Paulo Goncalves

Bosnia 95 Paulo Goncalves

25 years after the end of the deadliest military conflict in Europe since World War II, the author unveils his mission diary regarding the UN Protection Force for Bosnia Herzegovina. Taking the role of a narrator he creates a character - Captain Alex - who personifies the author's multiple field experiences, recounting the true story of the last year (1995) of the war in the Balkans. In an environment of suspicion and espionage, Captain Alex leads a Team of UN Military Observers tasked to survey the No Fly Zone. Operating from Yugoslavia, Alex reports dozens of violations to the UN Resolutions. He then suffers the hardship of the war in Croatia and Bosnia. He witnesses in loco the Croatian military offensive to regain the full sovereignty of their territory and redeploys to Bosnia where he undergoes all the major events leading to the Dayton Peace Agreements. This book portrays the life of a UN Military Observer, striving to accomplish his Peacekeeper mission in a territory devastated by an ongoing war. Although not exempt of serious dangers, the life of a Peacekeeper is an experience full of adventure, compassion and camaraderie, which fulfills the sensation of "having done something worthwhile".