When Lieutenant Colonel Ján Hric took command of what’s known as Sector 4 in the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus, UNFICYP, he realized that he had “big boots to fill”. 
He quickly learned that there were multiple layers involved in carrying out peacekeeping work in such a “broad international environment”.
But the highest-ranking Slovakian in the Force did not start his career, aiming to end up leading a group of UN ‘blue helmets. As a younger man he was more interested in playing volleyball, as he told UN News’s Liz Scaffidi.