Garic: The Battle of Pastrik symbolizes heroism – we stood up to the strongest military force of the 21st century

Dejan Garic, a member of the military police company of the 549th Brigade, told Kosovo Online that the Battle of Pastrik symbolizes the heroism, honor, and bravery of all members of the 549th Motorized Brigade, because they stood up to the strongest armed force of the 21st century and prevented a ground invasion of the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

“The Battle of Pastrik symbolizes heroism, honor, and bravery, where the 549th Motorized Brigade stood face-to-face with the strongest force of the 21st century. Young men who were serving their military duty at the time, who had been forged in 1998 and early 1999, prevented a ground invasion of our country and stopped not only Albanian terrorists but also the NATO pact. Until the signing of the Kumanovo Agreement, not a single meter was ceded, nor was the enemy allowed to advance, despite every possible pressure applied through the use of strategic aviation as well. They did not succeed,” Garic said.

Garic was part of the units that, on the first day of the battle, reached the very border with Albania near the Gorozup outpost and defended it until June 16, when the Military-Technical Agreement was signed in Kumanovo.

He admits that even after 26 years, he remembers every moment.

“I remember every night, every cry, every fellow soldier who was wounded, who was killed. We mourn the fellow soldiers who are no longer with us, who gave their lives for the defense of the homeland, and those who were left disabled. We try, in every possible way, whether fortunately or unfortunately, we who survived, to help them as much as we can,” Garic said.

He emphasized that, together with his fellow soldiers and through the activities of the association “Heroic 549th Motorized Brigade – Dusan the Mighty,” they continuously visit the families of the fallen.

“Those are heavy moments, even after 26 years. On one hand, there is deep sorrow and grief for them, but on the other, there is also a sense of joy, when we visit the families, you can see in their eyes that they are glad to see us, that those fellow soldiers are not forgotten. As long as we are alive, they are alive too,” Garic said.

Describing the day-and-night battles on Pastrik, Garic said the best way to illustrate it is by recalling what he saw when his unit received the order to withdraw.

“I remember the day we arrived by vehicle, May 26, in the village of Planeja. Pastrik is a beautiful mountain, forested, with huge trees, four-story houses, and hamlets stretching all the way to Gorozup... And when we passed through there, all of that was still standing. But the image on the day we withdrew from Pastrik – there was nothing left. Those hamlets, the four-story houses, were reduced to bricks stacked on bricks. The trees were gone. Everything was scorched, burned,” Garic said.