Jean-Michel Nicollier had grown up in France. As a young adult, he became fascinated with Croatia's War of Independence, so he decided to volunteer. Jean-Michel said, "I want to help these people, they need me. I have to go, but I'll be back. You know that I'm a wild grass that never goes away."
From there, Nicollier hopped on a train and went to Zagreb, alone. There he joined the Croatian Defense Forces. Nicollier arrived in Vukovar in September 1991, and was wounded twice in three months. Vukovar fell in November 1991. The young soldier described the city as a "slaughterhouse" at the end. He soon was captured by opposing forces, was brutally beaten, and then killed with a shot to the head. His remains were never found.
Researchers eventually uncovered the details of Jean-Michel's story. He has received posthumous honors, and a bridge over the Vuka River has been named after him.
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