Dražen Živić, PhD, at the ceremonial presentation of the monograph of the 5th Guards Brigade of the Croatian Armed Forces Sokolovi; Vinkovci, 20/03/2026
Dražen Živić, PhD, participated in the ceremonial presentation of the monograph of the 5th Guards Brigade of the Croatian Armed Forces Sokolovi held on 20 March 2026 at the City Library in Vinkovci. The presentation was organized by the Club of War Commanders and Senior Officers Club of the 5th Guards Brigade Sokolovi Veterans Association
As an external associate of the Expert Team for the preparation of the monograph, led by Brigadier Mijo Kožić, Dražen Živić, PhD, wrote two chapters (Domicile Area of the 5th Guards Brigade “Sokolovi” and the Battle of Vukovar in the Defense of the Republic of Croatia), and at the presentation he spoke about the significance of this impressive work published by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia.
In addition to Dražen Živić, PhD, Brigadier Kožić and one of the reviewers, Prof. Krešimir Ćosić, PhD, Deputy War Minister of Defense Gojko Šušak. In front of a packed large hall of the Vinkovci City Library, with more than 200 guests, among whom a special place was taken by the families of the fallen and deceased members of the Brigade, welcoming remarks were made by General (retired) Živko Budimir, the War Chief of Staff of the Brigade, Mayor of Vinkovci Josip Romić, Prefect of Vukovar-Srijem County Ivica Bosančić, General (retired) Žiljko Živanović as the envoy of the Minister of Defense Ivan Anušić, and Tomo Medved, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Croatian Veterans.
Stanko Šarić and TS Sinovi ravnice performed in the musical part of the ceremony. Addressing the audience, Brigadier Mijo Kožić especially thanked the Pilar Institute for its support in the implementation of this major three-year scientific project. The two-hour presentation program was filled with memories and emotions of the Brigade’s glorious war journey from January 1992 to June 1999, as well as the 89 killed and hundreds of wounded members. The brigade was formed from the 204th Brigade of Vukovar Veterans, and its wartime commander was Ivan Kapular, now a retired general. After the presentation of the monograph in Zagreb and Vinkovci, presentations will be held in other Slavonian cities, including Vukovar, which will be organized by the Vukovar Regional Center.
