the fortress walls before being placed on the mast. The following day, it greeted Croatia’s first president, Franjo Tudjman, upon his arrival in liberated Knin. The original flag raised in 1995 is currently preserved at the Croatian Memorial and Documentation Centre for the Homeland War in Zagreb. This year, the ceremony will include the playing of the Croatian anthem, followed by the ringing of church bells in Knin. A formal parade will follow, culminating in a main event at the stadium of NK Dinara, where attendees will watch the flag-raising via video link. The program includes speeches from political leaders, a recitation of the history of Operation Oluja, and the reading of names of fallen and missing Croatian defenders. At Knin Fortress, 245 cadets from the Croatian Army and students from the Police Academy will gather in memory of those who died or went missing during Oluja. This will be followed by displays of military capabilities by the Croatian army and police, as well as an aerial demonstration by the Croatian Air Force. The conflict in Knin dates back to the so-called Balvan Revolution in August 1990, when rebellious Serbs erected barricades against the newly elected Croatian government after the country’s first multi-party elections. By 1991, this uprising had escalated into open armed conflict, supported by the Yugoslav People’s Army. Knin became the political and military center of the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina. The Croatian population was expelled from the city, which remained outside the constitutional framework of the Republic of Croatia until its liberation during Oluja on August 5, 1995. Operation Oluja began on August 4 with an attack by Croatian forces along a front stretching nearly 600 kilometers. Knin was liberated the following day, and much of the territory previously occupied by Croatia was returned to its constitutional order. Due to its strategic and symbolic significance, the liberation of Knin marked a turning point in Oluja. The process of territorial completeness for the state was completed through peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Slavonia region in 1998. The operation involved nearly 200,000 members of the Croatian Army and police. Twenty-four-three Croatian defenders lost their lives, 1,430 were wounded, and two remain missing. In addition to the ceremonies in Knin, the commemoration of the 31st anniversary of Oluja included events in Ljubovo, where some of the fiercest battles of the operation took place. The program was organized jointly by the Ministry of Defense, the Lisac-Senj County, the City of Gospić, and associations related to the Homeland War. At the monument “Winner” on Ljubovo, two memorial plaques were unveiled honoring fallen members of the Special Police Unit of the Ministry of the Interior and the 1st Guards Brigade “Tigers.” These were unveiled by participants of the Oluja Veterans Association and representatives from various organizations. A plaque honoring fallen members of the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces from Slovakia was unveiled by the mother of a deceased Slovak UN soldier and the president of the Association of War Veterans of the Slovak Republic. A special medal titled “They Served Peace” was awarded to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, Tomislav Medved, among others. Participants included family members of fallen defenders, representatives from the Croatian Parliament and Government, officials from the Lisac-Senj County, the City of Gospić, and other local authorities. They paid tribute to fallen defenders by laying wreaths and lighting candles at monuments dedicated to Croatian defenders and civilian victims of the Homeland War. A mass was held for all fallen, missing, and deceased Croatian defenders, followed by a communal gathering in Kolakovac Park, where meals and entertainment were arranged for defenders, their families, and citizens. Among those participating in the flag-raising ceremony was Josip Adzic, a veteran of the 4th Guards Brigade and the 72nd Company of the Military Police, and a Croatian war invalid from the Homeland War. Reflecting on the moment he held the flag raised on Knin Fortress, he described it as one of the most emotional moments of his life. Despite efforts to hold back tears, he acknowledged the deep emotions stirred by memories of fallen comrades. He recalled the start of the operation, noting how the battle lines stretched 700 kilometers and how the news of Knin’s liberation reached his unit in Benkovci. He remembered the anticipation before major operations, including the distribution of cigarettes and supplies to soldiers. The artillery fire at dawn marked the beginning of the offensive, and the events of that time remain vivid even three decades later.