INITIATIVE Let us find a day to mark our 'Air Bridge' and our heavenly heroes

Written by: Pilot Izudin Maleškić, retired Brigadier of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Today, there is almost no one who has not heard or read at least something about the Berlin Airlift, an operation that was a symbol of life in a time from a slightly more distant past. An operation that at the time meant salvation and hope for the survival of an entire city and its citizens. Immediately after the end of World War II, due to the blockade of the city by the USSR, almost everything needed for the life of a city was delivered via this airlift, from powdered milk to coal and construction materials. Planes landed literally one after another. And the city survived.

Today, and it all happened not so long ago, it is almost falling into oblivion. Another airlift is falling into oblivion, an operation of our air force and our Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, from our more recent past. This airlift again delivered almost all vital necessities and everything else necessary for the survival of our cities in the enclaves of eastern and western Bosnia and Herzegovina.

For Srebrenica, Žepa, Goražde and Bihać, the helicopters and planes of the Air Force of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina were the only hope and salvation. In addition to these flights, thousands of other flights were made in support of the infantry units of the ARBiH. Yet these flights to the enclaves had another dimension, a humanitarian and empathetic one.

Unfortunately, such flights and in such circumstances could not pass without human casualties. The first victim in the operation of delivering aid to the population of the Bihać region by air was pilot Samir Beganović from Cazin. Flights were conducted in all weather conditions, day and night. They flew until May 7, 1995, when in a single flight to Žepa, 12 lives were extinguished, the lives of the entire helicopter crew and nine passengers. That was the date after which there were no more flights to Srebrenica, Žepa and Goražde. A little later, the genocide in Srebrenica placed a bloody seal on the entire tragedy of this part of the country.

Unfortunately, the memory of that time and the people, as well as the overall contribution of the air force in the defense of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina against aggression, is today reduced to mere remembrance by relatives and a handful of colleagues. Everything begins and ends with the simple laying of flowers on the graves of the fallen crew members every May 7 in the areas of Tuzla and Živinice. There is also the marking of the date of the formation of the Bihać Air Group, May 18.

Admittedly, this commemoration in Bihać is still carried out in somewhat larger numbers, and it all ends with a gathering of former members of the Bihać Air Group.

Unfortunately, this separate commemoration today has the consequence that few outside the Una-Sana Canton have heard of Samir Beganović, the first pilot who embedded his life in the foundations of this state, or that anyone outside the Tuzla Canton has heard of Džemal Malkić, Enver Čokić or Izet Džambić, members of the crew of the helicopter shot down in Žepa.

Today, when every question must pass through institutions, whether through city councils, cantonal assemblies or the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, then let this text be an initial spark, a starting point or a professional challenge for councilors or deputies to initiate a proposal for determining a common date, e.g., the Day of the Air Bridge, whose observance would pay tribute to both fallen and living aviators and thus preserve from oblivion their overall contribution to the defense of the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

We do not have such a date today, at least not a date that would mark the contribution of the ARBiH air force in sustaining the lives of citizens and cities in the besieged enclaves. The younger generations of this state must hear the names of those who gave their lives, whether in the east, west or some other part of the country. They must also hear about the contribution of those still alive, the wartime commanders, such as Bešić Mevludin, Mustafa Kahrić, Jakub Siočić and other names that are engraved in golden letters in the pilots' guild, like Mujo Mušić, Hidajim Gazibegović and others.

The air force units, as an integral part of the ARBiH, unlike the corps, operated across the entire territory of the state and therefore it is very important that such a common date prevents the diminishment of their overall contribution. Partial commemoration, such as we have today on a few local levels, will certainly lead one day, whether we want it or not, to the extinguishing of the memory of that time and those people.

By extinguishing the memory of that time, a part of our past and history is also extinguished. And those who forget their history are bound to repeat it.