The 35th anniversary of the death of 19 Croatian defenders was marked in Gornja Obrijež. The commemoration was held at the memorial chapel in the village, and was jointly organised by the Croatian Officers' Corps Pakrac-Lipje and the Municipality of Pakrac.
Nineteen Croatian defenders laid down their lives on 6 October 1991. The commemoration paid tribute to those who fell on one of the most difficult days on the Pakrac-Lipje front.
The lives lost were: Ivica Baschiera, Aco Bartoluci, Marijan Divjak, Dalibor Duchač, Goran Feltrin, Ivica Feltrin, Josip Feltrin, Stjepan Feltrin, Đuro Harambasi, Ivica Hrgar, Stevo Hrgar, Željko Jurić, Marijan Krejci, Tomislav Kuhar, Zdravko Mance, Stjepan Mes, Svetomir Merkle, Stjepan Širac and Drago Živančev. The autumn battles in Batinjani and Gornja Obrijež marked a historical turning point after which Croatian forces took the initiative in the area.
Following the laying of wreaths and the lighting of candles, participant Stipan Grgić recalled the 'bloody Sunday'. He spoke of the courage of the volunteers who, without hesitation, went to help the surrounded comrades. The mayor of Pakrac, Tomislav Novinc, addressed the assembled secondary school students from Varaždin. He highlighted the historical survival of the Croatian people in the area and the importance of passing on the truth about the Homeland War to younger generations.
The representative of the Prime Minister's Office and the Požega-Slavonia County, Antonia Jožić, recalled the constant duty of care towards the veteran population. 'We are obliged to remember their sacrifice and we are obliged to speak the truth about the defensive war that was imposed on us. It was in the unity of the 1990s that Croatia was defended and built,' said Jožić. She highlighted the function of the Veterans' Centre in Pakrac, the first such facility in Croatia designed for the permanent accommodation of veterans.
The Member of Parliament and representative of the Croatian Parliament, Anamaria Blažević, expressed her pride that the local community still lives with the heroes whose courage made today's freedom possible. The commemorative programme was enhanced by the vocal group 'Aoida'. At the end of the protocol, the funeral mass was celebrated by the Reverend Oliver Kranjčić.
