September 5, 2008
Embassy of the United States of America
Belgrade

Ohio National Guardsmen Visit Serbia

On September 6, 41 members of the Ohio National Guard participating in the U.S. - Serbia State Partnership Program will arrive in Serbia on an Ohio Air National Guard aircraft. The Ohio delegation includes members of the Ohio National Guard Joint Force Headquarters, the Ohio Air National Guard, and Senior Non Commissioned Officers from the Ohio Army and Air National Guard. The Guardsman will meet their counterparts from the Serbian Armed Forces and will participate in joint activities, including an exercise that simulates the support by military forces to a municipality following a natural disaster, over the next week. The joint exchanges will provide the opportunity to share information between personnel of the Serbian military and the Ohio National Guard and to develop future opportunities for ongoing State Partnership Program activities.

On September 7th, the delegation will have the honor to commemorate the historical military cooperation between the U.S. and Serbia during World War II and visit the village of Pranjani, the location of the Halyard Mission. U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Cameron Munter will also accompany the delegation.

Journalists interested in covering this event are kindly requested to be in Pranjani at 1300 on Sunday, September 7th, and to contact Marina Sokovic, Media Assistant, at 065-336-2180.

Operation Halyard: During the summer of 1944 approximately 1, 000 U.S. airmen bailed out over German-occupied Yugoslavia, a significant number of them landing in Serbia. In a series of daylight and night airlifts, a team made up of troops of General Mihailovic's Royal Yugoslav Army in the Homeland and the Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.) evacuated over 300 U.S. airmen from the village of Pranjani. The rescue of the U.S. airmen involved small unit actions against German troops and put at risk entire Serb villages that sheltered the U.S. personnel. U.S. airmen bear testimony to the significant sacrifices of local Serb villagers who fed, cared for and protected them, in some cases up to six months. The Halyard Mission is considered one of the greatest rescues of American airmen from behind enemy lines in the history of warfare.

Traditional warm welcome to honor the Ohio National Guardsmen

Tradicionalna srdačna dobrodošlica u čast pripadnika Nacionalne garde Ohaja

Ambassador Munter and Dragan Vidakovic from Pranjani, whose house was served as headquarters during Halyard Mission, welcoming the Ohio National Guardsmen

Ambassador Munter i Dragan Vidaković iz Pranjana u čijoj kući je bio smešten glavni štab Operacije Halijard, podravljaju pripadnike Nacionalne garde Ohaja

Ambassador Munter and Dragan Vidakovic from Pranjani, whose house served as headquarters during Halyard Mission, welcoming the Ohio National Guardsmen

Ambassador Munter i Dragan Vidaković iz Pranjana u čijoj kući je bio smešten glavni štab Operacije Halijard, podravljaju pripadnike Nacionalne garde Ohaja

Head of the delegation Colonel Jerry Rees thanking the hosts and presenting a flag of the State of Ohio to the head of the Pranjani community Dragan Veselinovic

Vođa delegacije pukovnik Džeri Ris se zahvaljuje domaćinima i uručuje zastavu države Ohajo predsedniku mesne zajednice Pranjani Draganu Veselinoviću

Ohio National Guardsmen and the citizens of Pranjani visiting Galavica, which served as an airport for evacuation of U.S. pilots
Tanjug photo, Rade Prelic

Pripadnici Nacionalne garde Ohaja i stanovnici Pranjana u poseti Galavici koja je služila kao aerodrom odakle su evakuisani amerčki piloti
Tanjug photo, Rade Prelic

5. septembar, 2008
Ambasada Sjedinjenih Američkih Država
Beograd

Pripadnici Nacionalne garde Ohaja u poseti Srbiji

Delegacija Nacionalne garde Ohaja koja učestvuje u Programu državnog partnerstva će stići u Srbiju 6. septembra avionom Nacionalne garde Ohaja. Delegaciju čini četrdeset i jedan član Združene komande nacionalne garde i Vazduhoplovne nacionalne garde Ohaja, kao i stariji podoficiri Kopnene vojske Ohaja i Vazhuhoplovstva nacionalne garde. Pripadnici Garde sastaće se sa pripadnicima Vojske Srbije i učestvovati u zajedničkim aktivnostima. Jedna od aktivnosti tokom sledeće nedelje biće vojna vežba koja simulira podršku vojnih snaga opštini posle prirodne katastrofe. Ova poseta je izuzetna prilika za razmenu iskustava između Vojske Srbije i Nacionalne garde i predstavlja dobru osnovu za nastavak budućih zajedničkih aktivnosti u okviru Programa državnog partnerstva.

U nedelju 7. septembra, u spomen na istorijsku vojnu saradnju između SAD i Srbije za vreme Drugog svetskog rata, delegacija će imati čast da poseti selo Pranjani - lokaciju na kojoj se odvijala Misija Haljard. Ambasador SAD u Srbiji Kameron Manter će pratiti delegaciju.

Novinari zainteresovani da izveštavaju sa ovog događaja ljubazno se pozivaju da budu u Pranjanima u subotu, 7. septembra do 13:00 časova, i kontaktiraju Marinu Sokovic, asistenta u Kancelariji za saradnju sa medijima ambasade SAD na 065-336-2180.

Operacija Haljard: U leto1944. godine oko 1000 američkih pripadnika vazduhoplovnih snaga oboreno je iznad okupirane Jugoslavije od čega je značajan broj završio u Srbiji. Tokom serije dnevnih i noćnih poletanja, zajednički tim Jugoslovenske kraljevske vojske u otadžbini generala Draže Mihailovića i američke Službe za strateške poslove (O.S.S. - Office of Strategic Services), evakuisao je preko 300 američkih vazduhoplovaca iz sela Pranjani. Spasilačka misija uključivala je dejstvo manjih trupa protiv nemačkih snaga čime je u opasnosti bilo čitavo selo koje je štitilo američko vojno osoblje. Pripadnici Vazduhoplovnih snaga SAD posvedočili su o požrtvovanosti lokalnih srpskih seljana koji su ih hranili i štitili, u nekim slučajevima i do 6 meseci. Operacija Haljard smatra se za jednu od najuspešnijih spasilačkih misija izvedenih iza neprijateljskih linija u istoriji ratovanja

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