The most painful pictures of the bombing: I fought with tears on the exhibit of NATO crimes from 1999, I will never forgive them (PHOTO)
Everything is there, except those who sacrificed their lives for this country and us
- What is this? Where is grandpa?
- Oh my, oh my... Grandpa died. Why grandpa, why... Why?
I am looking at the screen over and over again which shows an older man lying in a big pool of blood, while his family is standing next to him and crying. He died from a cluster bomb in 1999, in Nis. Cluster bombs were banned even then by all international war conventions, but NATO threw them and they murdered civilians.
The footage goes on and on and the air in the room becomes heavier. This is the second room that I am going to since I came to the exhibit "Defence 78" in the Museum of Belgrade, and I already feel that I will cry any moment now. The announcements from the Ministry of defense were true - this is one of the most devastating bombing exhibit of 1999.
Everything is there, except those who sacrificed their lives for this country and us. There are soldier uniforms, someone wore them for the first time that year, while they were serving their military service, and then they were sent to war. There is a German unmanned aircraft which was taken down on May 16th by our defense. There is a letter on the wall sent by Albanian terrorists from KLA where they butcher Serbian civilians. And right next to it a picture.
There is music in the back, it is not pathetic or sad, it just helps to clear the silence which would make the meeting with the truth even more difficult.
I am entering the room with the belongings of Milenko Pavlovic, commander of 204 hunting aviation squad. He is the hero who approached the plane with the younger pilot and he took him out saying "You children, you won't go to die, I will". He dragged the younger colleague and he took off from his birthplace. The radar showed around a hundred enemy goals and Pavlovic on the other side - alone! That was his last flight.
In the other room, there were photos and the names of dead heroes from Kosar. The lyrics could be heard.
"From this fight mother, there is no return,
Whoever guards Kosare, knows the evil is coming.
I won't return home alive mother,
Light a candle for me now in the church."
108 of them never returned home.
It is no surprise that the last room in the exhibit is the one that hurts the most. There is a replica of the tree with framed pictures of dead children and young people, and in the corner, as a symbol of suffering, there is a picture of Milica Rakic. She died on this day. She was getting ready to go to sleep so her mother put her on the potty to make her bed.
There was an explosion, glass was shattered, tiles and facade, everything flew away! Little Milica was lying down in a pool of blood. Her father took her to the hospital because he couldn't accept that. Then, the doctors told him it was the end.
This exhibit is not for minors, but it should be obligatory for all others. It is open every day from 10 to 19, except Monday. Muster the courage and a bit of will, to honor those who are gone and who mustn't be forgotten.
NOTE: We haven't published a lot of photos since they are very disturbing.
VIDEO: Mother of the hero from Kosare reveals who and how they killed Tibor Cerna
(Telegraf.co.uk / M. Leskovac)