Thanks to the combined assistance of so many who donated to making the publication and free distribution of an unprecedented 4,000 copies of this book possible, tribute was paid in the best way we knew how, in those magnificent hills 5,000 miles away, in a land that gave the world such a man as General Mihailovich.

There is no gravesite in Belgrade, Serbia where he fell on July 17, 1946. There is no marker. It is as if the Yugoslav communists who executed him without just cause wanted to remove him not just from the earth but from the history of his country and the consciousness of his people. But they failed. Nowhere is this more evident than in those hills of Serbia they call Ravna Gora. It is in those hills where the soul of Serbia can still be found, untouched and untainted, and where the living spirit of the fallen general lives each and every day, throughout the seasons and the years. It was there way back then, during those first days that Draza and his Chetniks rose to challenge the Nazi incursion into their homeland in 1941, and it remains there today, for the generations that followed to be inspired by. You cannot leave that place without feeling awed and inspired for that is the strength of Draza’s living spirit in the magnificent splendor of some of nature’s best work on this earth.

It is in those hills that they honor his memory each May for years now in an official celebration attended by tens of thousands who come from all parts of Serbia and throughout the diaspora. Although I had made my first trek up into those hills in February of 1995 and was awed by the stark winter splendor of the land, this May 10, 2003 would be my first visit to Ravna Gora for the annual celebration and I would be lucky enough to have the privilege to participate. The day couldn’t have been better. Warm enough, but cool enough, bright and beautiful, and the bountiful green of Spring was everywhere. The one day spent there, from the beginning of taking to the road just after dawn to returning to my Grandmother’s apartment in Belgrade in the evening, will be a day that will stay in my memory forever. Though my father was thousands of miles away, he was there with me every minute of that day, and his dream would be fulfilled there in the hills of Ravna Gora.

For my part in the great celebration, I would have the opportunity to announce that as our gift to the Serbs assembled there that day, we were providing thousands of copies of the book, “Dragoljub-Draza Mihailovich and the Second World War: History of a Great Betrayal,” free of charge. I greeted the crowd with “My parents were born on the other side of Drina River, as were many of the people that donated to this effort, but they still consider Serbia their mother Serbia.” From 40,000 voices came prolonged ovations of “Tako je! Tako je!” It was a awesome moment, for how many people have an opportunity in their whole life to speak to tens of thousands of people assembled in the mountains of Serbia where the legendary General Mihailovich had once walked and where he had begun the resistance and fight for freedom that would serve to inspire so many.

The result was better than we could have ever hoped for. Within moments all of the remaining books that had been displayed in front of the church and bell tower there on Ravna Gora were gone and so many of them were picked up by young people, a new generation of Serbs who will carry on the torch of Draza’s legacy. The response of the youth of Serbia was perhaps the very best part of it all, as was the fact that these books had been officially blessed during the services held in the Serbian Orthodox Church there on Ravna Gora prior to the program. Several priests officiated the services and we are grateful to each of them for their blessing. I don’t think that 4,000 books have been published and then blessed in such a way ever before. It felt wonderful to see these books stacked in front of the altar during the services as the rays of sunshine streamed in like holy beams of light through the special circular openings in the domed ceiling of the church. The image of the rays of light streaming into the church on Ravna Gora like diamond dust from the heavens will always stay with me. We had strongly desired that this book be blessed for it was written to be timeless. That the priests there that day on Ravna Gora saw fit to do so added so much to the fulfillment of this effort to pay proper tribute to the beloved General. Our thanks go out to them and may they continue to remember Draza in their prayers.

None of this would have been possible had it not been for the combined help of those who believed in this effort to bring to light what actually happened and why it happened to General Mihailovich over the course of World War II and who was responsible for the great injustice and it’s consequences for the people of Yugoslavia.

When we put out the word that this book was in the making and that any help would be very much appreciated, I know that I had reservations. So many of those who had kept the legacy alive and had been living witnesses to the events that we were writing about had passed away in just the last decade. We’ve lost so many friends over the years, among them Voyvoda Djujich and Major Richard Felman. We had no way of knowing whether there would be any response at all, much less a substantial one. But, our concerns were quickly allayed as the donations came streaming in from all over the world. To those that donated to this effort and made the free distribution of this book on Ravna Gora possible, we need to say much more than “Thank You.” Ordinary words fail, though. May each of you know that your names are imprinted in the front pages of “Dragoljub-Draza Mihailovich and the Second War: History of a Great Betrayal,” and that your contributions will be known to all Serbs who now have this book in their possession. As long as just one of these books circulates in Serbia and the world, we hope for years to come, your names will be remembered. We will never know in our lifetimes what the final impact of the results of our research will be. We will never know what impact the story that this book tells will have on the future of how history remembers General Mihailovich. What we do know is that despite all of the losses of friends who would have supported this effort, there are yet so many out there still living who believe in the same ideals and whose desire to have the truth told remains strong and unwavering. We can only hope that we’ve justified your support and have fulfilled your belief in us and our work.

After all the work was done on our end here in America and the donations collected, the culmination of the effort would ultimately depend on those in Serbia, 5000 miles away, who would take over from there. We would be blessed to be connected with the right people for the job. They would go above and beyond, and they would make it happen. I couldn’t have known that this was how it was all going to turn out years ago when I had a fateful conversation with a dear friend who has since passed away.

In the Spring of 1995 a jubilant American WWII veteran, Major Richard Felman, returned from his visit to Serbia fifty years after he and his Allied compatriots were rescued by Draza and his chetniks during the Halyard Rescue Operation of 1944. The 74 year old Felman had made the trip to commemorate with the Serbs the 50th anniversary of the victory over Fascism. He would be among Chetniks in their own homeland, something that he had hoped to experience again in his lifetime. He couldn’t have been happier that day in 1995 when we spoke, his familiar enthusiasm virtually jumping through the phone as he relished his latest adventure. His return to Serbia and landmark trip to the Ravna Gora mountains was made possible by Vuk Draskovic and his group “The Serbian Renewal Movement” (SPO) who financed the trip and who made sure that Major Felman, Captain Nick Lalich of the Halyard Rescue Operation, and Colonel Charlie Davis, another American airman rescued by the Draza and his Chetniks in the Halyard Operation were well taken care of.

I listened to my friend’s story and was so glad that he was able to make it back to a place he’d left 50 years before under the most extraordinary of circumstances. Over and over again he sang the praises of Draskovic and his group, with a final word of advice to me as we ended our conversation:

“These are the people that follow through with their promises. They know what they’re doing and they’re doing the right thing. These are the people you need to work with over there. They deliver.”

As always, Major Felman’s instincts proved to be perfect. Like him, after my own visit there this May of 2003, I, too, cannot sing their praises enough, but I owe it to them to try.

Maybe it’s the combination of the people and personalities in the group as well as the values they embrace that make them such a pleasure to work with.

There is the seasoned, charismatic veteran of the political system who is on the right side of the truth and who remains independent of the shackles of that system. They know him by his first name and his first name is enough. He is “Vuk.”

We’ve all been in the presence of a lot of different people in our lives, but there’s probably little more than a handful we can point to and say that they change the air in the room with their presence in it. Vuk Draskovic is one of those rare people. He’s got that singular “presence” that makes you immediately aware that someone with something exceptional is in the room. Whether he speaks directly to you or not, you can’t take your eyes off him and everything he says suddenly and immediately fascinates. And I’m not just speaking as a woman. I found that the men felt the same. It can’t be helped. Whatever “it” is, Vuk has it.

Under a system to which his values are a threat, he is the perpetual underdog, but there on top of the peaks of Ravna Gora, he is the master. Quiet, handsome, and stoic, without much fanfare, he’s able to command the attention and adulation of tens of thousands in a way that only those blessed with that magical charisma can. But it’s more than that. It’s his message.

He espouses values that are so desperately needed in Serbia, now more than ever, as she struggles through transition from old to new, and these values are embraced passionately by so many thousands whose voices can only be heard here in these hills of Ravna Gora. This kind of power over the masses in the wrong hands can be permanently destructive, but in Vuk’s hands it is both reassuring and inspiring, for he is on the right side of the truth. Those who work with him and support him are of all ages, but they all have one thing in common: They, too, are on the right side of the truth and have rejected the lies and deceptions of a system that is no longer capable of controlling the hearts and minds of all who fall under its realm.

Then there are the mature “young” people who are educated, articulate and insightful and who maintain an integrity that is all too often rare. They are untainted and undeterred by a system that presents a constant challenge to the realization of their efforts to fix Serbia and rid her of the damaging legacy of the old regime. They are funny and fun, and a joy to be around. But they are dead serious in striving for their goals. They deliver what they promise and they do it well. I am very proud to now call them friends.

Their follow through is what is most impressive. The answer that Vuk Draskovic and the members of SPO can give to the question: “what have you done for the cause” is an answer that can be given anywhere, anytime, with pride.

Due to the efforts of Vuk Draskovic and SPO there is now a great paved road winding up through the scenic, breathtaking hills, weaving and turning as it leads you up to where the air is clean, the skies are blue and the land is pristine. The home of the permanent memorial to General Mihailovich could not have been more appropriate. Due to their efforts, a permanent life size bronze statue stands majestically at the top of the peaks, by the Orthodox church that was built in his honor and the memorial home that still stands despite rumors that it would be torn down.

No, there is yet no gravesite for the fallen General in the cities of Serbia, but here, in the hills of Ravna Gora, his living spirit prevails, thanks to the efforts of those who are guided by that spirit, and who will stop at nothing to pay proper tribute to a Serb who deserves that.

It is due to the efforts of this same group, that made it possible to have our book “General Dragoljub-Draza Mihailovich and the Second World War: History of a Great Betrayal” published in Serbia and to have it distributed there in the hills of Ravna Gora. Though they could have turned their backs on this American, they not only gave their blessing and gave freely of their time and energy, they followed through on each and every one of their promises. They delivered.

It is a very scary thing to have a dream, to carry it as far as you can on your end, and then to put the realization of that dream in the hands of those who are 5,000 miles away. That entails a trust and a confidence that is almost superhuman. However, as the days and weeks and months went on, they earned that trust and sustained that confidence without fail. A very special and personal debt of gratitude must go to Mr. Aleksandar Cotric, president of the SPO Executive Board, who not only found a capable printer who did a great job, but who also oversaw the entire process in Serbia and made it so much easier for my father and I in America to bear. I would end up telling him more than once that if Serbia had more like him, she would be the great nation that she could be.

This mutual effort spanning thousands of miles across the sea, turned into a dream come true for myself and my Dad as I watched our book being picked up quicker and more eagerly than we could have ever anticipated there in the hills of Ravna Gora until the last of them was gone. Some of these books have made their way to countries outside of Serbia’s borders, having been picked up by Serbs who had come from hundreds and thousands of miles away to be there just for that day. Had we printed twice as many books that wouldn’t have been enough to satisfy the demand. We have been told by our friends at SPO that their office continues to receive requests for the book from Serbs both in Serbia and those in the diaspora. We will continue to harbor the hope that the truths contained in the thousands of copies of this book that are now floating throughout Serbia and beyond her borders, will somehow, somewhere, make a difference in how history ultimately remembers and honors General Draza Mihailovich.

Ravna Gora Pobediti Mora

General Mihailovich did huge things that much of the world doesn’t even know about. He was also a good man, a virtuous military man, and a patriot who was willing to sacrifice himself for his people and the ideals he believed in. He was a decent human being, a man of character and sincere humanity who represented the best of the Serbian spirit and was one of the few truly good guys in the badness that is war.

Recently, the beloved Serbian Orthodox Bishop Nikolai Velimirovich was made a Saint. At our celebration of the Halyard Rescue Operation 50th Anniversary here in Chicago in 1994, Major Felman invoked the great church leader and had this story to tell about the rescued airmen’s efforts to obtain a fair post-war trial for General Mihailovich in Yugoslavia:

“I was called up in 1946 by Bishop Velimirovich when I was still living in New York. He called me to say: ‘I appreciate the work that the Americans are doing on behalf of Draza, but I want to tell you something about the Serbian people. We love General Mihailovich. But the important thing is to clear his name. Even if they do kill Mihailovich, another Draza will rise from the hills to lead the Serbian people. The most important thing is to clear his name. If you do that, we’ll be happy.’”

Major Felman, in all of his insight and foresight, declared Bishop Velimorich one of the most brilliant men he had ever met…one of the greatest scholars of the 20th Century. Bishop Velimirovich has finally gotten his due. It is our hope that General Mihailovich will finally be given his.

I hope that Draza knows that we have not forgotten. I hope that he was there with us that day on Ravna Gora where one can come as close as they ever will to finding the soul and spirit of Serbia and find that it had indeed been worth fighting for.

We will continue. And I believe now, more than ever, that “Ravna Gora Pobediti Mora!”

June 2003

• To get in touch with Aleksandra, please feel free to e-mail her at ravnagora@hotmail.com or write to her at P.O. Box 224 Barrington, IL 60011-0224 U.S.A.

Special Thanks

How does one properly ever thank those who made such a reality possible? And how can the impact of this effort ever be fully measured through the passage of time? One cannot, and it cannot. I can only hope that my effort to express our appreciation has conveyed the depth of our gratitude. And I can only hope that the impact of this work will be righteous and good and timeless.

To my family in Serbia and Croatia, thank you for making my short visit to my family’s homeland such a memorable and pleasant one. To my mother who came to join me in Belgrade, thank you for the company and the memorable visits to so many places that are such an integral part of our family’s history. I can only say that I wish my beloved grandmother, my Baka Andja, was still living, but she, too, was there with me and always will be.

To Vuk Draskovic and the members and friends of SPO, thank you for making our dream come true.

And to my father, Rade Rebic, thank you for the incredible privilege of working with you and participating in your life’s work for this honorable and just cause. If I have accomplished anything to help further the cause of doing justice to the memory of Draza and his brave and good people, then I have done a good thing in my life. This was all your idea, and I’ll be forever grateful that you believed enough in me to allow me share in the dream.

Special thanks needs to go out to Dr. Dusan Kalicanin for helping us make the connection with Mr. Cotric and SPO.

It is my belief that we couldn’t have done it without them.