Kenan Kolašinac, Golden Lily: We went at tanks with rifles, the fight for the homeland was stronger than anything

Interview by Amra Vrabac

The aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina began in the spring of 1992. With the organization and bravery of patriots, the defense of Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina against the enemy began. The Battle for Sarajevo was key. From June of that year, some of the most significant actions to liberate territory around Sarajevo took place, which, from this distance in time, certainly turned the tide of the war by preventing Sarajevo from falling into the hands of the aggressor.

The bravery of the young men in jeans and sneakers in 1992, mostly without any military training or experience with weapons, will be recorded in the historical facts of this country.

Unfortunately, many lost their lives defending the country, and the white gravestones and cemeteries are a permanent reminder of the best sons and heroes of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

One of those whose bravery and incredible feats are still talked about today is Kenan Kolašinac, recipient of the highest wartime recognition, the Golden Lily. He was awarded it in 1995, before the end of the aggression.

The war found him in his neighborhood in Boljakov Potok. Without hesitation, he joined the Territorial Defense at just 19 years old, and then the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina after its formation. He was a soldier, a saboteur, and then a company commander within the 2nd Knightly Brigade of the First Corps of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

As he says, he had never handled a weapon before.

"All that mattered to me was defending the country, making myself available. Above my settlements of Buća Potok and Boljakov Potok is Žuč. We looked for the best rifles we could get and went into action," Kolašinac tells Patria.

During the conversation, he lists his comrades, neighbors from the street who stayed in Sarajevo during that war year of 1992 and joined the defense. He still lives in the same street in the same family house. He remained in the army until 2002, when he retired with the rank of captain. He is still professionally active and employed in a private company in Sarajevo.

A few years ago, at the urging of friends and comrades, he became politically active and is currently a councilor in the Municipal Council of Novi Grad. As he says, he won't live off politics, but he wants to provide asphalt to the houses of his neighbors in his neighborhood, a sewage system, and, most importantly, what he can achieve at this local level, greater rights for the fighters of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many of them are forgotten, living difficult lives, but Kolašinac is one of those people who still lists his comrades by name and surname, does not forget their merits, even though he was a commander and saboteur who went where others did not.

"I received the Golden Lily based on my soldiers and that unit. By chance, I was the commander," says Kolašinac, who enjoys great respect among the veteran population. But for Kolašinac, it is mutual, and they are all, as he says, his brothers.

One of the key actions was on June 8, 1992, when a part of the Žuč hill was liberated. Battles for Vis, Mijatovića Kosa, Treskavica, Dujmovska brda, and Stup followed.

In the battle for Mijatovića Kosa, commander Safet Isović was killed while trying to help the saboteurs. Of the 24 fighters who participated in the action, only five survived without injuries. Two were killed, and the rest were seriously or lightly wounded. What he particularly emphasizes is that they never left their comrades behind, they pulled out all the wounded and dead to bury them with dignity. Hero Safet Zajko was later killed at Mijatovića Kosa.

He says that only now, when he has his own children, does he understand how his father felt waiting for him at the doorstep upon his return from actions. Every action was a matter of life or death.

"I returned home, and my father was waiting for me at the door. He knew what those battles were like, and he had been on the front lines. Only now, as a parent myself, do I know how he felt. They knew there was an action that day, and I rarely came home. That Mijatovića Kosa cost us a lot," says Kolašinac.

One of the battles aimed at eliminating an armored unit of the aggressor took place at the end of October 1994, at Dujmovska brda. The action was carried out tactically, but due to the unpredictable mountainous terrain where conditions are far harsher and more difficult, everything could have easily gone wrong.

"We had the task of going directly at the tanks, and we did," Kolašinac recalls those days.

It was one of the most successful actions in which 5 T-55 tanks, 6 armored personnel carriers, 4 trucks, and a bus were captured.

He still remembers the day he met the President of the Presidency of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alija Izetbegović. Stup had fallen, and the commander called him to come to him.

“The President heard that Stup had fallen and came to Fikret to ask if there was anyone who could retake it? When I entered that room, I remember, the President asked: 'Did you have anyone older?' He asked me how old I was, what my duty was. I already had the Golden Lily, the rank of captain. He asked me how many men I had, I said 112. And I told him, I will retake it, Mr. President," says Kolašinac.

In the action he carried out with his comrades, he managed to retake that area, but after some time, the Chetniks inflicted losses on the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who were guarding that line, with tank fire.

For one of the actions, they were awarded 50 KM

True heroes are among us, and with their contribution to the defense of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the aggressor, they have obliged us to remember and mention them every day, not just on specific dates and anniversaries.