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April 30 1992

This is a story about either a man or a machine. After reading this, people in Osijek will probably guess who I am writing about, I have known this man for seven months now and when I first met him he was an ordinary person, a person with feelings and emotions. Over the past half year both in stature and mentally. He was a man who had to his paper in Spain and also to his country, he was a reporter but soon became a soldier because of what he saw and felt while reporting on the Croatian struggle for democracy, he loves you because of what you stand for, a fight for freedom, a fight for right, he was a man who worked for a living, now he fights for a living, not for money but just because it comes with the territory of being a commander, because of his extra workload he has become moody, but I and men under his command understand and accept whatever he says because he is the person he is, if our unit needs anything he goes out of his way to get it for us. Everybody seems to forget that he has feelings but because of his command he has to hide them away, he is human but only when he is alone. He has a family, friends and a life outside Croatia but he has locked them away for the duration of the war, he does not want anything to cloud his judgment as commander. For nine months he has fought for Croatia, he has not taken a break, he has not taken a holiday but how long can this man last, I, as someone who has known him for six months, love and respect him, I for one hope that he will last until the end of the war. He is a powerhouse of strength but how long will his strength last, I hope for as long as this war lasts. While everybody around him (me included) both in his unit and outside have some sort of relationship, he has nothing, he directs his emotions towards the Serbs, chetniks and communism. He will live and maybe die a Croatian soldier and because of what he has done, he should be written into the war history of Slavonija, he deserves it. Many people have served under him over the past nine months but have since left for other units still respect him because he is what he is, a great fighter for justice. He will never be a normal man until the war has finished, then and only then will he allow himself to relax and enjoy the freedom that he actually deserves. When Croatia is free from war then he will be free, he will be free to be a person who feels, loves and behaves like anyone else, I will always think of him as my commander and friend whatever I happen to be, I will always remember him, I think you in Slavonija will also, I love him as a brother, a brother to freedom, a brother to justice and a brother to to every Croatian in this country, I will never be able to repay what he has given to me. After nineteen years he is the first real friend I have had and I will never forget him, I hope that you as Croats will also remember what he has done however insignificant you may think it is. He has been a piece in a great chess game, the part that he took was a king, long live the king. Remember our little chubby and loveable flamingo dancer, our Croatian freedom fighter. 

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