09 Charred Cap Badge of Member of the Czech Army, UNCRO Mission, Tango 23 Base, 5 August 1995

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A burnt cap badge of a member of the Czech Army on the UNCRO mission was found by one of the crew members of the Tango 23 observation post after his return from leave. During his leave, the Croatian army launched Operation Oluja (Storm).

The Tango 23 observation post was part of a long line of observation and control posts between the hostile Croatia and the Republic of Serbian Krajina. The line was manned by members of the United Nations Confidence Restoration Operation (UNCRO). The troops operating on this UNCRO mission also included members of the Czech Armed Forces. The Tango 23 observation post was located near the village of Ljubovo, on the road leading from Korenice to Lički Osik. The crew consisted of the 3rd Peace Battalion of the Czech Republic.

Tango 23 was made infamous on the Saturday of 5 August 1995. At that time, the Croatian Operation Storm was underway against the Republic of Serbian Krajina. During this clash there was mortar fire on Tango 23, when the shrapnel caused fatal injuries to Sergeant First Class Luděk Zeman and Sergeant Petr Valeš and lighter injuries to Sergeant Roman Čelanský, Sergeant Jiří Suda and Sergeant Jiří Hubáček. The Croats, who occupied the Czech post, had a doctor who attended to the wounded soldiers, but they refused to release the wounded Czechs into the Serbian zone. However, the injuries of Luděk Zeman and Petr Valeš were so serious that unfortunately both of them soon succumbed. In addition, most of the base’s infrastructure was destroyed when a fire burned the equipment of the observation post and its crew. That is why one of the officers, after returning from leave, found only this charred cap badge from his beret.