Infantry soldier at heart
Tatjana Petrovic is a younger generation, but is very different from other members of her gender. She wears a uniform and is an officer with the rank of a second lieutenant. She graduated from the Military Academy in 2011, in the first generation of 19 women that then received their second lieutenant ranks.She has chosen the job she loves, and, as she says, is an infantry soldier in her words and actions. Perhaps her path was harsher than the rest of her colleagues’, because she was immediately thrown into the fire, and many noticed her resourcefulness during her first officer duty.
She was born in Belgrade, graduated from the Pre-law and Biro-technic Science High School, and then, by her own will, applied for the Military Academy. She was admitted. No one in her family has worked in the military or had any connections to the institution – her mother is a nurse, and her father works at the Railways. She embarked on her on path, led by the glow of officer stars.
- After graduating from the academy, my colleagues, 18 of them, were set to serve in Belgrade or nearby, and I got located in Vranje. Honestly, I didn’t think it was fair, because I had excellent grades and wanted to progress, enroll in Master studies, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to do so over there. It was also hard for me to separate from my family. But I had to come to terms with it. When I came to Vranje, I was allocated to the 42nd Infantry Battalion, as 1st Squad Commander. Later, they transferred me to Bujanovac, 41st Infantry Battalion. That’s when the never-ending field work began – 21 days at the base, then five days of rest. Then all over again – Tatjana says.
When she was transferred to the battalion, she spent most of her time in “Cvore” base, but other bases were also under the jurisdiction of her squad – Peceno Brdo, Madjere, Sevudke Livade.
When she was relocated to the 224th Electronic Actions Center, in July, 2013, she was disappointed again, because she wanted to be in the Special Brigade.
- I was glad to be getting back to Belgrade, but I wasn’t happy about coming to the Center where there was no infantry, and, after all, I am an infantry soldier. I am consoled by the thought that one day, my dream might come true and I become a member of the Special Brigade.
Although the 224th Electronic Actions Center was not her professional choice, it certainly was her life choice – there, she met Major Bojan Rakovic. It was a love at first sight, but became a long-distance love in several months, because Major Rakovic left for Lebanon. The love endured the six-moth distance, and they are getting married soon.
