Posted on 02/10/2013 3:42:30 PM PST by Ravnagora
The former gravesite of King Peter II in St. Sava Monastery before his remains were exhumed and transferred to Serbia. This was his gravesite for 42 years, from the time he died in November of 1970 to January of 2013. Photo by Aleksandra Rebic, February 25, 2012.
The former gravesite of King Peter II in St. Sava Monastery in Libertyville, IL U.S.A. after his remains were exhumed, January 17, 2013. Photo courtesy of Vera Dragisich.
Aleksandra's Note:
It's been almost a month since the remains of the only European king buried on American soil, HM King Peter II Karageorgevich, were exhumed at the request of the Serbian Royal Family on January 16/17, 2013 in a top secret operation that took millions of Serbs by surprise. The immediate reaction was shock and disbelief, and the subsequent silence, temporary as it was, was deafening. Once the reality sank in, Serbs all over the world were left to digest what had just happened and how they felt about it.
Many Serbs were ecstatic that King Peter II was finally going home to be laid to rest in the homeland he was forced to leave during the Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia in World War II. Others, especially those in the Diaspora, were left feeling sad that they were not given a chance to say "Good-bye" to their King before he left America forever.
I'm grateful, especially now, that I made it a point to photograph the gravesite over the years while King Peter II was still interred there, and I know that as beautiful and special a place as St. Sava Monastery in Libertyville is, it will never be the same now that the King is gone.
The state funeral in Serbia is planned for May 26, 2013. I wish I could be there in Serbia this May, just as I wish I had been there to say "Good-bye" in Libertyville in January.
May you finally rest in peace, King Peter II.
WE WILL MISS YOU.
Sincerely,
Aleksandra Rebic
*****
I notice that the website is named after General Mihailovich. I’m assuming that is the guy that saved over 500 US fliers in WWII. Our (Commie infested) State Dept. saw to it that Tito came to power instead of the freedom loving Mihailovich...who Tito had executed not long afterwards. The story is well documented in “The Forgotten 500”. Reading that, “Blacklisted by History” and “Witness” will convince anyone of the Communist influence that has ushered the US to it’s present condition.
You are correct, “gorush”.
And your comments are well-stated, indeed. The lasting legacy of communism in America has been underestimated, especially since the end of the “Cold War”.
Tito was a very charismatic leader. Since he was neither Serbian nor Croatian, he stood the best chance of holding the republic together after the war was over. Furthermore, the Western Allies hadn't supported Mihailovich during the war to the same degree -- in terms of weapons, food and other supplies -- that the Soviets had supported Tito. The regrettable result was that Tito was in an overwhelmingly superior position to take control after the war, and there was nothing the State Department could have done about it.
Many fliers went down en route to and from Ploesti. Our State Department advised wounded aircraft to ditch in the half of the country controlled by Tito if possible. Most that did didn’t survive. Those that landed in Mihailovich’s sector were saved. Our airmen, upon returning to the US, attempted to intercede on Mihailovich’s behalf, knowing he was scheduled to be executed by Tito. Our State Department told these airmen to pound sand.
Credible link, please. I wasn’t aware that the State Department was in direct communication with the crews of US Army Air Force bombers.
Yes, I’m well aware of all that. it is a heroic story and they should really make a movie out of it. If we could find a director and producer in Hollywood who aren’t borderline communists themselves. Mihailovich was a hero and deserves to be remembered for that.
No, what I’m questioning is your claim that US Army Air Force bomber crews were steered by the State Department, evidently with direct radio transmissions, to bail out or ditch their planes in the Tito-controlled areas rather than Mihailovich’s area of command. Credible link, please.
According to the book it was not “evidently with direct radio transmissions” but as a matter of policy. The bomber crews were given these instructions as a matter of course throughout the war. The only link I can provide is the book itself. Take what you will from it.
Okay, I get it now. I haven’t read the book. But this is the first I’ve heard of the crews being instructed this way, and it struck me as very strange. That whole theater of war (the Balkans) was a little strange by Western standards.
Hi Bryan,
Testimony from the actual rescued American airmen confirms the order/advice to “seek out Tito’s forces - the men with the red star on their hats” and “avoid the Chetniks, who would cut off their ears”.
This myth proved to be false.
What we need to make this a movie is for someone to write a screenplay for them. Studios won't touch it w/o one. How do I know? I sent a boatload of info&articles to Mel Gibsons production about 5 years ago and they sent everything back unread saying they work from screenplays only
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