The ceremony was attended by veterans of Vukovar's defence and members of the brigade, along with War Veterans' Minister Tomo Medved, Defence Minister Ivan Anušić, and Agriculture Minister Josip Dabro.
Branko Borković, the last commander of Vukovar's defence and the 204th Brigade, said the gathering of the first Croatian policemen on 5 August 1990 marked the beginning of the creation of the Croatian Armed Forces and was the "only legal means of arming and resisting the Nazi regime of Slobodan Milošević."
Remnants of that regime still persist in Serbia, with some continuing to revive past hostilities toward neighbouring countries, including Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo, he said.
Systematic glorification of war criminals and responsibility downplaying
There is still ongoing systematic glorification of war criminals and a tendency to downplay the responsibility for the aggression against Croatia, Borković said. He added that those who defended the country fought for a democratic, prosperous Croatia where people could live happily, and urged public officials to focus on the public good and serve the people.
Vukovar as a symbol of heroic resistance
Minister Medved, speaking as the prime minister's envoy, highlighted the special place Vukovar holds in the hearts of all Croatians.
He said that while Vukovar's defenders were organising the city's defense, people in Serbia were celebrating the tanks heading to Vukovar. He condemned what he called the ongoing inflammatory rhetoric from Serbia, noting that it shows some have failed to learn from history.
Medved, who fought in the Homeland War, said Vukovar remained a symbol of heroic resistance and victory in the 1991-95 war.
He also acknowledged everything the government has done for Vukovar, thanking the city's mayor, Ivan Penava, for the joint work that led to the renovation of the Vukovar Water Tower.
Medved also mentioned the planned construction of a veterans' centre in Vukovar and the opening of an institution aimed at providing long-term care for Croatian veterans.
The unresolved fate of 1,792 missing persons from the war remains the deepest wound of the Homeland War, Medved said, vowing that efforts to find them will continue until the last missing person is located.
Vukovar's future development through strategic projects
The ceremony was also attended by Chief of General Staff General Tihomir Kundid, representing the president and Armed Forces commander in chief, Deputy Parliament Speaker Ivan Penava, and HDZ MP Nikola Mažar, a native of Vukovar, as the parliament speaker's envoy.
Vukovar’s future lies in continued development through strategic infrastructure projects, Mažar said. He also stressed the need for war criminals to be brought to justice and for Croatian prisoners from Serb-run concentration camps to receive proper compensation.
The siege of Vukovar lasted 87 days
Vukovar endured a siege by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Serbian paramilitary forces for 87 days, with the battle for the city culminating in its occupation on 18 November 1991. The city remained under occupation until 15 January 1998 and the peaceful reintegration of the Danube River Region Croatian, whereby Vukovar and other occupied areas were restored into Croatia's constitutional order.
While clashes in the area began earlier, the official start of the battle for Vukovar is considered to be 25 August 1991, when the JNA launched a tank-infantry assault on the city.
The JNA, expecting to capture the city in a week, deployed over 30,000 soldiers, 600 tanks, 500 armoured personnel carriers, and 180 howitzers.
Croatian defense forces in Vukovar and the surrounding area numbered no more than 3,000, with fewer than 1,800 defenders inside the city, facing a severe shortage of weapons and equipment. Despite their efforts, the city's defenders were unable to break the siege, which was complete by mid-October 1991.
The first clear signs of the city's inevitable fall appeared on 2 November 1991, after the defense of the Lužac suburb collapsed, cutting off communication between Vukovar's defenders and the Borovo Naselje district.