President Milanović Grants Honorary Brigadier General Rank to Colonels Mato Bilonjić and Ilija Rašić
The President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanović reached a decision to grant the honorary rank of brigadier general of the Croatian Armed Forces to Colonel Ilija Rašić and Colonel Mato Bilonjić.
The honorary rank presentation ceremony to colonels Rašić and Biljonić was held today in the Office of the President of the Republic. President Milanović stated on the occasion: “You served the homeland, you fought when times were hardest, you were brothers-in-arms with a common goal. Those things are not forgotten and the more time passes – because of those who weren’t born or were too young – we must highlight those events and constantly talk about them more often now than ten years ago”.
President Milanović added that Croatia’s membership in NATO and the European Union are Croatian goals that have been achieved. “Those are goals that we have achieved. However, they are secondary in relation to what was accomplished in ’91, ’92 until ’95 in which you participated – defending and liberating Croatia. What you have done in the beginning is what we must build on, it has sense in itself, namely the Croatian state and the defence and survival of the Croatian people. I invite you to a dialogue, between yourselves and everyone else who were together when times were most dangerous and most critical to be so in your days of maturity and old age”, President Milanović noted in concluding his address.
Honorary brigadier general of the Croatian Army Ilija Rašić participated in the Homeland War since early October 1991 in the 108th Brigade of the Croatian Army ‘R’ – Slavonski Brod and the Command of the 4th Area of Operations of the Croatian Army in Ston. He was decorated with the Homeland War Memorial Medal, the Homeland Gratitude Memorial Medal, the Order of the Croatian Trefoil, the Order of Ban Jelačić, the Order of the Croatian Interlace and the Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski. He completed the “Ban Josip Jelačić” War College of the Croatian Armed Forces. He is also a major general of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO).
Honorary brigadier general of the Croatian Army Mato Biljonić participated in the Homeland War since early July 1992 in the Command of the 2nd Area of Operations of the Croatian Armed Forces – Đakovo. He was decorated with the Homeland War Memorial Medal, the Order of the Croatian Trefoil, the Order of Ban Jelačić, the Order of the Croatian Cross, the Order of Duke Domagoj with Ribbon, the Homeland Gratitude Memorial Medal, the Order of the Croatian Interlace, the Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski and the Medal for Exceptional Undertakings. He completed the “Blago Zadro“ Command and Staff School. He is also a brigadier general of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO).
Attending the honorary rank presentation ceremony alongside President Milanović were the Head of Personnel of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Brigadier General Ivan Zelić, Special Adviser to the President of the Republic for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Mareković, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Defence Ivica Olujić, the Head of the Military Office of the Cabinet for Defence and National Security Rear Admiral Predrag Stipanović, the Aide-de-camp to the President of the Republic Colonel Vlado Čulina, the Operational Support officer of the Military Office Colonel Ivica Kranjčević and the NCO for IT Support of the Military Office of the Cabinet for Defence and National Security Sergeant Major Hrvoje Krajačić.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta, Marko Beljan