Košare Is Not Forgotten — Monuments, Decorations and Remembrance

The Battle of Košare ended in June 1999, but the memory of it lives on to this day. Through monuments, decorations, commemorations and works of art, the Serbian people preserves the memory of the defenders of the border — so that their sacrifice may not fall into oblivion.

The Monument to the Heroes in Belgrade

The most significant monument dedicated to the defenders of Košare stands in Belgrade, at Savski venac, in the street that bears the name of the hero Milan Tepić. It is the work of the sculptor Miodrag Miša Rogan. The monument depicts three warrior figures from different epochs of Serbian history — a medieval knight, a warrior from the wars of liberation, and a soldier of the Yugoslav Army — bound together by the common idea of defence.

It is significant that all three figures carry only shields, without any weapon of attack — a symbol of the defensive character of the battle. On the monument are carved the names of the fallen defenders of Košare, so that everyone who passes by may read and remember those who gave their lives.

Memorials Across Serbia

The memory of Košare is kept in other places as well. In Belgrade and Niš there are boulevards named after the heroes of Košare. In Niš, on the occasion of the anniversary of the battle, a memorial plaque was also unveiled. In the native places of the fallen heroes — such as Debeljača, Loznica and others — monuments have been raised and streets named, so that local communities may not forget their sons.

Decorations of Units and Individuals

For the heroism shown at Košare and throughout the entire NATO aggression, numerous individuals and units were decorated. The 63rd Paratrooper and 72nd Special brigades received the Order of the People's Hero. Individuals such as Ivan Vasojević, Tibor Cerna and Branislav Negić were posthumously decorated with the Order of Merit in the Field of Defence and Security. Major Dragutin Dimčevski was decorated with the Order of the White Eagle with Swords.

These decorations are a way for the state and the people to officially recognise and immortalise the heroism of the defenders of the border.

Košare in Film and in Documents

The story of Košare has inspired filmmakers as well. Work has been under way on the feature film „Košare", devoted to the battle, though that project has passed through production difficulties and has so far been neither fully completed nor screened. Alongside the feature film, documentary programmes have also been made, such as those broadcast by Radio Television of Serbia on the anniversaries of the battle, in which the participants of the defence themselves bear witness.

Such works help the story of Košare to reach new generations, who learn of the battle from textbooks, but through film and testimony can also feel the human dimension of the heroism.

The Ninth of April — A Day of Remembrance

Every year, on 9 April, on the day the battle began, commemorations are held in memory of the defenders of Košare. Wreaths are laid, commemorative academies are held, and the highest state and military officials pay honour to the fallen. On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary, in 2024, ceremonies were held in Belgrade and other cities.

Košare has also been included in the state calendar of commemorative days, by which its place in official memory is permanently secured.

A Covenant to Future Generations

Monuments of stone and bronze, decorations, films and commemorations — all these are ways of fulfilling one covenant: that the heroes of Košare not be forgotten. The young men who fell on the border of the Fatherland deserve to live in the memory of their people.

As long as their names are spoken, as long as wreaths are laid and stories passed on, Košare will not be forgotten. That is the least we owe to those who gave everything. Lest it be forgotten.