{"id":22429,"date":"2023-03-24T15:31:44","date_gmt":"2023-03-24T14:31:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/?post_type=news&p=22429"},"modified":"2023-03-24T15:31:46","modified_gmt":"2023-03-24T14:31:46","slug":"president-milanovic-grants-honorary-brigadier-general-rank-to-colonels-mato-bilonjic-and-ilija-rasic","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/en\/news\/president-milanovic-grants-honorary-brigadier-general-rank-to-colonels-mato-bilonjic-and-ilija-rasic\/","title":{"rendered":"President Milanovi\u0107 Grants Honorary Brigadier General Rank to Colonels Mato Bilonji\u0107 and Ilija Ra\u0161i\u0107"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanovi\u0107 reached a decision to grant the honorary rank of brigadier general of the Croatian Armed Forces to Colonel Ilija Ra\u0161i\u0107 and Colonel Mato Bilonji\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The honorary rank presentation ceremony to colonels Ra\u0161i\u0107 and Biljoni\u0107 was held today in the Office of the President of the Republic. President Milanovi\u0107 stated on the occasion: \u201cYou 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 \u2013 because of those who weren\u2019t born or were too young \u2013 we must highlight those events and constantly talk about them more often now than ten years ago\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Milanovi\u0107 added that Croatia\u2019s membership in NATO and the European Union are Croatian goals that have been achieved. \u201cThose are goals that we have achieved. However, they are secondary in relation to what was accomplished in \u201991, \u201992 until \u201995 in which you participated \u2013 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\u201d, President Milanovi\u0107 noted in concluding his address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honorary brigadier general of the Croatian Army Ilija Ra\u0161i\u0107 participated in the Homeland War since early October 1991 in the 108th<\/sup> Brigade of the Croatian Army \u2018R\u2019 \u2013 Slavonski Brod and the Command of the 4th<\/sup> 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 Jela\u010di\u0107, the Order of the Croatian Interlace and the Order of Nikola \u0160ubi\u0107 Zrinski. He completed the \u201cBan Josip Jela\u010di\u0107\u201d War College of the Croatian Armed Forces. He is also a major general of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honorary brigadier general of the Croatian Army Mato Biljoni\u0107 participated in the Homeland War since early July 1992 in the Command of the 2nd<\/sup> Area of Operations of the Croatian Armed Forces \u2013 \u0110akovo. He was decorated with the Homeland War Memorial Medal, the Order of the Croatian Trefoil, the Order of Ban Jela\u010di\u0107, 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 \u0160ubi\u0107 Zrinski and the Medal for Exceptional Undertakings. He completed the \u201cBlago Zadro\u201c Command and Staff School. He is also a brigadier general of the Croatian Defence Council (HVO).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Attending the honorary rank presentation ceremony alongside President Milanovi\u0107 were the Head of Personnel of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Brigadier General Ivan Zeli\u0107, Special Adviser to the President of the Republic for Homeland War Veterans Marijan Marekovi\u0107, Adviser to the President of the Republic for Defence Ivica Oluji\u0107, the Head of the Military Office of the Cabinet for Defence and National Security Rear Admiral Predrag Stipanovi\u0107, the Aide-de-camp to the President of the Republic Colonel Vlado \u010culina, the Operational Support officer of the Military Office Colonel Ivica Kranj\u010devi\u0107 and the NCO for IT Support of the Military Office of the Cabinet for Defence and National Security Sergeant Major Hrvoje Kraja\u010di\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia \/ Tomislav Bu\u0161ljeta, Marko Beljan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The President of the Republic and Commander in Chief of the Croatian Armed Forces Zoran Milanovi\u0107 reached a decision to grant the honorary rank of brigadier general of the Croatian Armed Forces to Colonel Ilija Ra\u0161i\u0107 and Colonel Mato Bilonji\u0107.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":22425,"template":"","news-cat":[12],"class_list":["post-22429","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-cat-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPresident Milanovi\u0107 Grants Honorary Brigadier General Rank to Colonels Mato Bilonji\u0107 and Ilija Ra\u0161i\u0107 - President of the Republic of Croatia - Zoran Milanovi\u0107<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/en\/news\/president-milanovic-grants-honorary-brigadier-general-rank-to-colonels-mato-bilonjic-and-ilija-rasic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"President Milanovi\u0107 Grants Honorary Brigadier General Rank to Colonels Mato Bilonji\u0107 and Ilija Ra\u0161i\u0107 - 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