Pejov Micho

Micho Pejov was born in the village of Krtunishta, Kajlarsko where the Macedonians and Greeks live together in a brotherly way. The small village has few families and its little white houses are spread out on the western slopes of the Kajlarsko plain. The mountain Sinjachko starts on those slopes. The road to Blaca passes through there. It is a village that is set at a high altitude and well known as a summer place and also for its beautiful white cheese.

After completing high school Micho became a soldier, and as he had completed high school he was ranked sub lieutenant in the reserves. Under this rank he served at the Albanian front and fought against the Italian fascists. After their capitulation, at the time of the German occupation, he returned to the village and worked his father's fields.

In the autumn of 1941 he joined the ranks of EAM and quickly became active in the youth organization.

He had a great character and was a modest and disciplined youth. He would go wherever the organization sent him and with hope and youthful passion he would complete all of the tasks that were allocated to him.

In a short time he became a member of the CPG which, thanks to his correct line, joined the Greeks and Macedonians in the general struggle against the fascist occupiers.

In January 1942 Micho participated in a regional party conference that took place in the village Trepishta. The conference discussed the party's work in the Kajlarsko region and new tasks. When Micho's turn came he expressed himself with few words but succinctly and in the correct ideology. He spoke little but worked a great deal and worked intelligently.

In the Kajlarsko region where the Macedonians and Greeks lived together, in local villages he was particularly concerned for the establishment of brotherly interaction between the two peoples.

At the start of 1943, Micho left his family and his village and dedicated himself completely to revolutionary operations. He was happy to receive the suggestion of the regional party committee for him to work as an activist in the regional committee of EPON.

In the summer of 1943 I met him for the last time in the village of Rimino near the river of Bistrica. He was happy with a high fighter's spirit, with an optimistic perspective about the people's struggle and the future of the youth. He deeply believed that the joint struggle of the Macedonian and Greek people under the leadership of the CPG would lead to victory. Micho passed that belief on to all of the youth of the region - Greeks and Macedonians - and because of that the youth and the population of the area loved him. He confirmed his belief in the eventual victory of the struggle with his own sacrifice. At the massacre in 1943 after a betrayal Micho was arrested along with other Greek cadres of the people's movement. Paodzhiite - conspirators of the occupiers, tortured them brutally and finally cut their throats with a knife. Among those killed were - Micho Pejov, a Macedonian and Eli Kajlarchenkata - a Greek woman.

With his short though heroic life, with his death Micho Pejov left us an example - that the Macedonians joined with the Greeks, under the leadership of the CPG, must fight to achieve social and national rights.

A Hadshitashkov

From: For Sacred National Freedom: Portraits Of Fallen Freedom Fighters

© 2009

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