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AMERICAN SRBOBRAN • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2018

SRBO ON THE ROAD

Clyde Harms (R), author of “An Aruba in Libya”, meets with Joe and Marcia
Čupurdija in Marriott’s Sports Bar. Joe was a Lt. Col in the US Air Force stationed
at Wheelus Air Base in 1967 when Mrs. Harms and the children were evacuated
to Italy on a USAF C-130 during the Six Days’ War.

As a proud member of the Serb National Federation, Joe always carries with him
the latest copy of the SRBOBRAN, the official organ of the Federation.

WELCOME BACK TO ARUBA, JOE, Wheelus in a USAF C-130 Hercules, this
DOBRODOSLI NATRAG U ARUBU was too much of a coincidence.
by Clyde Harms
But, there was an even greater coinci-
Note: This article appeared in Aruba dence. Joe’s email address contained
Today on October 5, 2018 and is provid- a Yugoslav word that intrigued me. My
ed here courtesy of the author. book contains two chapters that deal
with my Yugoslav friends in Tripoli. Sure
Two years ago Joe Cupurdija, a former enough, my suspicion was confirmed.
Lt. Col in the US Air Force, and his wife Joe’s parents had emigrated from Yugo-
Marcia were visiting Aruba for the first slavia to the States. One was from Ser- He would send me his comments regu- was Kirk that churned up the tons of sea-
time. That week ArubaToday published bia, the other one was Croatian. Another larly and we exchanged letters regularly. weed. Marcia and Joe are again having a
Chapter 7 of my book “An Aruban In Lib- coincidence, as my good friend Milica great time and have praised the restau-
ya” and Joe sent me his reaction reading Marincic was from Serbia and her hus- In his first letter, Joe had written: “... our rants that they have visited, but their
in part: “... I was stationed at Wheelus Air band Vladimir Cvek was from Croatia. stay was most enjoyable and plan on a highest praise was for the home cooked
Base from July 1965 to December 1967. Born in the United States, Joe is a mem- return visit...” This week Joe and his wife Aruban dinner that Mrs. Milagro Harms
I was familiar with the Oil Companies ber of the Serb National Federation and Marcia did return to Aruba and the two had prepared for them. Taking pictures
Schools because my wife, at the time, like his fellow Serb Novak Djokovic, Joe former contemporary Libya residents and of the spread on the table, Marcia com-
was a substitute teacher at the Wheelus also identifies himself with the Serbian phantom friends finally met each other mented, “My friends will be jealous when
school.” Diaspora. He always carries with him a personally in the Marriott’s Sports Bar. they see this.”
copy of the American Srbobran, the old-
As Chapter 5 of the book deals with the est and largest Serbian newspaper in The coincidences however did not stop. Welcome back to Aruba, Joe and Marcia.
“The improbable connection of Wheelus America and Canada, and the official or- Joe’s first letter: “...Had a great time, in We look forward to your next visit to our
with Aruba” and part of the improbable gan of the SNF. spite of the tons of seaweed that Hurri- Dushi Aruba.
connection was the fact that my fam- cane Matthew churned up...” This week it
ily, from Aruba, was evacuated from Joe became a subscriber to my articles.