Battle of Kosare hero defended his country to the end: He was only 20 when he died, grief killed his father

Photo: Private archive

He never went on leave, he defended his country to the end. A hero of the Battle of Kosare, Milenko "Kunc" Bozic, died when he was only 20 years old defending his fatherland.

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(The Battle of Kosare was fought at a border outpost between Serbia and Albania, in Kosovo and Metohija, which was defended from the invaders by Serbian forces during NATO/Albanian attacks in 1999)

Milenko was born in Lacark near Sremska Mitrovica on February 7, 1979. As a boy, he loved to play football, which is why he was nicknamed after his favorite Swiss footballer Stefan Kuntz (Serbian transliteration: "Kunc").

Milenko lost his mother in early childhood, and lived with his older brother Andjelko and father Bosko. After graduating from high school, he got a job as a butcher and worked overtime to save up for his send-off party once he got conscripted to serve in the Army, because, like a true Serb, he was very attached to traditions and customs.

He joined the (then Yugoslav) Army in September 1998 in Zajecar, he was assigned to the border guards. In mid-December, he received command to transfer to the 53rd Border Battalion, Pristina Corps, at the Kosare Outpost. All the time he served in the Army, he never went on leave, he defended his country until the end.

Milenko died on April 11, 1999, on Orthodox Easter, on Opljaz near Musa's House, when Sergeant Ivan "Jaguar" Vasojevic, Darko Bjelobrk, Predrag Bogosavljevic, and their dog, called Major Lister, also lost their lives. Milenko was only 20.

Posthumously, he was awarded the Order of Defense and Security Merit, First Class.

His father never recovered from losing his son and passed away shortly after Milenko's death.

(Telegraf.rs)