In the “Halyard – Airlift” operation, carried out by the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland under the command of General Dragoljub Draža Mihailović, more than 500 pilots were rescued, including sixty Allied airmen in Boljanić. Their courage must not be forgotten, it was emphasized tonight on RTRS’s program Aktuelno.
Speaking about the largest operation to rescue American soldiers behind enemy lines in 1944 and 1945, “Airlift,” the president of the Halyard Mission Foundation, John Cappello, highlighted the importance of remembering what the Serbian people did for the Americans.
“From a historical perspective, the Halyard Mission was very important for the American people, but also for the Serbian people, because both showed courage – the pilots who risked their lives in combat operations, and the local population who tried to save them from downed aircraft. The Halyard Mission demonstrated the strong historical ties between Serbs and Americans,” Cappello stressed.
Stephen Smith, a member of the family of a rescued American airman, said he had to come to these areas out of gratitude to the Serbian people for the sacrifice they made while saving his uncle.
“According to my family’s story, after my uncle’s plane was shot down, the local population pulled him out of the wreckage and took him to safety. He was hidden for 30 days. That was extremely brave, because as an officer, he knew that the lives of his rescuers would be in danger if his hiding place was discovered, and he was very worried about that,” Smith explained.
Ranko Ristić, member of the Board of the Halyard Mission Foundation, pointed out that this mission and preserving the culture of remembrance around it are of great importance for relations between the United States and the Serbian people.
“A lot has been done in Republika Srpska to reveal the truth about rescuing American pilots. In Pranjani, a wonderful ceremony was held yesterday with the participation of four American and two Serbian generals. Republika Srpska also has the opportunity, with the help of the Foundation and the RS Government, to establish a memorial center in Boljanić, like the one in Pranjani, and thus raise this story to a higher level,” Ristić emphasized.
He added that he was born near Boljanić and is very proud of his origin, his hometown, and the people of Ozren.
“The public must be aware of the courage of the Serbs in the Halyard Mission and recognize that the Serbian people were good allies. The Halyard Mission showed the strong historical connection between Serbs and Americans,” Ristić concluded.
Source: RTRS
