It was now high summer and the shelling had stopped, the inhabitants of Osijek were trying desperately trying to find the money to do urgently needed repairs to their homes before the leaves on the trees started to fall which was the calling card for the oncoming winter, those that had fled at the onset of war were now returning to see what was left of their homes. The children were playing in the streets and going back to school, the money changers and the market traders were every day at the local market, the officers who had achieved a high rank during the war were now getting good jobs in civilian life, UNPROFOR were having holiday's and the president of Croatia acquired an aeroplane and an island. What of myself and Paula, well I was still waiting to hear from 160 brigade and Paula had been offered a new job. The present director of her school was leaving to be with his family on the coast, Paula was offered the post and after talking to me she agreed to take it on, not only was it more money but it had a future as long as she made a success of it and I for one was confident that she would. My friend Geordi had been made head of the local council, Ivan was now a partner of a local night club called Vega and the days of the Yellow Submarine were far behind him. The press center in Osijek was closing putting people there out of work and they included friends of ours. There was a press center being set up in Slavonski Brod and they would open it. The men from my old unit had gone their separate ways and luckily I knew where Alan the Portuguese was, he and I were the only internationals to remain in Osijek and in the army but for how long? During my free time Paula and I used to go down to the river to sunbathe and swim, her father and mother would take Diana with them as they always went before us even though they were both getting on in years they still went swimming in the Drava every day, they were the long, hot and wonderful days of summer now the war seemed to be over, it was in Croatia but not elsewhere.
The Serbian war machine had now turned it's attention on BiH where there were no UNPROFOR to stop their merciless killing and shelling of civilians and civilian targets. The refugees were streeming out of their country in the thousands and the world once again stood idly by watching and doing nothing. The situation been the same in Croatia almost fifteen months ago and the world did nothing then, the same was now happening in BiH. The Croatian army was now without a war but for how long as more and more of it's soldiers were being re-badged with the letters HVO(Croatian Defense Council) which gave Croatia an opportunity to defend the little of it's country that still the other side of the border with BiH and to continue it's attempt at stopping the Serbians push. The big question in my mind was whether I was going to be dragged into the conflict and yet another battle field, I was not sure that I was willing but if I was sent then I could do nothing, I had to obey orders, then one day the bad news arrived, 160 brigade was finished and I had to find a new unit if I was to remain in the Croatian army. The only way to get transferred was to go and see Peter, so Paula and I went to command and asked to see him, he told me I had three choices, the first was to stay where I was on guard, the second was to transfer to a group called IDS, they spent most of the time doing recces for HVO in BiH and the third was to go to RRF(Rijeka Ratna Flotila-War River Fleet) which was stationed on the border between us and BiH and my job would be to act as security at the river crossings. We talked about each of them and I and Peter eventually the best was RRF, so Peter had a word with the commanding officer who told him to tell me that I should report the following morning at 0630hrs at a place in the old town, Paula said that she knew where it was and continued to explain to me. We thanked Peter and left for home talking about what I could expect, neither of us knew anything about the RRF so I would have to wait until the following morning to see what it was like and what they did. We arrived back home and I immediately pressed my uniform and cleaned my boots, I was determined to make a good impression on my first day, there was no way that anyone was going to say that I was unprofessional. That night we talked,
"I would have liked to have gone to the IDS as Alan and three of the old unit were there" I told her,
"well why didn't you" she replied,
I couldn't answer her but deep down I had wanted to go back to the front line especially as it was in another country. This countries war had been the reason why I had come in the first place so why should I fight for someone else. Although the front line always seemed like home to me it was very dangerous in BiH as there were so many different sides fighting, there were Serbians, chetniks, Muslims and Bosnians, it was hard to tell who was shooting at who so I thought it would be better to stay in Croatia as here I knew who the enemy was. Only time would tell wheater or not I had made the right decision, not only for myself but for Paula who was now part of my life and her feelings had to be considered, at least with RRF I wouldn't be that far away and probably in a safer situation. That night I went to sleep early as I wanted to be on time the following day especially as I was not sure where it was even though Paula had already explained.
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