Blago Zadro

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Blago Zadro (March 31, 1944 – October 16, 1991) was a commander of the Croatian defense forces in Vukovar during the Croatian war of independence. He was killed in an attack by Serb forces in the town of Borovo Naselje.

Zadro was born in a small village near Grude in Herzegovina, and his family moved to Borovo Naselje in 1954 where he finished school. He became active in politics during Croatia's first democratic elections in 1990 and became the vice president of the HDZ in Vukovar, and joined the defense corps when the war started. He commanded the Croatian forces during the bloody Battle of Vukovar, along with two of his sons, where he bravely led actions against the JNA-backed Serbs along Trpinja road. He was killed by Serb forces on October 16, and his body remained missing until 1998, where his body was exhumed along with the bodies of 937 other victims in a mass grave in Borovo Naselje. After his death, he was promoted posthumously to the rank of major general. His two eldest sons fought with him in Vukovar; his eldest Robert disappeared during combat near Kupres.

Zadro is recognized as one of the greatest heroes of the Croatia's Homeland war, with parliament president Vladimir Šeks saying, "without heroes like Blago Zadro, there would be no free Croatia." A commemoration of him is held every year on the anniversary of his death in Vukovar, and the main street in Borovo Naselje and a military school in Zagreb have been named after him.