FBU-2013-12-07
Date of Interview
12-7-2013
Interview Location
St. Louis, MO
Length of Interview
205:29
Date of Birth
1972
Gender
Male
Religion and/or Ethnicity
Muslim
Description
Born in the Doboj region upon completing his primary education moved to Slovenia for Secondary education, Conscripted into the JNA in 1991 where out of 5,000 he was one of five men picked for additional special forces training, Trained for months with 35 other recruits to be elite soldiers, ,Trained in the JNA as a sniper, Deployed in June 1991 to Ljubljana to protect the commander there an act as a translator, Participated in missions in conflict hotspots around the country as the popped up, After Slovenia declared independence went back to base where he signed up for additional 12 months in the JNA, stationed in Nis,Serbia while training every day and occisonal being deployed for missions, eventually deployed to Bosnia in the cities of Travnik, Tesanj, Zabadovici for mission, After returning to base abandoned JNA after seeing the sitiutan had changed, Swam across the Drina river at Bijeljina to Bosnian lines, After convining Bosnians he was not a spy he helped the ARBIH find hidden arms and supplies in Bosnia, Met with Alija Izetbegovic and discussed role in war to form ARBIH special forces, Trained 657 and deployed them across the regiments of the ARBIH, Took an active role in SDA politics in Graninci by becoming the President of the party in that city, Worked for the Bosnian secret police SIPA for 3 months, crossed into the Croatian city of Sisak in fear of his life, Moved to St. Louis after meeting a man on New Years Ever 1997 who sent him the required papers, Moved to St. Louis and became active in Bosnian politics and non-profit organizations with Sulejman Grbic, founded small logistics company with two semitrucks, started a group for Bosnian veterans for discussion at local Mosque
Keywords
Niš, Gračanica, Slovenia, St. Louis [MO], United States, Alija Izetbegović, Bosnian Special Forces, ARBIH, JNA, SIPA, Elite Unites, Defected, Community activism, Started a business
Pre-War Residence
Sjenina
Wartime Residence
Nis, Gračanica
First Country of Residence
Croatia
First US Residence
St. Louis, MO
Document Type
Oral History
Collection
Fontbonne University
Digital Format
MP3
Digital Publisher
Center for Bosnian Studies
City
St. Louis, MO
Copyright Note
These oral histories are made available by the Center for Bosnian Studies for research, educational, scholarly, and/or creative purposes only. All uses should adhere to the principle of fair use established under Section 107 of Title 17 the 1976 Copyright Act. More on fair use is available here: https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/.
Rights Statement
