General Blagoje Adzic: The End of a Career

Born in 1932 in Pridvorica, near Gacko (B&H). Nationality - Serb. Graduated from the highest military schools in Yugoslavia, "and was also educated abroad". Has occupied a number of responsible posts in the JNA. He became the Yugoslav armed forces' Chief of Staff on September 21, 1989, when his predecessor Stevan Mirkovic retired.

In June 1990 he stated the following: "Those who want to change the borders, to cause a civil war and hatred on Yugoslav soil are the ones that should be afraid of the Army, and not the people, for the Army is a part of the people, it serves the people, and exists for the people's sake." The afore cited explanation, or anything else that he has said or done in his brief career as acting-Defense Minister, did not help him get rid of the label of "hard liner" in the JNA leadership.

The story goes that he once said the following to Stipe Mesic (the Croatian representative in the SFRY Presidency): "You have butchered us once, and I will not allow you to do it again." Some fifty of Adzic's relatives were killed by Croatian Ustashi during World War II. This undoubtedly tragic family background provides the explanation for his behavior in the "Croatian" and "Bosnian" episodes of the Yugoslav war: he did not take part in them, because he wanted to finish the war that happened half century ago.

By succeeding General Kadijevic, who formally resigned on January 6, 1992 (after an EC monitoring mission helicopter was downed), General Adzic settled down to the adventure of prolonging the agony of the JNA's overall defeat. What his "successors" have got themselves into, and how long will they last - we shall see. If we survive.