Versatile athlete, hero of Vukovar
Before the war, the Vukovar hero loved to play football, and as a skilled swimmer, he swam long stretches on Lake Ramski.
Mijo was born in the village of Rumboci in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was the seventh child in a large family. Mijo had brothers Ilija, Šimun, Ivan and Anta and sisters Ana, Luca and Kata.
In order to feed his eight children, father Nikola worked in Austria, while mother Ruža took care of the children at home.
Mijo finished primary school in Ripci, and started attending mechanical engineering high school in Prozor. He was a versatile athlete. He coached football, and he liked to play basketball with his friends. He was also a skilled swimmer, which is why he used to swim very long stretches at Ramski Jezera in the summer.
At the beginning of 1991, Mijo voluntarily joined the 1st "A Brigade ZNG Tigers". At the end of September, he goes to defend Vukovar.
In the book "I survived Vukovar and Ovčara", Vilim Karlović recalled how Mijo was a very reserved and modest young man. "He radiated kindness and calm and was imbued with deep religiosity," he wrote.
Mijo died fighting for his homeland on November 10, 1991 from a mortar shell explosion. He was posthumously awarded the rank of officer deputy of the HV and was awarded the Order of Petar Zrinski and Frane Krsta Frankopan.
