Igor Kačić
| Igor Kačić | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
23 August 1975 Vukovar, SFR Yugoslavia, (now Croatia) |
| Died |
20 November 1991 (aged 16) Ovčara, Vukovar, Croatia |
| Nationality | Croat |
| Occupation | Pupil |
| Relatives | Petar and Irena Kačić (father & mother) |
Igor Kačić (23 August 1975 – 20 November 1991) was a Croatian teenager who was killed during the Vukovar massacre.
Kačić was born and raised in Vukovar to Petar and Irena Kačić with his twin sister Silvia and older sister Sandra. At the beginning of the Battle of Vukovar during the Croatian War of Independence, Kačić was supposed to attend the second grade of the Electrical engineering high school in Vukovar.[1]
On September 14, 1991, the Kačić family apartment was destroyed by shelling, after which they were forced to seek refuge in a bomb shelter. Kačić's father was actively involved in the defense of Vukovar until his death on October 2, 1991. As the fall of Vukovar began to appear inevitable, on November 18, 1991, Kačić and his family were moved into the shelter of the Vukovar hospital by the comrades of his late father. Igor obtained a rifle and would stand guard at the entrance to the shelter.[1]
On November 20, 1991, two days after the fall of Vukovar, Kačić, his mother and sisters came out of the hospital basement with other refugees under orders of the Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces. Outside, Veselin Šljivančanin, officer of the Yugoslav People's Army, was standing at the door separating the men from women and children. He pointed to Kačić, who was a tall and strong young man, and he put him among the men, saying: "You over there!". Igor Kačić's mother asked Šljivančanin "Why him, he's just a kid?" as she showed him Igor's health card with the date of his birth. Šljivančanin replied: "We'll check everything." That was the last time his mother and sisters saw Kačić. He was killed at Ovčara the same day.[1]
In 1996, the exhumation at Ovčara started, and Kačić's remains were found, together with a gold pendant, a little dolphin that he carved during his time in the shelter, and a couple of die-cast toy cars. His mother later found out that Kačić was separated at Ovčara into a group of men who were supposed to be released, but their neighbor from Vukovar reportedly said that he should not to be released because "he is the son of an Ustaša". Kačić was buried in 1997 at the Rijeka cemetery, together with his father, whose remains were exhumed in 1998. He was the youngest victim of the Vukovar massacre.[1][2][3][4]
On November 11, 2012 a monument was revealed in Vukovar, called "Father and Son", honoring Petar and Igor Kačić.[3][5][6]
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Igor je u džepu nosio igračke, a na ramenu pušku". Večernji list (in Croatian). 2012-11-18. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ↑ "Igor Kačić likvidiran je sa samo 16 godina" (in Croatian). HINA - www.tportal.hr. 2012-11-20. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- 1 2 "U Vukovaru otkriven spomenik ˝Otac i sin˝" (in Croatian). Radio 101 (Croatia). 2012-11-18. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ↑ "Moj Igor imao je 16 godina". Novi list (in Croatian). Retrieved 23 November 2012.
- ↑ "Otkriven spomenik za legendu obrane i najmlađu žrtvu Ovčare". Večernji list (in Croatian). 2012-11-18. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ↑ "GRAD HEROJ U najdužoj Koloni sjećanja čak 60.000 ljudi! Markač: 'Srce mi je reklo da moram doći'". Jutarnji list (in Croatian). 2012-11-18. Retrieved 22 November 2012.