Every August in the picturesque town of Rožmitál in the Šumava Mountains, not far from Český Krumlov, a group of men who share a special and deep bond gathers. They are soldiers who served in 1995 in what was then Yugoslavia (now Croatia) at the Tango 23 Repetitor observation post, the very place where their friends Luděk Zeman and Petr Valeš tragically lost their lives on August 5, 1995. This memorial gathering, marking the 29th anniversary of their deaths, began on Friday, August 2, and ended on Sunday, August 4.
The Tango 23 observation post was part of a long line of observation and control posts of the UN mission UNCRO between hostile Croatia and the Republic of Serbian Krajina. In 1995, following a relatively long period of calm, Croatia launched Operation Bijesak (Lightning) in May and Operation Oluja (Storm) in August, which drove the Serbs out of Western Slavonia and dismantled the Republic of Serbian Krajina, from which all Serbian residents were expelled. During Operation Oluja, a mortar shell struck an observation post, killing two of our soldiers and wounding three others.
This year, too, the event began with a traditional memorial ceremony at the Rožmitál cemetery by the grave of Petr Valeš, where wreaths were laid and Lieutenant General Jaromír Alan—who commanded the Repetitor unit on that fateful day—addressed those present. This year, the soldiers also welcomed Petr Valeš’s sister and her family among them. The memorial ceremony then continued at the Rožmitál municipal building, on whose wall there is a memorial plaque dedicated to Petr Valeš, beneath which stands a commemorative War Veterans’ Bench bearing his name.
This bench, too, serves as a reminder of one of the promises made by the veterans of Tango 23: that if any of them were to die, the others would erect a bench bearing his name in his memory. This year, they performed this honorable yet somber duty at the St. Otýlie Cemetery in České Budějovice in memory of Jiří Hubáček, who passed away on December 14, 2021. His family was also present for the ceremony.
The three-day gathering of war veterans from Repetitor, as well as the families of the fallen and veterans from other posts and missions, naturally consists not only of an official program but is also filled with informal and friendly conversations and get-togethers over a drink. Mikov is honored that, thanks to the War Veteran Project, its representatives can participate in such events. And especially that the Repetitor knife can serve as a reminder of this tragic yet profound story of our soldiers. Mikov has also produced a documentary film about the entire story, which you can watch here.
The Repetitor veterans are planning a gathering to mark the 30th anniversary of the tragic event. It will take place next year in August, once again in Hodonín, at the grave of Luděk Zeman.