Milenko Pavlović

{{Infobox military person

| name = Milenko Pavlović

| birth_date = {{birth date|1959|10|5|df=yes}}

| death_date = {{death date and age|1999|05|4|1959|10|5|df=yes}}

| birth_place = {{Nowrap|Gornje Crniljevo, FPR Yugoslavia}}

| death_place = Valjevo, FR Yugoslavia

| placeofburial = Bežanija Cemetery, Belgrade, Serbia

| placeofburial_label =

| image = Milenko Pavlović crop.jpg

| image_size = 205px

| caption =

| nickname = The Icarus from Podgorina

| allegiance = {{flag|Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|name=SFR Yugoslavia}}
{{flag|Serbia and Montenegro|name=FR Yugoslavia}}

| serviceyears = 1982–1999

| rank = 15px Colonel (posthumously)

| branch = File:Vojska Jugoslavije - RViPVO.svg Yugoslav War Air Force

| commands = 204th Fighter Aviation Regiment

| unit =

| battles = {{tree list}}

Kosovo War
{{Tree list/final branch}}NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
Air Battle of Valjevo{{KIA}}

| awards = 28px Order of Bravery

}}

Milenko Pavlović (Serbian Cyrillic: Миленко Павловић; 5 October 1959 – 4 May 1999) was a Yugoslav fighter pilot who fought in the Kosovo War and came to prominence after he was killed during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.{{cite web |url=http://www.novosti.rs/vesti/naslovna/drustvo/aktuelno.290.html:783081-JUNAK-MILENKO-PAVLOVIC----Necete-vi-da-ginete-ja-cu |author=Večernje novosti |title=Nećete vi da ginete, ja ću |accessdate=2019-03-23 |date=2019-03-16 |language=Serbian}}

Early life

Pavlović was born to parents Milorad and Radmila Pavlović, in the village of Gornje Crniljevo on 5 October 1959. He finished the first four grades of primary school in his hometown, and the next four in Osečina. He finished high school in Mostar. Although he initially rejected the possibility, he later decided to become a military pilot.

Death and legacy

On 4 May 1999, a lone Yugoslav MiG-29 flown by Pavlović attempted to intercept a large NATO formation that was returning to base having just bombed Valjevo (where Pavlović grew up). It was engaged by a pair of USAF F-16CJs from the 78th Fighter Squadron{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20140214094718/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_380.shtml Yugoslav & Serbian MiG-29s]}} and shot down with an AIM-120, killing Pavlović.

Originally, a younger pilot was intended to scramble the MiG-29 before Pavlović himself pulled the younger pilot out of the cockpit before he would take off, allegedly telling the younger pilot that he 'was not going to die', but that Pavlović himself would.{{Cite web|url=http://thesrpskatimes.com/the-belgrade-batajnica-airport-renamed-colonel-pilot-milenko-pavlovic/|title=The Belgrade "Batajnica" airport renamed "Colonel-Pilot Milenko Pavlović" | the Srpska Times|date=27 June 2019}}

Streets in Novi Sad, Valjevo, Batajnica, Osečina and Gornje Crniljevo are named after him. On 26 June 2019, the Batajnica Air Base was renamed in his honor.

Personal life

He was married to Slavica and had two sons: Srđan and Nemanja (b. 1990) who is a former footballer.{{cite web |url=https://www.alo.rs/vesti/drustvo/zivim-za-dan-kad-ce-mog-oca-proglasiti-narodnim-herojem/214737/vest |author=Alo.rs |title=Živim za dan kad će mog oca proglasiti narodnim herojem! |accessdate=2019-03-23 |date=2019-03-03 |language=Serbian}}