US Ambassador Hill marks important historical day - Halyard Mission: "Operation that brought us together"

Photo: Tanjug/Tara Radovanovic

The 78th anniversary of the historic Halyard Mission is being celebrated today in Pranjani near Gornji Milanovac. It was an operation during which more than 500 US and other Allied airmen were successfully evacuated from an improvised airfield. The memory of one of the most successful rescue operations during the Second World War and the friendship between the two nations is cherished by the descendants of the US airmen, and of the Serbians who worked to help them.

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Today, an airfield built as part of a memorial complex reminds of the historical mission in Pranjani. It is located at the exact place from which the planes with the rescued pilots were taking off to Bari, Italy.

About 170 allied pilots were evacuated during the last round of flights from this mountain airfield, while about 500 pilots in all were sheltered in the houses in the village. Serbians and Allied soldiers socialized, and some of the friendships created then lasted forever. In Pranjani at that time, as an elderly man says, it was as if there was no war, because every Sunday everyone gathered and had fun together.

US Ambassador in Serbia Christopher Hill recalled this day when he gave a speech about historical memories that we must not forget, after which he posted a video on Twitter, with a short message:

"Remembering when (we) were allies and thinking of all we could achieve if we let ourselves be inspired by the past."

Remembering when were allies and thinking of all we could achieve if we let ourselves be inspired by the past #HalyardMission78 #StrongerTogether 🇺🇸🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/RtbNlGAinb— Ambassador Christopher R. Hill (@usambserbia) September 23, 2022

(Telegraf.rs)