Day of Memorial And Respect For Veterans – March 6, 2025

History of Day of Memorial And Respect For Veterans

Officially the Republic of Kosovo, Kosovo is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe. The Ottomans ruled Kosovo for over four centuries until Serbia gained control of the region during the First Balkan War from 1912 to 1913. During World War II, Nazi Germany temporarily assumed control over Kosovo until the end of the war. After World War II, Kosovo became a self-governing province of Serbia in the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (S.F.R.Y.), having closely equal rights as the six constituent Socialist Republics of the S.F.R.Y.

In the late 1980s, a fierce dictator came into power. By 1989, he removed Kosovo’s autonomy and imposed direct control. The forced government initiated the Kosovo war that started on February 28, 1998, until June 11, 1999. The “Kosovo Liberation Army,” a Kosovo Albanian rebel group, fought back against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia soldiers, which controlled Kosovo before the war. The war ended when the U.N. Security Council intervened and adopted Resolution 1244, which halted Belgrade’s governance over Kosovo in 1999. Subsequently, Kosovo was placed under the administration of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (U.N.M.I.K.), and a NATO peacekeeping force was authorized.

On February 17, 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia. Although 110 countries recognize Kosovo as a sovereign, some like Serbia, Russia, China, Brazil, India, and Spain do not.

In the central town of Morinë, Kosovo, a war memorial was dedicated to memorialize those who died in the 1998-99 conflict with Serbia. The origin date of this Kosovo holiday is unclear. However, its purpose remains to immortalize the veterans who died defending their country and those still serving the nation.