In Slovenia, between June 27 and July 7, 1991, there was a war between Slovenia and Yugoslavia – Slovenia seceded from Yugoslavia with a plebiscite, which was followed by an attack on Slovenia. The war lasted only 10 days and had a minimal number of dead, which was something special.
It is certainly necessary to attribute the merits to the war strategy, the great international information support, especially to the Slovenes scattered around the world, the Catholic Church under Pope John Paul II, with its wide network that stood up for the defence of small nations, but the war could have flared up in a completely different way, had many victims and also lasted. It seemed like a real miracle had happened and we couldn’t believe our eyes.
As a Slovene who, only two years ago, was still on compulsory military service in the Yugoslav army and experienced the communist machine firsthand, I was mobilized to fight against Yugoslavia. Since I come from a family that suffered a lot from communism, I certainly had no sympathy for communist Yugoslavia even as a teenager, so it was not difficult to identify with the struggle for independence and democracy, which I also saw as legitimate Christian categories. The first feeling when I put on the military uniform was that we are a small nation, that the Yugoslav army with all its weapons and equipment will quickly destroy us, that they will bomb the cities, etc. On the one hand, this caused me fear, and on the other, a desire for justice or self-defence. When they gave us the weapons, the doctor who was standing there looked at us kind of pityingly, as if he was seeing us for the last time, then they put us on a bus and took us to a certain place. There was tension in the air and anticipation of what would happen, but inside me was fear and thinking about the meaning of life, war, death and eternal life…
One day we were informed that the Yugoslav army was approaching from a neighboring town and that a parachute landing and a battle could follow at night. We “slept” in full combat gear, and I thought what was the point of my studies, which I had started the year before, if I would most likely be dead in a short time. Many things that seemed important to me before have become unimportant and even somewhat banal.
What remained important was my life at this moment, my past, how I lived it and the moral issue of the conflict; I will shoot the opponent or What should I do if someone takes aim at me or directly attacks me at close range? Will I kill and how will I kill if I do? What does this mean for me about evil and life after death? Peace remained a deep desire in the heart.
I spontaneously prayed that if I survived this war, in the future I would live for the fundamental values of life, fight for justice and love, and express my faith courageously. I felt that God was with me, that he was near, whatever was going to happen. I experienced faith in a tangible, close, essential way. As for the moral question of killing, in that particular situation, I decided to shoot at the other person only in defence if I was directly threatened, otherwise bypassing. I was aware that in combat I would automatically act as I had previously decided. A prayer ran through my heart, I asked the Lord that someone from other countries would help us in this defensive war, that someone would know about what was happening to us, and that the outside world would not let us die alone. I thought how horrible it is that people around the world sit in front of screens, drink coffee and watch with some pleasure what is happening in our country and how people are dying. Anger mingled with sorrow and prayer.
The night passed mostly without sleep, and in the morning we were told that the Yugoslav soldiers had already been stopped by others on the way and that there would be no fight with us. I breathed a sigh of relief, especially in the following days when it became clear that the war was coming to an end. I couldn’t believe my ears. God was near, God was tangible, gratitude for this miracle was immeasurable, and an independent country, which in the past (before communism) based its identity precisely on Christianity, became a great gift. I was convinced that the prayers of Christians throughout Slovenia and elsewhere were answered. As the events continued, I felt joy and pride that the Church had done so much for independence that the Vatican, under Pope John Paul II. recognized Slovenia as an independent country and that there were not many victims.
Questions to ponder:
- What or who would you be willing to give your life for?
- In times of trouble, does fear overcome my faith?
- Do I believe in the action of the Holy Spirit and resurrection from the dead?
- What do I do to support those who suffer the most in war conflicts?
