Bojan Polak-Stjenka (28 November 1918 – 4 July 2004) was a
Yugoslav military officer, Communist politician, and athlete of
Slovene ethnicity.
Biography
Polak was born in
Ormož on 28 November 1918, shortly after the end of the
First World War. He was raised in
Žiri and
Ljubljana and showed considerable prowess in
athletics, becoming the Yugoslav national champion in
decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in Athletics (sport), athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek language, Greek δέκα (''déka'', meaning "ten") and ...
in 1938. He attended the military academy for reserve officers of the
Royal Yugoslav Army in
Sarajevo and graduated in 1940. Following the defeat of the Royal Army in the
April War, he joined the
Yugoslav Partisans and by 1943 was made Commander of the Ljubo Sercer Shock Brigade. In 1946, Polak was sent to the
Soviet Artillery Academy in
Moscow, where he remained for two years. In 1953, he retired from military service.
After his retirement from the military, Polak became involved in politics and veterans advocacy. He was appointed the Yugoslav Ambassador to the
German Democratic Republic in 1964, a post he held until 1968. In 1969, he was made Commander of the Defense Staff of the
Territorial Defense of the
Socialist Republic of Slovenia
The Socialist Republic of Slovenia ( sl, Socialistična republika Slovenija, sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Socijalistička Republika Slovenija, Социјалистичка Република Словенија), commonly referred to as Sociali ...
.
When
Marshal Tito
Josip Broz ( sh-Cyrl, Јосип Броз, ; 7 May 1892 – 4 May 1980), commonly known as Tito (; sh-Cyrl, Тито, links=no, ), was a Yugoslav communist revolutionary and statesman, serving in various positions from 1943 until his death ...
died, Polak was one of the guards of honor at his funeral. He was President of the Federation of Veterans Associations of the People's Liberation War from 1983 to 1984 and in 1988, Polak was made President of the ''ZZB NOV Slovenije'', which remains the largest organization for veterans of the Liberation War in Slovenia.
He died in Ljubljana on 4 July 2004.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Polak, Bojan
1918 births
2004 deaths
Yugoslav politicians
Yugoslav Partisans members
League of Communists of Slovenia politicians
Recipients of the Order of the People's Hero
Yugoslav decathletes