Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-10-24

C1tlZenSnlp IN the country WHICH
used them in combat but could not
give them a soldiers pay under law
still is the hope of four Yugoslav
airmen whose petition for natural
ization was rejected in District Court
Tuesday.
The situation of these men now
deprived of a homeland is no less
ironic today than it was during the
Italian campaign when the men
hung back on payday but always
were ready when the Army Air
Forces was handing out it's toughest
missions.
They even bombed targets in their
native land, to which they returned
at combat stations in American
Liberators, under American orders,
flying in an American squadron, and
wearing American uniforms and
hard-Won decorations. In these same
uniforms, 10 of the original 40 Yugo-
slav airmen died in action.
Yet the same American law which
denied them wartime pay, on the
technicality they were still attached
to the Yugoslav Army, was inter-
preted here as denying credit for
this service on the three-year mill
tary requirement for eligibility to be
naturalized as American citizens.
Hope to Remain in AAF.
There was some embarrassment
in District Court Tuesday when this
decision was handed down in behalf
of the United States to Capt. Vijislav
N. Skakich, 81, command pilot; LIST
Its. Milosh M. Jelich, 33, pilot, and
Zivko T. Miloykovich. 33, navigator,
and Flight Officer Dejan Radich, 35,
engineer.
The present hope of the four, who
were commissioned by presidential
order about year ago for duration
of the emergency plus six months
and have succeeded in bringing their
wives and children to Washington,
is that they can remain in the Army
Air Forces for at least another two
years, to compete in peacetime
service the three-year requirement
for citizenship.
Capt. Skakich, veteran of 81 COM
BAT missions in Africa and Europe,
who holds the Distinguished Flying
Cross. the Air Medal with four clus-
ters, II battle stars and three Presi-
Dental Unit Citations, and 1t. Miloy-
kovich are attached to the First
Bomb Unit at Boiling Field, while
the other two are serving with the
64th Bomb Unit at Andrews Field.
Deny Part in Balkan Politics.
While they might fear execution If
returned now to Tito-dominated
the senior member of
the group, Capt. Skakich, made it
clear the airmen played no part in
Balkan politics. but devoted them
selves to winning the war for the
Allies since they fled their native
land ahead of the invading Nazis in
April, 1941.
At that time, Gen. Draja Mihailo-
vich, executed last July by Marshal
Tito's regime, was recognized by the
LII 4O1o1i Alakl4oUNl Vi w al dllO 1CdoCl
of the resistance for Yugoslavia.
Capt. Skakich was a veteran COM
mercial airline pilot, and the other
three were in the regular army of
The Yugoslav government called
for volunteers to serve abroad, and
the four were among band of
about 600 who fled through Greece
and made their way to Egypt to
join the British. Capt Skakich
flew British bombers against Gen.
Rommel's forces in Africa until he
was selected with 80 other Yugo-
slav airmen to come to the United
States for advanced training in
1912.
The Yugoslavs were organized
into four Liberator crews and, after
their training in the United States,
were presented with four B-24
bombers at a war time ceremony
at Boiling Field in october, 1943.
They left for the fighting front with
the hest wishes of the late PreSi.