Minister Vulin: It is a compliment to the state and the army to have three brothers becoming officers

It is hard to find a greater compliment to an army and a state than to have three brothers, triplets, preparing to become officers, to share their life, love for their homeland and all that makes life great and valuable – Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin said as he spoke today with three brothers, cadets of the Military Academy – Đorđe, Nikola and Aleksa Racković.
 The occasion for today’s reception is the success of cadet Đorđe Racković, who is this year’s winner of the swimming race for the Theophany Cross on the Sava Lake. The runner-up who reached the Honourable Cross was Nikola, and Aleksa cheered both brothers on from the audience.
 
- I wish to thank their family, their parents, in the first place, for giving us these guys and to share with Serbia the pride that as long as we have such youth, as long as we have such men, we will be safe and free – Minister Vulin said, emphasising that “the Serbian Armed Forces is the guardian of the traditional values that have made our nation great, historic and worth repeating” and that “when cadets and members of the Serbian Armed Forces swim for the Precious Cross, they swim for their country, their army and their people”.
 
Overjoyed that he was the first to reach the Holy Cross on the Sava Lake, cadet Nikola Racković modestly points out that the winners were all who swam on the day of Theophany for the cross. This is the first time that he has been swimming for the Holy Cross, though he has followed the event for years and listened to the experiences of his brother Nikola, to whom this was the second Theophany swimming race. Both Đorđe and Nikola point out that in the competition of 57 swimmers, it was not easy to reach the Precious Cross first, but the fact that they swam side by side meant a lot to them, as well as the support of the third brother Aleksa and their parents, who were among the audience. Aleksa points out that he was proud of his brothers and that their success made him as happy as if it were his own.
 
The Racković brothers were born in 1998, and they opted for the military career even before they enrolled in the Military High School. All the three agree that they were attracted to the officer’s career because of the rich Serbian history, love for the fatherland and shared interests in the military, as well as that their parents supported them in their pursuit of a professional career as officers of the Serbian Armed Forces.
 The three brothers are now in the third year of the Military Academy, Đorđe and Nikola choosing the course of the artillery-missile units for anti-aircraft operations, while Aleksa opted for studies in the course of armoured units. As they say, they are very satisfied with the conditions for studying at the Military Academy and with the classes they attend.
 
It was not easy to leave home at the age of 15 and enter a serious world, the Racković brothers recall, but stressing that being in the boarding school of the Military High School together in the same room helped them feel at home. They say they still share experiences with each other, about studying on modules they attend, training activities, experiences.
 
At today’s reception, attended by Lieutenant General Goran Radovanović, PhD, Rector of the University of Defence, and Major General Bojan Zrnić, Commandant of the Military Academy, Minister Vulin awarded cadets Đorđe, Nikola and Aleksa Racković with a seven-day stay with one more person at the facilities of the Tara Military Establishment.