We came across US cadets at Pranjani's holy place: They read about Serbia in books, wanted to meet the people

An old log church, a wooden bell tower, old monuments in a small, modest cemetery and a brick church from 1903. This is the holiest place in Pranjani, a village that was in 1944 turned into a true humanitarian center, with an improvised airfiled from which hundreds of Allied pilots were safely evacuated. Mostly Americans.

The tired, confused pilots, who set out to destroy the Nazi machinery in Eastern Europe and then got shot down over Yugoslavia, found salvation in the homes of Serbian farmers of this region. The villagers took care of them, fed them, provided them with accommodation and a hiding place, and then members of the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland organized a complex evacuation operation in cooperation with the Allies. The villagers also built a runway themselves, durable enough allow transport planes to take off from it and head straight to Bari, to the US base. It was the air bridge of life.

In the village, Serbian and English were both heard, sometimes only silent looks were exchanged. Hunger, fear, confusion and uncertainty were cured only by hope. Everyone hoped that victory would come soon, and that one day the rescued pilots would return, under happier circumstances.

And then there was a long period of silence about the Halyard Mission. The secret was kept by the surviving actors and locals... There are still those whose grandparents witnessed the rescue operation.

The mission covered a much wider area and as many as 3 airfields on both sides of the Drina River. However, most of the pilots were rescued from Pranjani, which is why the anniversary is also celebrated in this place.

Thanks to the Halyard Mission Foundation, the state, as well as the embassies of WW2 Allies, today this feat is remembered not only by the sons, daughters, grandchildren or descendants. Some new soldiers come to Pranjani at least once a year, when a ceremony is organized. The memory becomes collective, and the hospitality that their compatriots felt in 1944 is repeated even today, in happier circumstances.

The yard of the log church was also filled with people this year - farmers, diplomats, guests, descendants, but also soldiers in various uniforms. They were curiously observing this small place, Orthodox churches and tombstones.

"To better understand history you are learning about, it's best to visit the place where it happened, meet the people who live there and whose ancestors were living participants"

Paraphrased, that's what a young man said at one of the events during the celebration of the 78th anniversary of the Halyard Mission, and his words were simple and came from the heart. This was Madigan Hiltz, cadet third class, who arrived in Serbia together with his colleague Quintin Kies.

These young men attracted attention at the official ceremony in their striking blue uniforms. They are not descendants of the rescued pilots, they have absolutely nothing to do with Serbia, but at the historical department of the US Air Force Academy, they came across books testifying to the heroic action of one of the largest air rescue operations.

They were proud to stand in front of our camera.

"Both of us wear Prop and Wings, it's the symbol of the US Army air corps. Which is the group that flew out of Pranjani. And so, for me, it means a lot to be, as a member of the Air Force, a member of the US military, and to be here and speak with the Serbian people and the relatives of those who helped the American airmen, means the world to me," said Cadet Kies, originally from Chicago, who is studying at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

Madigan Hiltz followed up on these words without hesitation.

"Back at school I studied this mission, in terms of operational, strategic, and tactical levels, and I wrote a paper about it. But to actually come out here in Pranjani, and meet the people in the community that was a part of that was just something super special. Very generous people and, you know, the hospitality's been amazing," said Cadet Hiltz.

They say they felt the gratitude of the people who saw them and hosted them in our country. They recipricated. And realized that the story of a heroic endeavor is passed down from generation to generation.

"I think the most important part is just communicating with each other, because it is a shared history between Serbia and America, so it's important to keep these connections strong because they have been since World War II," said Hiltz.

The Halyard Mission inspired the young cadets.

"I'd say for me I'd personally like to search and rescue when I'm in the Air Force and this is a great opportunity to learn more about that, because this was the most successful search and rescue mission of World War II, objectively. Because of the amount of airmen we picked up. And it wouldn't have been possible without the Serbian people in the area. So it's just important for me to understand that as I might be going into a situation like that in the future, to understand how the hospitality and generosity of local populations can help us accomplish that mission," underlined Hiltz.

The food, of course, along with the hospitality, left a special impression on them.

At this event we also met a woman whose father organized the entire operation on the US side. He was George Vujnovich, a Serbian American, a member of the OSS. Xenia Wilkinson was not in Serbia for the first time and she was happy to talk about her memories.

First hand testimony: "My father was the main architect of the rescue mission"

Vujnovich, while stationed in Bari, found out what was happening with the pilots who were shot down over the territory controlled by the forces of General Draza Mihailovic.

"But we had already broken our relations with Mihailovic, and the Chetniks, as the United States and Great Britain and the Soviet Union decided. And therefore a lot of people didn't believe that they would shelter American pilots and airmen. But they were. And my father insisted, and insisted, and finally the Air Force said, OK, if they have our boys we have to find out about that. And they sent messages through secret methods to get to the resistance forces, and then a list of questions for the pilots about their families, and so on, to make sure it was not a hoax, that it was true. And they found out, yes, it's really true. So my father was one of the main organizers of the rescue mission," Xenia told us.

The secrets were kept, but the story of the historical event, friendship and humanity spread in families.

"My father talked about it when I was a young child. At that time he was very friendly with the other American members of the rescue mission. Many of them were Serbian-American, because they were actually recruited because they knew the language, and they knew the country. And they were very upset that Mihailovic and his forced did not get the credit that they should have for this wonderful rescue, and that they sheltered more than 500 airmen, mainly Americans but also Allies. So they were trying to get more attention to that fact. They couldn't reveal the secret parts of the mission but it was open knowledge that there had been pilots involved in this area. And so he did talk about it quite a bit and there were church events about this issue, so I knew about it ever since I was a little girl. And now that my parents have passed away, I brought my daughter and my two step-daughters to see it and they're very interested. And I hope they'll continue to be interested and come maybe to the 80th anniversary," said Xenia.

She noted that she always feels welcome in Serbia. She has relatives in Novi Sad, a city that enchants her with its culture. In Belgrade, which she says is always exciting, full of life, she has many friends, and likes to travel all over our country.

"It's very nostalgic for me, because I remember what my parents did during the Second World War and all those heroes who sacrificed so much."

Xenia Wilkinson also said that she had the opportunity to speak with Serbia's Minister of Culture Maja Gojkovic during the event.

"I was speaking to the minister just today, asking if it might be in the curriculum of students here in Serbia, and she said, not yet. So, I think it's important then to give talks about it, and to write articles about it. The more the media covers this subject the better for public education, and then I hope one day that it will be taught in school when they teach about Serbia, or Yugoslavia, during World War II, and the relationship with the other Allies. World War II is still of great interest to all generations and all of us know about some of the great events like the invasion of Normandy, but not enough people know about the Halyard mission and I think we can all do our part to speak more about it," Xenia told us.

(Telegraf.rs)