A great man is one who collects knowledge the way a bee collects honey and uses it to help people overcome the difficulties they endure - hunger, ignorance and disease!
- Nikola Tesla

Remember, remember always, that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.
- Franklin Roosevelt

While their territory has been devastated and their homes despoiled, the spirit of the Serbian people has not been broken.
- Woodrow Wilson

Mele "Mel" Vojvodich

Mele Vojvodich Jr. was born of Serbian ancestry on March 28, 1929 in Steubenville, Ohio. He went on to become Major-General in the USAF. For his bravery he was awarded the Legion of Merit.

Looking back at the career, Vojvodich received his pilot wings in 1950 from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. Six years later, he graduated from Squadron Officer School at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. During 1971, he completed his studies at National War College Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington DC.

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Vojvodich served as an F-84 pilot and aircraft commander in the early 1950's at Turner Air Force Base in Georgia. He then saw action in South Korea, flying F-80's and F-86's. He also made a 300 mile surveillance flight into China searching for, and ultimately finding, secret Soviet-made bombers.

In all, Vojvodich flew 125 combat missions. He is also one of only five initial pilots who flew the CIA's spy plane (A-12) in North Vietnam. His time spent in the air was a total of 6,000 flying hours. On May 1, 1980, Vojvodich was promoted to Major-General.

Some of his worthy military awards also include the Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross and the Intelligence Star for Valor presented by the CIA. He retired in March of 1983. Maj-Gen Vojvodich passed away on November 3rd, 2003 at his home in Schertz, Texas after suffering from leukemia.


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People Directory

Milena Krasich

Electrical engineer

Life Member, 81; March 21, 2018

Krasich was senior principal systems engineer at Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems, in Tewksbury, Mass.

She began her career as an engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. While in California, she was a part-time professor at California State University, Dominguez Hills, where she taught graduate courses in systems reliability, advanced reliability and maintainability, and statistical process control. She was also a part-time professor at the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, teaching undergraduate courses in engineering statistics, reliability, and environmental testing.

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Publishing

All Roads Lead to Jackson

Serbian American Contributions in Amador County, California, since the Gold Rush
Milina Jovanović offers a unique compilation of individual and family immigration stories that include enormous contributions to the development of California and significant community involvement. In this version of people’s history she chronicles how Serbian Americans have strengthened community, region, state, and country through the endeavors and struggles of 150 years. This book also focuses on women’s contributions that are too often overlooked. Ms. Jovanović’s study reveals that Jackson not only remains an original and symbolic home to Serbian Americans and Serbian Orthodox religion, but also an oasis where the Serbian community has preserved its positive reputation and social influence.

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