Marko Pilepić

* 1940

Ilegální přechod hranice, Croatia
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    Escape to a better life

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    „Your escapes, how many timed have you tried?“ „Two times.“ „Can you tell us about the first and seconf escape'“ „First time I was very young. Actually it was three times. First time I was caught at Monte Grando.“ „At Monte Grando?“ „Yes. There was a group of us wanting to escape to Italy, and we arrived at Monte Grando, later two of them went to buy bread and ham, we were supposed to go forward later..When we have arrived at Monte Grando, agents of UDBA were waiting for us.“ „Where at Monte Grando?“ „At the gas station.“ „There were a gas station in those times?“ „No, no it was all deserted. Only a porterhouse little to the left.“ „What was it's name?“ „I can't remember. I know that porterhouse exists today, but modernized.“ „A yes it's Turković, actually „At Sonja's“ porterhouse.“ „That's right.“ „Yes, yes.“ „There UDBA was waiting for us, they were taken into car, a I was taken into the forrest by this cop, this UDBA agent. He put a gun on my back pushing me deep into the forrest, I saw my mom and dad..no dad, but whole my family flashed through my eyes. I thought he is going to kill me, that it's all over. He pushed me with his gun. He said: „Where did you tried to go?“ I was scared...I said across the border. „Mother of yours, go home!“ I was so happy that he didn't killed me.“ „When did that happened?“ „That was...how old was I?! I was probably 11 years old, something like that.“ „So in 1951.“ „That's right.“ „And if you came in 1952 from Rovinj to Pula?“ „In 1952, I arrived from Rovinj to Pula so that was later in 1952 or 1952.“ „So in 1953...you were a complete crew?“ „There were several of us, at least four or five of us...young, all kids. That was the first time. The second tme I was with a Montenegrin, we aboarded a train and arrive in Divača, and in Divača we were discovered so we escaped into the woods I came near Škufija, a village, where we were captured.“ „Škofije? You've said Sežana a little earlier.“ „Škofije, Škofije.“ „Škofije. Why did you hid in a train?“ „Yes, we hid in a cargo wagon, there was one of that kind.“ „Aha.“ „So we entered.“ „How have you met this Montenegrin?Has he lived here?“ „He lived near the citadel, his family arrived from Monenegro, there were a lot of children, a she was accompanied by an Italian who was, I think, a prisoner of war during Italian administration. They've all escaped, the whole family. The were succesfull. I have never seen them anymore.“ „And the third time?“ „The third time I was succesfull.“ „Can you tell us about that?“ „My friend and I...he didn't want to go in the army. He asked me how about we try to escape..I wasn't feeling here...I returned from the army so I wasn't able to find a job, a lot of paperwork, a lot of a** kissing, I was very bored with that so I said: „I am going across the border.“ He said. „Let's go.“ „I'm sorry, but when have you returned from the military?What year?“ „In 1963.“ „1963, so you were 23 years old.“ „Yes.“ „Were you stationed at Kornati?“ „No, no. I was in Banja Luka.“ „In Banja Luka...“ „Yes...“ „That's where the tank drivers were?“ „I was in artillery.“ „Artillery..you have returned and decided to run away?“ „Yes...“ „Can you tell us what season was it, how did you planned it...? „It was this time of the season. It was this season when I met his friend and got the call for the military. I was supposed to go to the military...I said that we have to go across the border. I was going by bus from here to Kopar.“ „What kind of bus?“ „A regular bus.“ „Name of the firm'“ „I can't remember.“ „You were going from the old bus station?“ „Yes, from the old bus station.“ „We arrived in Kopar, came down and continued on foot. We were going, I could orientate myself easily beacuse I was in the military Inknw how to do that, and we were going at night, so we were watching the sunset. We arrived in Škofije, again, there on the cemetery we waited for the whole day and night.“ „Athe cemetery in Škofije?“ „Yes.“ „Maybe you were suspects?“ „Nobody saw us. There was nobody at the cemetery. When someone would come we would hide, we would wait on a hill. Whole of Škofije were under the hill. We waited for night to come and as it come so did the big rainy clouds right from Italy. I said to my friend that it's best to go when the clouds come near the coast. So we made our move, it was raining hard, we couldn't see anything. We arrived right in the middle of tana. I took a look and could see houses and a soldier running. I said: „My God where have we arrived!?“ We were lucky, I could see it when we crossed the border. It was clear, a big place, it was clear, no trees no bushes. That's we managed to escape. „You escaped to Trieste.“ „Trieste, yes.“

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    Anchor around the neck

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    „I would like to return to the beginning, you've said that your father was killed in partisans, don't you know where he died?“ „Somewhere near Labin, there's even a memorial site. It was written on it..in Labin there is an encyclopedia of Istria.“ „Istrian encyclopedia'“ „Yes, his name is there. Pilepić Marćelo.“ „Let me ask you, he parctically died as a war hero, and nobody seemed to care when you were growing up...? „Nobody cared, nobody asked who I was, what I was.“ „You were a hero's son and that's how you were treated?“ „Yes, he returned from Italy to fight here, for Istria. They were really wealthy family, I heard that, my mother didn't speak our language, couldn't manage, and nobody ever helped me about that, ever. One time, a sailor, young sailor, I don't know exactly what he was, there was an argument about sailing because that was very popular back then. He told me. „We're going to put an anchor around your neck a throw you into the water, right here.“ I said to him that it is easy for him to say that since my father gave his life so that he could say such things. He got scared, started to apologyze, that he didn't mean that, but you did say that so what do you want more. I was a little cocky to him because he was rude to me before. He was still apologising. I had problem with the army as well. Army, police. They said I was a criminal. But who made me like this? I didn't kill anybody.“ „Where have you sailed'“ „In Uljanik, and later Mornar.“ „Mornar there at...“ „No, Mornar was here near Uljanik bridge. Mornar was where the rowing club was.“ „There were sailing Mornar and rowing club Istra, all in one'“ „Yes, all in one.“ „Have you ever heard about Angelini, the swimmer?“ „No, I wouldn't know.“ „Was it here where the gates of Uljanik are located?“ „Yes.“ „Yes, yes, yes...“ „Let me ask you something, I'm acurious about one thing. Your friends, those killed in the sea, how old were they?“ „One was 19 year old. 18 or 19. They weren't any older than that.“ „So they were pulled over and shot?“ „Took their ID's and shot them. Everbody in Pula knows that. Škorija's mom, she went...his mom and my mom werefriends. She came in our house and started talking how she saw her son's ID card and recognized it, but she was told that her son is being questioned, they lied to that poor woman. That's what she told to my mother. I heard that. Everybody knew.“ „Have they been buried?Where are the bodies?“ „There are no bodies.“ „So the case is still open?“ „I heard they were so massacred that there was nothing left, they even found a part of the boat full with bullet holes. Bodies have never been found.“

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    Execution of young fugitives

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    „Your 13th birthday in 1953“ „Yes.“ „You were saying about four boys, young men who were...“ „Yes, it was Skorija with ???, father worked he was a fatim, the who wears, very nice family. He was, his sister, and one more, this Skorija, who is now (?) I heard he is a coach, or he was a coach, he lives...I think he lives in Borikini.“ „In Raveki polji.“ „Yes, there I heard, I was questioning around. His brother was killed at sea. Škorija, Apat from the barracks, there were three (?), one was without a leg, the other was murdered, at sea, and then Pino, who lived in Ribarska, his brother, Pino's brother was killed, he was ill, he had leukemia, he was killed i, what was his name...Kalčić! Kalčić..plenty of brothers. His brother, who is alive, they still habe brothers here, he said that there were six of them and I knew for four of them, and he said there were six..and I dont know who were those two.“ „How did they escaped?“ „With a boat.“ „From where?“ „From Stoja. That's why I was paddled for them. They invited me to steal the paddles because I was little they managed to push me through a small window, I passed them paddles through it.I was supposed to go with them but they tricked me. One morning...the day after, I heard a soldier talking to other soldier how they've killed some people. I didn't know back then what was it all about but later it came out. This man, this soldier, took our ID's, put them in a boat and unleashed his machine gun on them.“ „Where was that?“ „Out in the sea.“ „Nobody know where it was?“ „From Stoja, probably couple of miles away.“ „Couple of miles outside...“ „Yes...couple of miles outside. Everybody knows that, I was talking with some soldiers who are now retired and I tried to get some information. He said they were shot while drinking coffee (?), no no, they were killed at sea. Nobody ever found them. There were more cases like this.“ „Where did you hear that?“ „Here, in Ribarska street.“ „In the porter ouse or outside.“ „No no, on the road two men were talking. There were pomikaki. You know what is pomikaki?“ „Yes, yes, yes.“ „I was at the pomikaki tree, eating, they couldn't see me, and I could hear them talking about it. Pino was standing right there, whos brother was killed. They even knew names of those killed people. I've heard two names, Apat, nobody liked Apat, a king of the barracks, they were Magyars. They've been living here for generations. It was him and the other one, Kalčić. For those two.“ „That was on your birthday, on the 6th...? „That happened on October 6th 1953.“

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...I was very bored with that so I said: „I am going across the border“

Marko Pilepić
Marko Pilepić
zdroj: Igor Jovanović, Igor Šaponja
zdroj: Igor Jovanović, Igor Šaponja
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Marko Pilepić was born in Sardinia on October 6th 1940. His father‘s name was Marćelo, and mother‘s name was Jarda. He has one sister, one step-sister and four step-brothers. During Italian administration his father was young antifascist and because of that he was banished to Sardinia where he met his future wife Jarda. After Italy capitulated his father returned to Istria and joined the partisans but that same year 1943 he was killed near Labin. Marko, as an orphan grew up in brutal postwar surroundings in Istria. His mother remarried and his step-father put him in an orphanage. He wasn‘t good at school, he was prone to delinquency and strolling. He graduated from high school in Glina. When he was 13 years old he helped his friends in stealing paddles so that his friends can escape to Italy by boat. Their leader had some problems with army authorities and promised Marko that he will take him with him but fortunately they didn‘t. They were spotted by patrol boat and everyone were executed. Their bodies have never been found and no one answered for this crime. Growing up in Pula was tough. After finishing high school Marko triedn to work in wood industry but was bothered by injustice and he spent more and more time in city‘s streets. He smuggled clothes and listened to rock‘n‘roll. First time he tried to escape was when he was 12 years old but he was caught. Second time he was caught at bus station in Koper, but the third time his escape was succesful. Together with a friend from Montenegro he ran across the border during heavy rain. During the escape they almost  hit tana, but nobody noticed them because of the rain. They reached Italy and where located in a camp for refugees. Soon he decided to go to Sweden where he still lives today. First time he returned home was after 15 years and he was scared  at the border. Today helives in Sweden for 6 months and then i Pula for another 6 months.

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