Ćetko Macanović from Nikšić stopped counting years a long time ago. He says there are enough of them for two lifetimes - one during the war and the other after the war.
He also stopped giving advice to younger people because, as he said, some don't like to listen to them, while others, fortunately, are on the right path.
That's why he didn't stop evoking memories on every war anniversary, remembering the war, his comrades, the youth for whom freedom was the greatest ideal.
It was the same this time - the Battle of Sutjeska, or the Fifth enemy offensive, which lasted from May 15 to June 15, 1943, awakened the past in him. He was not a participant in the Fifth enemy offensive, but he was a fighter of the Fifth Montenegrin Proletarian Brigade.
"I did not participate in the battle on Sutjeska. At that time, we were in these areas around Nikšić, when we retreated, so our units were scattered and dispersed under enemy pressure. But a lot of my war comrades were there", ninety-six-year-old Macanović, bearer of the Partisan Monument in 1941, who before coming of age was fond of rifles and woods, tells "Vijesti".
The war, he says, was "terrible torture" and not only in terms of fighting and lost lives, but also because of hunger and exertion.
"As far as fear is concerned, over time, man gets used to it and does not look back so much for fear, and sufferings have influenced the fact that man hates life. For me, the war was a fight for freedom, and life was subordinated to that fight," says the hardened fighter as he sifts through his memories.
He was a fighter of the Fifth Proletarian Brigade since its foundation on June 12, 1942, a brigade that gave birth to "great heroes, but also made huge sacrifices".
I would tell those who hear my message to appreciate freedom, because only as free people can they bring progress both to themselves and to their country...
It is said that during the war he was wounded three times, he also suffered from typhoid fever.
"I fought in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. I was hospitalized for typhoid and was treated by a Russian woman called Gutmanka, who paid a lot of attention to me over time."
In the war, he lost two brothers, Bož and Milisav, posthumously honored with the Partisan Memorial. Sekula's father also took part in the war and is the bearer of the Memorial.
"After the war, I visited monuments, including Tjentište. Every time I visited a monument, emotions and memories of the past would be refreshed, even though it is unforgettable. And Sutjeska is a story in itself. She was tragic both for us and for the enemy. Our fighters were incredibly persistent, amazingly brave," says the old man, adding that today's generations have less respect for the past.
You think about freedom only when you start to lose it, and the monuments of the past become beacons of the future only when the "ghosts of war" knock on the door.
"For me, peace is greatness, something that has no price. All those who have smelled the smell of war know this. This is a horror today. We are divided on everything and anything, someone is imposing divisive tactics, and that is the most common today. I would have something to say to young people, but a large number of them do not pay attention to it, it is not important to them. I would tell those who hear my message to appreciate freedom, because only as free people can they bring progress both to themselves and to their country".
Because of the Informbiro, he returned the party booklet
It was, says Ćetko, difficult with a rifle, but also with a pickaxe - when the land was being built. It was especially difficult during the time of the Informbiro.
"The resolution of the Informbiro annoyed us to no end. It was equal to the torments of the war. I was not on Goli otok, but they persecuted me until 1956. Until then, I had a 'companion'. Those were the years when it was impossible not to speak. They have gained the wrong belief that we are because of this unhealthy political enthusiasm", says the old man, for whom the year 1948 is also significant for another reason.
That year, he married Jelica, born Stanišić, from Gornji Polje, near Nikšić, with whom he had two children, Stanka and Željko.
Because of the Informbiro, he returned his party card and ended his political and party activities.
He worked in the Ironworks as a model carpenter, where he earned his pension.
Bonus video:
