Josip Jović (21 November 1969 – 31 March 1991) was a

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

n policeman who was killed during the

Plitvice Lakes incident The Plitvice Lakes incident ( or ''Plitvički krvavi Uskrs'', both translating as "Plitvice Bloody Easter") was an armed clash at the beginning of the Croatian War of Independence. It was fought between Croatian police and armed forces from the ...

. He is widely considered the first Croatian fatality of the

Croatian War of Independence The Croatian War of Independence) and (rarely) "War in Krajina" ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Рат у Крајини, Rat u Krajini) are used. was an armed conflict fought in Croatia from 1991 to 1995 between Croats, Croat forces loyal to the Governmen ...

Biography

Jović was born on 21 November 1969 in the village of

Aržano Aržano is a small village in Zagora, Croatia, situated near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina at an altitude of 650 m. The population is 478 (2011 census). The village is known for having the annual "Josip Jović Memorial Tournament," a 6- ...

, near

Imotski Imotski () is a small town on the northeastern side of the Biokovo massif in the Dalmatian Hinterland of southern Croatia, near the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town has a generally mild Mediterranean climate which makes it a popular ...

, to Filip and Marija Jović. He was raised with four siblings, brother Tomislav and sisters Franka, Mirna and Anita. After completing his compulsory military service in a JNA Mechanised Infantry unit in Montenegro between 1987 and 1989, on 5 August 1990, Jović joined the Croatian

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

(MUP) Unit for Special Purposes in Zagreb. On 29 March 1991, the Plitvice Lakes management was expelled by rebel Krajina Serb police under the control of

Milan Martić Milan Martić ( sr-Cyrl, Милан Мартић; born 18 December 1954) is a Croatian Serb politician and war criminal who served as the president of the unrecognized Republic of Serbian Krajina, a self-proclaimed state largely populated by Ser ...

, supported by paramilitary volunteers from Serbia proper under the command of

Vojislav Šešelj Vojislav Šešelj ( sr-Cyrl, Војислав Шешељ, ; born 11 October 1954) is a Serbian politician and convicted war criminal. He is the founder and president of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS). Between 1998 and 2000, he was a D ...

. On

Easter Sunday Easter, also called Pascha (Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek language, Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, de ...

, 31 March 1991, Croatian police officers entered the national park to expel the Serb rebels. Serb paramilitaries ambushed a bus carrying Croatian police into the national park on the road north of

Korenica Korenica is a village in Lika, Croatia, located in the municipality of Plitvička Jezera, on the D1 road between Plitvice and Udbina. According to 2011 census it has 1,766 residents. It is the seat of the Plitvička Jezera Municipality. In SF ...

, sparking a day-long gun battle between the two sides. Jović was struck by a burst of fire at the post-office building, penetrating his

bulletproof vest A bulletproof vest, also known as a ballistic vest or bullet-resistant vest, is a type of body armor designed to absorb impact and prevent the penetration of firearm projectiles and explosion fragments to the torso. The vest can be either soft ...

. His colleague, Mladen Pavković, later described Jović's last moments before he was transferred to the ambulance. When a

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

helicopter landed to transfer him to hospital, Jović was already dead. He was buried with military honors at the cemetery in Aržano.

Honors

Jović was posthumously promoted to the rank of major. He was awarded with the

Order of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan The Order of Petar Zrinski and Fran Krsto Frankopan () is the 11th most important medal given by the Republic of Croatia. The order was founded on 1 April 1995. The medal is awarded with two versions of the Croatian interlace: the golden one post ...

Homeland War Memorial Medal The Homeland War Memorial () is a Croatian state medal awarded to both Croatian and foreign citizens who participated in the nation's Croatian War of Independence as a volunteer, part of the Croatian Army and Croatian Council of Defence or in som ...

, 1st Guards Brigade Memorial badge and Memorial Medal of the first killed Ministry of the Interior police officer during the Croatian War of Independence. On 29 September 2011, the Croatian prime minister,

Jadranka Kosor Jadranka Kosor (; born 1 July 1953) is a Croatian politician and former journalist who served as Prime Minister of Croatia from 2009 to 2011, having taken office following the sudden resignation of her predecessor Ivo Sanader. Kosor was the List ...

, opened the "Police Academy Josip Jović" in Jović's honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jovic, Josip 1969 births 1991 deaths People from Imotski Croatian police officers killed in the line of duty Military personnel killed in the Croatian War of Independence