Sgt (Ret’d) Jacques Maillet, RCMP (Ilok, Sector East, 92-93 UNPROFOR - ROTO 1)

Sgt(Ret’d) Jacques Maillet, RCMP (Ilok, Sector East, 92-93 UNPROFOR - ROTO 1)

“Red Serge and Blue Beret” personal journal of J.A.J. Maillet

"The day I almost died!"

October 14, 1992

I was on patrol when I was called at the office. I met with a family who wished to retrieve some belongings, but feared to return to their home in Šarengrad, near our station in Ilok, in Sector East. They had had two grenade attacks at their home within the last 24 hours. This tactic was often used to intimidate the resident to leave. The refugees would then take the house for themselves.

We brought them to their house and entered the residence in order to assist them in gathering their things. They were then taken to their friends in llok for the night. The lady and her 8-year-old boy, who had been crying, seemed relieved after we helped them and they were now smiling.

October 15, 1992

Today, I visited the school in order to do some public relations with the students. Things went very well and a program will be put in place. We will give presentations to the school on different topics (the mandate of UNPROFOR, our countries, etc.). The first lecture will be given on the 24^th of October, as part of the United Nations' Day.

I returned to the office to find the same family of yesterday there. They had been threatened this morning by some refugees as they returned to their home. The refugees had shoved a pistol in the mouth of the 8-year-old boy and ordered him to tell his family to leave. Again, this was a continuation of yesterday's events.

After visiting the local police, the woman asked if it was again possible to drive her to the house as she needed some essentials, but had no gas in her vehicle. We talked (Rolf, a Swedish Police UN Peacekeeper and I) and decided to drive them. In the Russian Vaz jeep, there was Rolf and I, the woman, her son and a family friend, a Serbian, who was going to help them. When we arrived, Rolf and I decided to stay in the entrance with Ljiljana our interpreter, to hurry things along. We stayed under the car port.

A second family friend, also Serbian, had returned from the 2^nd storey, where they had all gone to gather their belongings. They brought us walnuts in the shell. We started cracking them under our feet and eating them. As I was cracking one open under my boot, a violent explosion ripped through the house, I felt it right through me. In that moment I thought I had caused the explosion as the timing of cracking the walnut and the explosion had happen at the exact same time.  I was thinking how stupid was I, and what it would be in consequences and injuries.  Did I lose my foot? A leg?  Glass spread across the road and debris flew everywhere. As I tried to get my senses back, a long silence fell over us all. Of course, at this point I realized I was not injured, nor did I cause the explosion.  I looked at Rolf and Ljiljana to see if they were OK; Rolf gave me a nod, and Ljiljana was white with fear. I could see she was alright. After what seemed to be an eternity, we started to hear crying and screaming. I knew something terrible had happened, but didn't know who was hurt.

First, I saw the woman, then the child, followed by the man who gave us the walnuts. They were bloody, but seemed unhurt. The man who I had driven with us in our UN Russian Vaz Jeep, had not come down and I wondered; if he was dead or alive. The woman was now hysterical and out of control. The boy was also crying. Ljiljana was unable to translate as she was in shock and my main objective was to determine if this man was still alive or dead. Some neighbours had gathered outside, so we tried to hand the woman over to these people, but with no interpreter, it was very hard to make ourselves understood. The second man got in his car and told us in Serbo-Croatian, he was going to get the police. Rolf and Ljiljana got in the Vaz and headed for the “Post, Telegraph & Telephone” (PTT) to phone the CIVPOL office, as the Vaz did not have a transmitting radio. We found out it was closed. I told Rolf to go to Ilok some 14 kms away, for help. I had not worked much with Rolf, but from that moment, I realized he was a real police officer. He wanted to make sure I was OK, and then left. I had a portable radio, but had difficulty transmitting because of the bad location down in the valley. I was trying desperately to pass a message onto HQ. I heard Peter Brompton of Ireland and knew he would understand. After much effort, I gave him half of the message, asking him to send an ambulance to my location.

Now I knew, I should just wait; however, I also knew I had to go up and see if this man was still alive. What had happened? Had he set off a boobytrap? Would I do the same? Still, I knew, no matter what, I would have to check. I started up the long stairway with my head facing forward - but my feet felt like going backward.  I got to the top of the stairs and turned left down a long hallway. I had already found blood and body parts strewn about. The smell of gun powder filled the air. It was unlike any other smell, thick blue smoke hanging there. In the last room on the right side, I saw a man lying in the threshold. I could see his left arm was missing, he was covered with blood but still mumbling and breathing. All the fingers were missing from his right hand, and there was a large gash on the inside of his thigh and arm. There was a hole in his neck and he had an open skull fracture. As I knelt beside him and put my hand on his shoulder, I noticed many doors, any of which could have been booby trapped. I felt very helpless. Despite being an ambulance attendant for many years, I could not get to anything, not even a bed sheet in order to make bandages, for fear of setting off an explosion.  I stuffed the collar of his shirt in the hole in his neck which helped him breathe.  

I was still waiting for another explosion at any moment.   At one point, he tried to talk and through broken “srpski” (serbo-croatian), I understood "ambulanta, ambulanta" (serbo-croatian for ambulance). He was, to my dismay, fully conscious. I felt so bad, I could not do anything... Peter called on the radio to confirm all was OK and the ambulance was on its way. Still, I was waiting with this man, waiting for him to live or die; it seemed like an eternity, but I am sure it was really only minutes. Many things were racing through my mind. Why all this violence and suffering? Did they really have to go this far to prove their point?  Would I also die here… now?

Thirty minutes had gone by when Rolf came back and climbed the stairs. I told him not to walk where I was, for fear of setting off more booby traps. I was also not sure if he wanted to view this mangled body. He stayed downstairs until help arrived.  With the additional help we secured the scene the best we could. Before long, the chief of the local police (Mile) arrived, the local doctor Slobodan Macut, and a nurse, Olja Babic. We could not even give him an intravenous, as he had too many holes in his body. I had started to bandage his arm (or what was left of it, before the doctor got there). I kept on helping. For some foolish reason, I thought he would make it. The police took photos with my camera, which I had handed them, as they had no batteries for theirs. The Brit Bat ambulance arrived and we loaded the casualty.

He died on the way to the hospital, leaving behind a wife and three young children. I went back to the office and typed the incident report.

October 16, 1992

I almost died yesterday.

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Erdut, Sector East 92-93 ROTO 1 and 2 - Left to Right - Jacques Maillet, RCMP and Swedish CIVPOL colleagues.

Sarajevo, Sector Sarajevo 92-93 ROTO 1 and 2 - Sarajevo Airport.

Zagreb, 92-93 ROTO 1 and 2, flying with the Russian Battalion from Sarajevo.

Vokuvar, Sector East 92-93 ROTO 1 and 2 with the Finnish Battalion.

Ilok, Sector East, 92-93 ROTO 1 and 2 - Parting with my boots with Kamal, Jordanian Contingent - Herve Millet, RCMP and Sasha looking on.

Sarajevo, Sector Sarajevo 92-93 ROTO 1 and 2, Capt Eric Cellier, R22R and I, Sarajevo Airport.

Sarajevo, Sector Sarajevo 92, ROTO 1 and 2 - Sarajevo Ariport.

Ilok, Sector East, 92-93 ROTO 1 and 2 - Visiting those needing med attention with the British Medical Team.

Blue Beret and Red Serge, UNTAG, UNPROFOR, JIPTC and MINUSTHA.

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