Baylor University Institute for Oral History

Mirzeta Colic

Baylor University Institute for Oral History
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00:00:25 - Growing up in Bijeljina

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Subjects: living environment that fosters education, wanting to help others

Hyperlink: Bijeljina
00:03:27 - Studying electrical engineering

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Subjects: studying and working in Serbia

00:04:14 - Family life

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Subjects: sisters' education, father's desire to not leave Bosnia, life under General Tito

Hyperlink: Novi Sad
00:07:13 - High school studies influence on work

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Subjects: studying at the "gymnasium," adapting to changes

00:09:07 - Attending college

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Subjects: starting college in Tuzla, finishing college in Subotica

Hyperlink: Tuzla
00:10:18 - Relations with Serbians

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Subjects: growing up with Serbians in high school, Bijeljina, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Sarajevo, families with mixed ethnicity, jealousy between Serbs and Muslims, family not practicing Islam but abiding by Muslim heritage

Hyperlink: Belgrade
00:13:24 - Advantage of the last name "Colic"

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Subjects: "Colic" is a common Serbian name, experiences crossing the Serbian border with passports

00:15:54 - Thoughts of Serbians before genocide

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Keywords: "We didn't think that we could be next."

Subjects: silence leads to a lack of knowledge, paramilitary bombing Vukovar, killing civilians, raping women, questioning how genocide can happen, planning genocide in advance

Hyperlink: Vukovar
00:20:02 - Memory of the death of Tito

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Subjects: going from peace to uncertainty after the death of a powerful leader

Hyperlink: Josip Broz Tito
00:21:26 - Changing conditions in Bosnia

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Subjects: Beginning the separation of people, Slobodan Milosevic (president of Serbia), difference between Serbs and Croatians, independent nations forming, history of Bosnia as the heart of former-Yugoslavia

00:24:27 - Bosnian Independence

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Subjects: killing of civilians in Bosnia despite peace, massacre in Tuzla, massacre in Srebrenica in 1995, killing males in order to eliminate a generation

00:26:46 - Fear develops

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Subjects: hearing about the bombing in Vukovar, last family celebration together for New Years

Hyperlink: Vukovar massacre
00:28:27 - Serbians take action in Bijeljina

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Subjects: barricades in Bijeljina, Serbs utilizing the media and propaganda, tensions mounting between Muslims and Serbs

00:30:45 - Arkan Tigers occupy Bijeljina

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Keywords: "I was in constant fear."

Subjects: terrorism, neighbors murdered and raped, media manipulation against Muslims

Hyperlink: Arkan Tigers
00:34:04 - Family during the War

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Subjects: Sister living in Zvonik, capture by Chetniks, brother-in-law swimming out of Bosnia

Hyperlink: Chetniks
00:35:35 - Encounter with Chetniks while escaping from Bosnia

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Subjects: horrific human mutilation and murder

00:37:22 - Traveling through Europe after escape from Bosnia

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Keywords: traveling to Serbia, Hungary, and Austria, being arrested in Vienna then rescued by family, parents still remaining in Bosnia

Hyperlink: Belgrade
00:40:05 - Parents' experiences in Bosnia

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Subjects: Chetniks coming into houses, throwing bombs, torturing citizens, mother relates to Chetnik soldier in order to save her life

00:42:42 - Family continues to escape from Bosnia

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Subjects: transport from Austria to Germany, camp for Bosnians in Hungary with terrible conditions

00:43:51 - Family arrives in Germany

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Subjects: German government deporting families

Hyperlink: Saarbrücken
00:45:00 - Applying for entry into the United States

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Subjects: family being issued deportation back to Bosnia, desire to not visit hometown because Serbs still occupy their home, applying to come to the United States, refugees filling European countries, father's desire for Mirzeta to come to Houston

00:51:49 - Transitioning to life in the United States

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Subjects: educated people not being able to work, job searching in Houston, taking English classes and learning the language through reading and writing, adjusting to the weather in Houston

00:51:50 - Bringing family to the Untied States

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Subjects: YMC sponsoring immigration to the United States, family living in Croatia before Mirzeta is able to bring them to the United States

00:57:21 - Family arrives in America

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Subjects: joy of family reuniting, family accomplishments, younger sister marrying a man from Sarajevo

Hyperlink: Sarajevo
01:02:16 - Children during the war

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Subjects: Younger sister giving birth during the war, Serbs at the hospital killing Muslim babies

01:02:17 - Remembering the opportunity to leave Bosnia

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Subjects: connections required for escaping to Serbia

01:04:53 - Relations with Serbs after the genocide

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Subjects: growing up with a Serb best friend, being placed with a Serb family in the United States and consequently moving apartments

01:08:19 - Friends in the United States

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Subjects: friends from work helping collect donations for Mirzeta's family when they came to the United States, making international friends in martial arts classes

01:11:11 - Practicing martial arts

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Subjects: learning how to overcome fears and practice strength and defense

01:13:45 - Planned ethnic cleansing

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Subjects: benefits of talking about what happened and not keeping silent, lack of justice in Bosnia, officials still finding remains of victims from the genocide today

01:17:35 - Relations with parents 01:20:10 - Hardest parts of living alone in America

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Subjects: grieving the death of her father, family in Florida, Bosnian community in Houston

01:25:42 - Desire not to return to Bosnia

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Subjects: Serbs living in her family home, trying to get their house back in Bosnia because of corruption in the justice system

01:27:37 - Gratitude

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Subjects: writing to former President Clinton to thank him for his efforts in Bosnia, sharing truth about the genocide