Sławomir Petelicki Brigadier General Sławomir Petelicki ( 13 September 1946 – 16 June 2012 ) was the first commander of the Polish special forces unit GROM from July 13 , 1990 , until December 19 , 1995 . Later , he was the head of the Foundation of Former GROM Soldiers . Biography . Sławomir Petelicki was born September 13 , 1946 in Warsaw . In 1969 he graduated from the Law Faculty of the Warsaw University . The same year he joined the I Department ( Intelligence ) Ministry of Internal Affairs of People ' s Republic of Poland and , until 1990 , he served at various posts in the intelligence . On various posts in Polish embassies abroad he was responsible for counter - intelligence . Since 1973 a military advisor at the Polish consulate in New York . Upon his return to Poland he continued his service in the economical intelligence . After a brief stay in Sweden between 1983 and 1987 , where he served as the head of the Polish intelligence in the embassy in Stockholm , he returned to Poland where he was assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the commanding officer of all the security services guarding Polish embassies and consulates . Apart from his intelligence service , Petelicki was also an active member of special forces . He gained extensive experience in reconnaissance and diversion . Very little is known of the missions he was part of , apart from the missions to North Vietnam in 1971 and to China the following year . In 1990 Petelicki was assigned to a newly formed , then top secret JW 2305 special forces . Initially consisting only of himself , the unit was soon expanded to become GROM . For the first several years the unit remained completely secret . It was first reported to the press in 1992 and became known to the public in 1994 , after their first in Haiti . Dismissed on December 19 , 1995 , Petelicki remained unassigned . Between May 14 and June 13 of 1996 , Petelicki was the deputy Prime Minister for fighting organized crime . On December 7 , 1997 he was again assigned as the commanding officer of the GROM unit . On August 15 , 1998 , the " Day of the Polish Army " , he was promoted by president Aleksander Kwaśniewski to the rank of brigadier general . On September 17 , 1999 he finally gave up the command of GROM and retired . Thereafter , he headed the Foundation of Former GROM Soldiers , which helps veterans to meld into society . In his later years he openly criticized the Polish Government and condemned Polish president Bronisław Komorowski . He was considered a hero by various right - wing groups because of similarities in their beliefs . He also accused Polish premier Donald Tusk of high treason . Death . On June 16 , 2012 , Petelicki ' s wife found his body lying next to his car parked in the garage of their apartment block in Warsaw . According to the police , Petelicki died from a self - inflicted gunshot to his head . Apart from the bullet entrance and exit wounds in his temples , no other injuries were found on his body , and security cameras did not record the presence of any other people in the garage at the time of his death , leading the police to conclude that Petelicki had committed suicide . He has left no suicide note . Awards . During his military career , Sławomir Petelicki was awarded with some of the most notable military medals , including the following : In addition , Petelicki was an honorary member of the 5th and 10th Special Forces Group s of the American " Green Berets " and a bearer of the Golden GROM Badge with Wreath . During his career he accomplished parachute , sniper and diver training . He also gained the I dan in Judo and was a specialist in helicopter landing . Popular among the journalists and mass media , Petelicki was also awarded with the title of " Gentleman of the Year 2000 " by the " Gentleman " monthly .