ULOGA PRIPADNICA ARBIH U ODBRANI REPUBLIKE BOSNE I HERCEGOVINE 1992‒1995. - TRIDESET GODINA POSLIJE
ROLE OF FEMALE MEMBERS OF THE ARMY OF REPUBLIC OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA IN THE DEFENSE OF THE REPUBLIC OF BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA IN 1992‒1995 - THIRTY YEARS LATER

Author(s): Meldijana Arnaut Haseljić
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Military history, Military policy, Studies in violence and power, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: Institut za istraživanje zločina protiv čovječnosti i međunarodnog prava Univerziteta u Sarajevu
Keywords: Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina; aggression; state; defense; armed units; female members of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina; defense-liberation fight;
Summary/Abstract: Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina emerged from the need of the Bosnian people to defend itself. The aggressors’ desires, planned and projected goals were confronted with a strong will of patriots to defend themselves and their homes, families, state. The defenders of Bosnia were barehanded young men and girls, decisive and courageous in their intention to defend their homeland, namely the heroes who recognized the conclusive historic moment for Bosnian and Herzegovina to confirm its independence and sovereignty, and to stop being the object of hegemonistic and great-state tendencies of its neighbors. This strong will produced the organization of the Army, which was the only official armed force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with its objective to protect the territorial integrity of the state, citizens, economic, cultural, and other goods. In the ranks of the Army were also 5,360 members of “soft” gender, who have presented sufficient bravery to join those forces in the most difficult times of the final defense of independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of the state. Among them, the particular piety belongs to those who were awarded Golden Fleur-de-lis (Zlatni ljiljan) – 13 of them. The option of choice – a victim or a defender ‒ made their decision easier when expressing their readiness to choose the adequate response. A special honor and respect be-long to a particular group of women ‒ who joined the Army voluntarily, when there were many of those who were hiding or were trying to escape the frontline or even the country, wishing to be a part of and to contribute in the fight for survival, either as combatants on frontlines, members of the sabotage units, reconnaissance teams, unit commanders, nurses, or those who worked in logistical units, commands or headquarters. Some of them did not live long enough to see the freedom. And where are those brave female combatants today? The answer to this question is the topic of empiric study, presented in the same-name paper which contains the results of all the processes related to building the culture of memory, including positioning of voluntary female combatants in legal norms. These are two crucial foundations, which position voluntary female combatants in a sociological reality of the present day.

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