Day and St. Patron’s Day of 63rd Parachute Brigade
Tuesday, 14.10.2025 | Culture and traditions
Modestly, but proudly, members of the 63rd Parachute Brigade have marked the St. Patrons Day of the unit – Intercession of the Theotokos today.
On this occasion, a holy liturgy was served at the military airfield “Sergeant-Pilot Mihajlo Petrović” in Niš, attended by active members of the Brigade.
After the liturgy, commander of the 63rd Parachute Brigade, Colonel Aleksandar Stupar, reminded of the centuries-long connection between the Serbian soldier and his faith, stressing that today’s spiritual holiday - Intercession of the Theotokos - was deeply rooted in the tradition and identity of the unit. He assessed that the Brigade had made its contribution to the improvement of the capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces through successful implementation of the tasks in the year behind and high combat readiness.
The originally planned military ceremony on the occasion of October 14 —Day of the 63rd Parachute Brigade and Day of Military Paratroopers was canceled out of respect for the unit's wartime commander, retired Major General Ilija Todorov, buried yesterday with military honors and in the presence of Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, and numerous members of the Serbian Armed Forces and 63rd Parachute Brigade.
On the occasion of the Unit Day, a reception for the families of fallen members of the 63rd Parachute Brigade was held at the Niš military airfield on Sunday, which was also attended by veterans of the unit. On that occasion, a memorial service was held for the fallen and deceased military paratroopers and wreaths laid at the Wall of Remembrance for the Fallen Members of the 63rd Parachute Brigade.
The Day of the 63rd Parachute Brigade and the Day of Military Paratroopers are celebrated in memory of October 14, 1944, when the First Parachute Battalion of the People’s Liberation Army of Yugoslavia was formed at the military base near Bari in Italy.
