TREBINJE CHILDREN'S VISIT TO CORFU - A BRIDGE BETWEEN ILLUSTRIOUS ANCESTORS AND DESCENDANTS

BELGRADE, AUGUST 19 /SRNA/ - History is best learned in the places where it was made, which is why it is invaluable that children from Trebinje will attend commemorations in September marking the 110th anniversary of the landing of the Serbian army on the Ionian Islands, Nikola Filipović, president of the Association of War Volunteers 1912–1918, told SRNA. He said that the visit of schoolchildren from Trebinje to Corfu would build a bridge between illustrious ancestors and their descendants. "Some 10,000 Serbian volunteers from Herzegovina took part in the fighting on the Salonika Front from 1916 to 1917. I can say with certainty that 90 percent of these children are descendants of Serbian war volunteers, that it was their ancestors who broke through that front. Some of them will probably find one of their own ancestors among those burial mounds," Filipović said. Filipović believes that history lessons held at sites of suffering and glorious victories are invaluable, evoke special emotions, and leave a lasting impression. "It is not the same to have a lesson in a classroom as to have a history lesson on Corfu, at Vido and at Zeitenlik, where you can see and experience everything firsthand. I am sure they will also visit the `Serbian House` in Corfu and hear many kind words from the people of Corfu about their ancestors," Filipović said. Noting that the commemoration of the 110th anniversary of the landing of the Serbian army is planned for September 22–27, Filipović said that the itinerary also includes visits to all Serbian war memorials on Corfu and at Zeitenlik. "They will also visit the cemetery of the Drina Division in Agios Mattheos. They will learn the story of Janis Janulis, a poor Greek farmer and a great friend of Serbia who donated his olive grove so that soldiers and volunteers of the Drina Division could be buried there. We know that the Herzegovinians were part of Duke Vuk's volunteer detachment within that division," Filipović said. He expressed hope that schoolchildren from Serbia would also attend the commemoration of this important anniversary. "This is the first year that children have also been invited. Large numbers of high school students are being organized into school trips, but we hope that younger children will also have the opportunity to attend," Filipović said. Filipović stressed that the association he heads has for years been advocating that graduation trips, which are organized to Western Europe, be replaced with trips that include visits to important sites from Serbian history. During her recent visit to Trebinje, Serbia's Minister of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs Milica Đurđević-Stamenkovski agreed with Mayor Mirko Ćurić that children from the city would take part in the commemoration of the 110th anniversary of the landing of the Serbian army on Corfu. The children will thus have the opportunity to learn firsthand about one of the most significant events in Serbian history and pay tribute to their illustrious ancestors, whose sacrifice laid the foundations for Serbia's freedom and statehood. /end/sas/am/sg