Kata Šoljić – Rose of Croatia
Don’t give up, mothers, be brave! (…)
We are sad, no one can replace our children. (…)
If Vukovar fell, Croatia did not. We do not give Croatia. God willing, we will return to Vukovar as well. (…)
Be brave, pray to God! (…)
(…)
Long live Croatia!
Kata Šoljić
Kata Šoljić was born on February 23, 1922 to the poor Tikvić family in Donji Vukšić near Brčko in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She lost her father when she was 13 years old, and her mother continued to raise her and her siblings while living a hard life. At the beginning of the Second World War (1941 – 1945), she married Ante Šoljić (1923) from the neighboring village of Ulica and by 1954 gave birth to six children.
Kata’s difficult and uncertain life continued during the war and post-war years. In addition to the war, her husband Anto went through the horrors of the Way of the Cross in 1945, from which, fortunately, he returned alive because he managed to escape from the column of death near Dravograd. After his return, he was attacked, persecuted, imprisoned and existentially threatened because the then government classified him as ineligible due to his nationality and because he fought on the side of the National Guard. Since he could not get a job in the civil service, he fed his family by doing hard manual work. Along with all the life difficulties that Kata faced at that time, great tragedies also befell her. All four of her brothers died in the calvary of the Croatian nation during and after the Second World War: Ivo, Martin, Ivan and Petar. According to Kata, her mother died of grief in 1946, and her two sisters also passed away.
With the hope of a better and more peaceful life, Kata and Anto and their children moved from Ulica to Slavonia in Srijemski Čakovci in 1956. Although they lived an easier life, they still faced discrimination, persecution and threats due to national affiliations. Despite all the adversities, sacrifices and renunciations, they continued to stoically raise their children in the Catholic faith of their ancestors, nurturing in them the awareness of belonging to the Croatian people and true patriotism.
Anto became seriously ill , and Kata cared for him with love until his death in 1981. Since her husband’s death in 1981 until the beginning of the Homeland War (1991-1995), she lived in Vukovar with her daughter Ana and her family. After the start of the war, she went into exile in Bosnia, then Hungary, then Zagreb and Brač. In exile, she fears for the lives of her children, their families, those closest to her, and for the fate of Vukovar and the people of Vukovar. Hard and sad news came one after another. Her daughter Marija with her husband and son were taken into captivity in Srijemska Mitrovica. One after the other, all four of her sons died: Niko, Mijo, Ivo and Mato, and with them also her son-in-law Ivan, leaving behind their wives and children.
Be brave, pray to God! (…)
(…)
Long live Croatia!
Kata Šoljić
Kata Šoljić was born on February 23, 1922 to the poor Tikvić family in Donji Vukšić near Brčko in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She lost her father when she was 13 years old, and her mother continued to raise her and her siblings while living a hard life. At the beginning of the Second World War (1941 – 1945), she married Ante Šoljić (1923) from the neighboring village of Ulica and by 1954 gave birth to six children.
Kata’s difficult and uncertain life continued during the war and post-war years. In addition to the war, her husband Anto went through the horrors of the Way of the Cross in 1945, from which, fortunately, he returned alive because he managed to escape from the column of death near Dravograd. After his return, he was attacked, persecuted, imprisoned and existentially threatened because the then government classified him as ineligible due to his nationality and because he fought on the side of the National Guard. Since he could not get a job in the civil service, he fed his family by doing hard manual work. Along with all the life difficulties that Kata faced at that time, great tragedies also befell her. All four of her brothers died in the calvary of the Croatian nation during and after the Second World War: Ivo, Martin, Ivan and Petar. According to Kata, her mother died of grief in 1946, and her two sisters also passed away.
With the hope of a better and more peaceful life, Kata and Anto and their children moved from Ulica to Slavonia in Srijemski Čakovci in 1956. Although they lived an easier life, they still faced discrimination, persecution and threats due to national affiliations. Despite all the adversities, sacrifices and renunciations, they continued to stoically raise their children in the Catholic faith of their ancestors, nurturing in them the awareness of belonging to the Croatian people and true patriotism.
Anto became seriously ill , and Kata cared for him with love until his death in 1981. Since her husband’s death in 1981 until the beginning of the Homeland War (1991-1995), she lived in Vukovar with her daughter Ana and her family. After the start of the war, she went into exile in Bosnia, then Hungary, then Zagreb and Brač. In exile, she fears for the lives of her children, their families, those closest to her, and for the fate of Vukovar and the people of Vukovar. Hard and sad news came one after another. Her daughter Marija with her husband and son were taken into captivity in Srijemska Mitrovica. One after the other, all four of her sons died: Niko, Mijo, Ivo and Mato, and with them also her son-in-law Ivan, leaving behind their wives and children.
Niko Šoljić (1942), CA sergeant, was captured on November 19, 1991 during the fighting that took place immediately after the fall of Vukovar and he was taken to the concentration camp in Srijemska Mitrovica where he was mercilessly tortured and killed on November 22, 1991 by a blow in the head. In 2003, after twelve years of searching, his body was found in an unmarked grave in Srijemska Mitrovica and buried next to the remains of his brothers. He was awarded by the Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski. All three of his sons participated in the Homeland War: Franjo, Anto and Ivo.
Mijo Šoljić (1945.), Croatian Army sergeant, participated in the defense of Vukovar, and on October 19, 1991, he was captured by Serb neighbors and killed in the corn field with three other villagers in the family house in Srijemski Čakovci, in front of his wife Ruža and two minor children, Josip and Katarina. He was awarded the Order of Nikola Šubić Zrinski and the Order of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsta Frankopan with silver-plated braid. His remains, as well as those of his brother Mata, were buried after exhumation on the same day in 1999.
Ivo Šoljić (1948.), nicknamed Veliki Džo, colonel of the Croatian army, was the commander of the defense of Mitnica on the Vukovar battlefield. With his comrades, he broke through from the besieged and destroyed Vukovar on the eve of its fall, and in order to avoid a Chetnik ambush and not wanting to surrender, he jumped into the Danube and drowned on November 17, 1991. His body was exhumed in 2002 at the Novi Sad cemetery and buried next to the mortal remains of the brothers on January 24, 2003. He was awarded the Order of Prince Domagoj with a necklace, the Order of Petr Zrinski and Fran Krsta Frankopan with a silver-plated braid, and the Order of the Croatian trefoil. He is survived by his wife Mirjana and children Marijan, Ivana and Maja.
Mato Šoljić (1952.), Croatian Army sergeant, was wounded on September 19, 1991, during the attempt to capture the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA) in Vukovar, and was then captured, tortured and killed the same day. Mata’s remains were found near the barracks, and they were buried in 1999 with the remains of Mija’s brother. He was awarded the Order of Petr Zrinski and Fran Krsta Frankopan with a gilded braid.
Marija Barišić, born Šoljić (1950.), Croatian Army sergeant, with her husband Stjepan and sons Toni and Zoran also defended Vukovar. After the fall of Vukovar, Marija, Stjepan and Toni were captured and taken to a camp in Srijemska Mitrovica where they were subjected to severe and cruel mistreatment. After returning from captivity, they continued to participate in the Homeland War as defenders.
Ana Vukojević, born Šoljić (1954.), Croatian Army brigadier, also participated in the defense of Vukovar. After arriving on the island of Ugljan with her young children Igor and Tomislav, she joined the troops there and continued to participate in the defense of Vukovar. Country. She was awarded the Homeland War Memorial and the “Storm” Medal for her participation in the “Storm” military-police action. Ana’s husband Ivan was killed on November 19, 1991 in Vukovar, and his remains have not yet been found.
Kata’s grandsons Franjo, Anto, Ivo, Zoran and Toni and sons-in-law Stjepan and Ivan were also awarded as members of the Croatian Army for their contribution and services in the Homeland War.
Experiencing great pain, but proud of her sons and daughters and her five grandchildren, waiting to return to Vukovar, Kata said: “Not a single body, not a single grave that I would cry over. But my sons did not give their lives in vain. They stayed to defend their city, that’s how my sons were. (…) And one cannot expect anything other than death from war. Only a mother can know how much a mother suffers and how much it hurts her. ” Despite her pain, she did not lose heart, but tirelessly called for courage and faith in the final freedom of Vukovar and Croatia, for which all four of her sons, members of the Croatian army, gave their lives, fighting heroically against Serbian aggression.
Our brave Croatian Rose and a symbol of the suffering of mothers in the Homeland War was awarded by Dr. Franjo Tuđman with the Order of Danica Hrvatska (Order of the Croatian Daystar) with the image of Katarina Zrinska for her special services in promoting moral social values on the occasion of Statehood Day in 1995. The Association of Veterans awarded her the Heroine of the Croatian Homeland War award, and on On Mother’s Day 2019, the park on Zagreb’s Trešnjevca was named after her. In honor of Kata and her sons who died for the freedom of Vukovar and our homeland, the Croatian Association of Veterans of the 4th Guards Brigade and the Association of Defenders of the “Storm” Podstrana are erecting a monument in the town of Mitnica in Vukovar on November 17, 2022.
Kata Šoljić, exalted in pain, dignified in suffering, generous in patriotism, humble and modest in life, has an undeniable right to rank alongside the giants of Croatian history. Noble by self-immolation and with an unshakable faith in the meaning of Christ’s suffering, she patiently and courageously carried her life’s cross, sacrificing the most precious thing – her children, and teaching how to leave a mark of indebtedness on the people and how she became a noble of heart: “I am Kata Šoljić, Croatian, mother from Vukovar . (…) Life has never pampered me. And that’s why I studied and am studying the highest school of life, which is the school of love and sacrifice for one’s neighbors, for one’s family and for the Croatian homeland.”
She died at KBC “Sveti Duh” in Zagreb on July 8, 2008 at the age of 86, and was buried at the Vukovar New Cemetery with her husband and four sons.
Rest in peace, Kate, and may the croatian earth rest lightly upon you
On behalf of the holder of the memory of Kata Šoljić,
Colonel Mirko Čondić