Guide recounts importance of U.S. troops on Bosnia
Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of stories on a trip to Germany and Bosnia/Herzegovina chronicling the deployment of the Connellsville-based National Guard unit. By Patty Shultz
Herald-Standard
Zijad Lugavic has worn the uniform of the Bosnian soldier. He has buried members of his wife’s family and his close friends that fell victim to the civil war that ravaged his homeland for five years.
Today, he is wearing the uniform of the U.S. Army in an effort to stop the killing and heal the wounds caused by the war.
“I have hope,” he said. “Many of us have hope.”
Lugavic, who is known as “Zee” to his colleagues at Eagle Base, a multinational military installation just outside his hometown of Tuzla, works as an interpreter for the U.S. government.
He accompanies U.S. personnel to the various bases and posts throughout the region to translate documents, letters and conversations.
The work is meaningfuL. It could make the difference between the return to war or a lasting peace.
“We have been at war for such a long time. The people are tired,” said Lugavic. “The United States is really helping.”
Tuzla sustained heavy shelling from the nearby mountains during the war and its residents, seven years later, are still trying to recover.
On a hill overlooking the city, 72 marble gravesites are a reminder of its worst day.
“There was shelling everyday, sometimes every half-hour,” Lugavic said. “Some of my friends were killed in front of their house.”
On May 25, 1995, a mortar shell fired from the mountainside to a busy intersection killed 72 school children and injured more than 200 others that had congregated in the area.
“It was a very tragic day for Tuzla,” said Lugavic.
Their families hurried to hold the funerals. Two days later before the sun rose, Muslims, Catholics and Orthodox worshipers gathered on the hillside to bury the children.
“They were all afraid of more shelling,” Lugavic said of the joint service held under the cover of darkness.
Once a thriving business area, many companies have closed their doors, leaving scores of people unemployed. Partially constructed homes lie dormant because their owners cannot afford to hire a contractor or to purchase the needed materials. Others that are inhabitable are still in need of repair.
“It sometimes takes 10 years to finish,” said Lugavic of new construction. “You work a little and then save some money to work a little more.”
Lugavic is luckier than most. His job with the military allows him to attend the local university where he is working toward obtaining his master’s degree in marketing management.
“A good education helps and it’s not too expensive,” he said.
Children are required to attend eight years of schooling with the remaining education at the discretion of the student.
The high unemployment rate has also affected the government’s ability to maintain infrastructure or regularly pay its police and fire department.
“It’s very hard to feed your family when you don’t get paid for three or four months,” said Lugavic.
Many turn to corruption or dealing in the black market to make a few extra dollars.
Refugees from the war still live in the small villages outside Tuzla.
“They want to get back to their homes, but they don’t know if they will be able to get their jobs back or if their kids will be able to go to school,” Lugavic said.
Since the signing of the Dayton Peace Accord in 1996, life has improved for Tuzla and its residents, but progress has been slow.
Those who led the country before and during the war have been re-instated during the recent elections and the re-establishment of the former party causes concern for Lugavic.
“They are doing a much better job, but in my opinion, they are not ready to take over,” he said.
With NATO forces, which have provided security for the country since 1996, preparing to leave at the end of next year, Lugavic said the unstable economy and government structure could easily tumble, sending the nation back into war.
“But, if you get up in the morning, there is still hope … yes?” he said.