Emir Šišić

Infobox Military Person


name= Emir Šišić
lived= March 17 1963
placeofbirth= Živinice near Tuzla, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
placeofdeath=
|caption=
nickname=
allegiance= SFR Yugoslavia
serviceyears=
rank= Major
commands=
unit= SFR Yugoslav Air Force
FR Yugoslavia Air Force
battles=Yugoslav Wars
awards=
laterwork=

Emir Šišić (born March 17th, 1963 in Živinice near Tuzla, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) is a former pilot of SFR Yugoslav Air Force (later FR Yugoslav Air Force). He is married with his wife Vesna and they have two daughters, Irena and Ada.

Military career

Before the Yugoslav wars Emir Šišić was a MiG-21 pilot of the 124. Fighter Aviation Squadron 117, a Fighter Aviation Regiment from the Željava Air Base near Bihać, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina. On January 7, 1992 (during the war in Croatia), an AB-205 helicopter of the European Community Monitor Mission entered the Yugoslav air space without requesting permissionFact|date=May 2008. During the conflicts at the time it was forbidden to enter Yugoslav air space over Croatia because the JNA was aware of efforts to arm the badly out gunned Croatian Army. Emir Šišić received orders to intercept the helicopter. He took off from Željava air base in a MiG-21 Bis with military registration 17214. Over the village of Novi Marof near Varaždin, he received confirmation to down the helicopter, the attack killed five observers. After the evacuation of JNA personnel from Želajva, Šišić continued his service as a pilot in the FR Yugoslavia Air Force flying An-26 cargo aircraft at Batajnica Air Base. On June 9 2002 he went to buy medicine in Hungary, where he was arrested and transferred to Italy where he was sentenced to 15 years of jail. After negotiations between Serbian and Italian authorities, the Italian government agreed to transfer Šišić from Italy to Serbia, to Sremska Mitrovica.

On May 9 2008 Emir Šišic was released from jail.

ECMM observer involved

* Tenente colonnello Enzo Venturini, † KIA, pilot, Gold Medal for Military Valor (posthumous);
* Sergente maggiore Marco Matta † KIA, co-pilot, Gold Medal for Military Valor, (posthumous);
* Maresciallo capo Fiorenzo Ramacci † KIA, Gold Medal for Military Valor, (posthumous);
* Maresciallo capo Silvano Natale, † KIA, Gold Medal for Military Valor, (posthumous);
* Lieutenant de vaisseau Jean-Loup Eychenne, † KIA, Marine nationale.

See also

* SFR Yugoslav Air Force
* Željava Air Base

External links

* http://www.danas.co.yu/20030514/dijalog.htm
* http://www.dnevnik.co.yu/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=16075
* http://www.danas.co.yu/20030514/dijalog.htm
* http://listserv.buffalo.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0305&L=justwatch-l&O=D&P=89683