Sally Becker

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Sally set off from Junik with a group of 24 women and children. Those who were injured or too sick to walk were carried on the backs of mules. They had two guides to help them but the journey was arduous and took most of the day. When they finally reached the border they sat down to rest. Mothers fed their babies and the children were given water and biscuits while they waited for the signal to move on. Suddenly the sound of machine gunfire echoed through the trees and the women and children raced back into the forest.

 

Sally stayed behind to help a mother and her two daughters who were caught in the cross fire but there was no protection. She tried to shield them from the bullets and grenades while a helicopter gunship hovered overhead but fearing they would be killed, Sally went out into the open with her hands in the air calling to the soldiers to stop shooting. They were arrested and driven overland to Gjakova where Sally was brought before a local Judge and sentenced to 30 days in prison for crossing the border without a visa. 

 

After two weeks in Liplyan Prison, President Milutinovic issued a pardon and Sally was released. She immediately returned to Tropoje to search for the families who had managed to cross safely into Albania. While she was arranging to take them abroad for medical treatment, she and Liz Dack, a British nurse who was helping with the planned evacuation, were confronted by two masked gunmen outside their hotel in Bajram Curri. One of the men aimed his gun at Sally and as she tried to get away he shot her through the leg. She was in urgent need of medical treatment and the President of Albania sent his Minister of Health to evacuate her to safety. When she asked if they could take the women and children with them she was told the helicopter was too small so she decided to stay, remaining in the area for several weeks until the children were accepted for treatment abroad

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