George Vujnovich

George Mane Vujnovich (May 31, 1915 – April 24, 2012) was an American intelligence officer for the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. He is known for his role in the organization of Operation Halyard, a successful operation that evacuated over 500 downed Allied airmen from Serbia.

Early life Vujnovich was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to two Serbian immigrants. After completing high school he attended the University of Belgrade in Yugoslavia. While there he met his wife Mirjana Lazich and they married in 1939.

Military career While in Ghana, the US entered the war and militarized the commercial airline company. At that point, he was commissioned into the US Army and subsequently transferred to another U.S.-controlled air base in Nigeria where he was made base commander. The Army recognized his Serbian background and experience in Yugoslavia and recruited him to assist the resistance efforts in the Balkans. He completed training in Virginia and was stationed in Bari, Italy.

In 2012, Vujnovich died at the age of 96.