AHS-2018-04-17

Interviewer

Mirela Pasic

Date of Interview

Winter 4-17-2018

Interview Location

St. Louis, MO

Length of Interview

1900-01-02

Date of Birth

1975

Gender

Female

Religion and/or Ethnicity

Muslim

Description

Born in Sanski Most to Bosnian Muslim parents, Afterward moved to the town of Ljubija, Grew up with friends who shared the same backgrounds, Spent days outside playing in the forest, At the age of 16 the war started but before had no indication of a war, Did not notice anything different and did not follow the politics of the day, Living in the town under siege was full of fear as you could be taken out of your house and killed at any time, Would spend most of the time hiding in the forest due to the fact that any men or boys that were captured were usually killed, Due to his sisters marriage to a Serbian who was in the Police Force he was mainly left alone, Other young men were forced to the Serbian front lines to dig trenches but he was allowed to stay and clean the streets and empty dumpsters, One night he was captured along with other 11 men by a drunk Serbian who wanted to kill the, Only survived due to his relationship with his brother in a law who was a Serbian Police officer, Lived in a small town around 12 KM outside of Prijedor, Would only go into the city to trade milk for oil or salt as it was extremely dangerous, After signing paperwork saying that he gave up all property and claim to land he was allowed to leave, Buses to Travnik where he spent most of the war, Conscripted into Bosnian Army and up to that point had never held a gun, Grouped together with older solider who took him under his wing, Wounded during a battle and fled back to Travnik, Head wound and leg wound became infected which left him bedridden for 2 months, After recovering told to head back to the front line, By the time he arrived the Dayton Accords were signed and the war over, After war began to work again and met future wife, Applied for residency in the United States and after a initial denial was granted residency, Wife and four month old daughter arrived in Baltimore, Began to work as a custodian in order to pay bills, Life in the United States was difficult as there was nobody to help, Did not know English and family lived in a neighborhood that was very harsh and dangerous.

Keywords

Sanski Most, Ljubija, Prijedor, Travnik, Bosnian Army, Wounded, Baltimore, Refugee Process, Zagreb

Pre-War Residence

Ljubija

Wartime Residence

Ljubija ,Travnik

First Country of Residence

United States

First US Residence

Baltimore, MD

Document Type

Oral History

Collection

Affton High School

Digital Format

MP4

Digital Publisher

Center for Bosnian Studies

City

St. Louis, MO

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In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted.