Members of the Vukovi Motorised Battalion concluded their four-week integration training with a demanding 28-kilometre march from Gospić to Ljubovo. Neither strong winds nor downpours stopped them on the route from the "9th Guards Brigade Vukovi" barracks to the "Pobjednik" monument.
The march was held to mark the 34th anniversary of the founding of the 9th Guards Brigade Vukovi and the 19th anniversary of the founding of the Vukovi Motorised Battalion, and was also dedicated to the memory of 56 fallen brigade members. The Ljubovo mountain pass holds a special place in the war history of Lika — during the Homeland War, it was one of the important enemy strongholds, and its capture was among the key tasks of the 9th Guards Brigade Vukovi during the military-police operation Storm in 1995.
In the Gospić assembly area, 65 Croatian defenders were killed. In their honour, a three-metre-high "Pobjednik" monument was erected at Ljubovo, depicting a Croatian soldier planting a flag in liberated Croatian land.
For the new members of the Vukovi, arriving at Ljubovo also marked the end of the four-week integration training, during which they acquired basic military skills, developed team spirit and prepared for future tasks. During the training, they practised a series of military and tactical procedures, including unit alert, occupation of a patrol base, reconnaissance and setting up ambushes.
The battalion's first non-commissioned officer, staff sergeant Ivica Perajić, emphasised that future commanders must be capable of reacting, leading people and being an example to them. "When they become commanders, they must know how to react and lead their people. They must be first and motivators for their people in carrying out tasks," Perajić said. He added that the soldiers, despite poor weather conditions, showed high motivation and covered all 28 kilometres while singing.
Among the members who completed the training is Kristofer Roce from Sutivanac near Pazin, who had wanted a military career since childhood. During the training, he particularly developed his ability to react in unpredictable situations. For Antonijo Mesarić from Sukošan, the military calling is linked to family tradition — his father was a Croatian defender and a member of the former 9th Guards Brigade Vukovi, which gave his arrival at Ljubovo special significance.
With the final march, the new members of the Vukovi concluded their integration training, paid tribute to the fallen Croatian defenders and continued the tradition of a unit strongly linked to Gospić and Lika.
