A Mother's Promise with Azra Vuk Pt. 1

In 1992 the war in Bosnia was just beginning.  Azra Vuk was 15 years old and had no idea just how bad things could get.  As the soldiers forced them from their home her mother held her hand and promised everything would be alright.  This is part 1 of a 2 part series.

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Me You Us, sponsored by Consumers Energy, dives deeper into the physical, financial, emotional, social, and professional pillars that make up our overall well-being and contribute to our mental health. Through the sharing of personal experiences and conversations with industry experts, we can collaboratively support one another and increase our consideration for the personal well-being of those around us.

In 1992 the war in Bosnia was just beginning.  Azra Vuk was 15 years old and had no idea just how bad things could get.  As the soldiers forced them from their home her mother held her hand and promised everything would be alright.  This is part 1 of a 2-part series.

William Krieger  

The views and opinions of the guests of the Me You Us podcast do not represent the views and opinions of Consumers Energy. Hello everyone and welcome to Me You Us a wellbeing podcast. It's another wellbeing Wednesday here at Consumers Energy and I'm your host Bill Krieger. Today my guest is my friend Azra Vuk. And she is here to talk about her journey to America and her life in Bosnia before coming here. So Azra, if you would introduce yourself, we'll get the conversation started.

Azra  

Hi, my name is Azra Vuk. And I'm from Bosnia. And I live now in United States. So I want to say hello, everybody. And I came 2001 from Bosnia because of war over there.  So I'm married, and I have son, who is 24 years old. Now he's studying at LCC.

William Krieger  

So what is your son studying at LCC? 

Azra  

He is studying Pharmacy. So hopefully he will graduate this year. And my husband also is working as truck driver.

William Krieger  

Though he like an over the road trucker? 

Azra  

Yes, yes. So he does long distance. Okay. Yeah, yes, he's gone, like, you know, for five to seven days. He's trying to make like better life for us. So our most families in Bosnia. So we are trying to go there like, often to see them. And we are helping them. So my parents are there. My brother is there. So my husband whole family is there. So yeah, it's kind of easy to live, like on two continents.

William Krieger  

That that has to be a challenge. Sometimes I know that. Recently, you have, you've gone home a few times to visit family and friends. And it must be nice to get back and see family and friends. But it's got to be a long a long journey.

Azra  

Yes, it is not easy, but we just want to spend time with them. Especially parents, because they are kind of in some ages, you know. So, yeah, I mean, that's like our life. You know?

William Krieger  

Well, let's go back a little bit, though, because you, you came to America in 2001. And for the audience. The war started in Bosnia in 1992 and ended in 1995. But before the war I think Bosnia was like any other place to live right? You grew up there and what was it like to be a child in Bosnia?

Azra  

Yes, Bosnia was just I mean, beautiful country actually, Bosnia was part of ex-Yugoslavia. So with war that Yugoslavia separate on six different countries. So yeah, it was like nice life. I was child I was like 15 years old, so I just remember nice time, so I was like, middle school that time when war started. So after that my life just change. You know, from nice life to nightmare.

William Krieger  

And when you when you say nice life if we could just kind of give the audience an idea of some of the things you did so your father worked, you lived in a nice home. What did you do as a child for fun? What were some of the things that you did that were that you have good memories of that were fun?

Azra  

Yeah, I just I was just, you know, playing with my friends all around your neighborhood, we just live together, like, together with all nationality like Christian, Orthodox Muslim, you know, we never know who is. I've been raised like that, you know, just to respect people by the, you know, good people. So yeah. I just……

William Krieger  

Did you have any, like, favorite games that you'd like to play with your friends? Like what I remember when I was a kid, the big thing was to go out and play a game called kick the can. Where you put a can in the middle and everyone go hide and if you kick the can, and you were the last person to kick the can was it and we would play that until we had to come home in the streetlights came on. But so did you have anything like that? 

Azra  

Same thing.  Yeah, same thing. I was kind of girl that likes play with boys like soccer. So that is fun for me. So yeah, there's also that game, like, hide and seek. And also, like, I wasn't like girly. I was like, more like, boy. So I had many, many friends, you know, that they always like invite me to play soccer with them.

William Krieger  

I take it, you're, you're pretty good at soccer, then if people wanted you to play, right?

Azra  

So it's like, you know, really fun time. So I like many cousins who always summertime who came, you know, from north of Bosnia to come visit us and stay with us all summer. That is like, my house is always full of kids. And my mom was enjoying preparing meals for us, so like playing all day outside, like, just like if we are hungry, we just go like neighbor's house, you know, and have quick meal, you know, and sandwich and things. It was really like, happy time for me. So I remember like, I didn't think about many stuff. You know, I didn't worry about anything. So yeah, I mean, I wish that all kids have that. You know?

William Krieger  

Yes, absolutely. And so, when you were you were growing up and you're in middle school, and you're 15 and the war begins in Bosnia, and what was your experience? What happened? To you and your family? As this was unfolding.

Azra  

Yeah, I wasn't really prepared for war at all. And especially like, I didn't think about that, because I didn't know what's mean, war? I saw like on TV that's happening around us. But I never watched like news because I wasn't interested in that like, kid. So like, it just happened. One day, I was in my class. And I just heard like, sound of ……

William Krieger  

….like trucks coming in.

Azra  

Yeah, like trucks coming like to the city. So it was just like, shocked. We didn't know what happening. So our teachers just say, Okay, take your stuff and go home. So yeah, on my way home, I saw like many army trucks, full of strangers with guns. So I was just running home. Because, you know, we didn't know what's really happening. And then everything starts from that day. We couldn't go to school anymore. And we were just afraid what will happen. And then, from that day, everything was change. My two brothers and father, they were just like, you know, thinking what will happen? There's kind of afraid for their lives and our lives. So shortly after that, that my two brothers are picked to the concentration camp. And then really, shortly after that, my father, too. So we didn't know for a long time, we didn't know about them anything.

William Krieger  

And so as I don't want to interrupt, but I do want to ask, and this is really for the audience to understand is that the reason your brothers and your father were taken away is because you were Muslim. Was that correct? They were rounding up gathering up all the Muslims and sending them to camps.

Azra  

Yes, yes. They try, especially like north of Bosnia. I think the most people know that there have been like, over 8700 something people are skilled because they're Muslim. I mean, most of their like men's and boys’. So, yeah, there is a place called the Sertanista it's that there is like, they did like a soccer. So that's happened from Serbia. Government. I mean, I'm not telling that Serbia people is all Serbian people are bad. But there's always like, you know,

William Krieger  

anywhere you go, there's people who do people who like bad things. So yeah, so your father and your brothers are gone. And it's you, your mother, your I'm assuming your grandmother, maybe….

Azra  

At that time, my grandmother was alive. She was like, 86 years old, really weak. So also, I had two nephews was one was like two years old. The youngest one was like, just like, I don't know, a few months old. So yeah. We was home. That time. So we alone, so we didn't know what will happen with us. So we never know. And like, after a while, the people are like, Army decide that they will not take us from our homes, like, like all other people. So one day, they just came, and they told us, You have like 15 to 30 minutes to prepare yourselves to move. So we asked where we are going, nobody didn't know that answer. And I mean, we couldn't think that quick, what do we need to take? In that moment? Because of old grandma because of two babies. So we focus like on them with, like, diaper food, stuff for grandma, she couldn't walk. My mom, you know, help her. So yeah, they came like with guns. And you know, just, they were following us like a room by room. It was like looking what we want to take with us. So it was nightmare. And after that, they just put us in, in huge trucks.

William Krieger  

So before you get onto the trucks, I want to I really, this is this is really, I want this to sink in, you have 15 to 30 minutes to gather whatever you wanted out of this house that you lived in pretty much your whole life. And you didn't know if you were ever going to come back to this house again, right, you just knew that you had to get on these trucks. So it's been very difficult. I mean, I can't imagine all the things that you would have to leave like we're sitting in my house right now. And I'm looking around. And I don't know what I would pick if I had 15 to 30 minutes to just pick the things I wanted and leave it at the head to be so difficult.

Azra  

Exactly. That's why today I don't have any pictures of my childhood. Because in that moment, you know, I mean, we couldn’t about the pictures, you know, and stuff like that. So yeah, they just pick like baby stuff, baby food. And that's for like little bit of clothes. So I mean, it was really, really hard. Time and still, I was child, and I didn't, I didn't think much I was afraid of course but my mom was. I mean, she was my hero. You know she was thinking like you know really quickly what we will need, And she was always like, selling take some warm clothes. And it was summer, and summer is really hot in my country, but she was thinking about the warm clothes because we didn't know where we are going like we will be over night. So yeah, they just put it as in tracks and just collect us to a huge company, where my father and two brothers used to work. And then when we came there, there was like, hundreds of people with same as, small luggage just and stuff. So also, there, there are some people who just called us by the last name. And they try to take like, stuff from us like gold like money, you know.

William Krieger  

So when people were showing up at this factory or this this business, and they were basically lined up, then the soldiers were taking all of their property. Exactly anything of value.  And then you're you arrive and you're watching this. And then you're you get in line.  And then and so then what happened?

Azra  

So yeah, all my family just got in line. And we we've been called in in some room. So we came there. How I say like we'd babies and old grandma, and they just told us just like take out all values, like take any jewelry that we had money. So they look in our purses, like, you know, and they took out. So my mom took out her earrings, necklaces and all that stuff. So I kind of was lucky in that moment, because there was a guy who, who was good friend with my brother, and who recognize his family. So he was like, really, really nice. And who kind of protect us in that moment? Who just who told like, okay, take all your stuff and put in your purse and just go. So I can say we was really lucky in that moment. So I saw on table next to our like, really big amount of like gold, money. Which it's really sad.

William Krieger  

Because these were wedding rings, these were these were things that mattered to people not because they were gold. Because what they were.

Azra  

Exactly. So in that moment, I saw my teacher who was my teacher. I saw him in that room. So I was looking on him. Like, expecting him to help me in that moment. He just turned his head. Like he's not recognizing me at all. So he was in that. soldiery, so probably I don't know if he's afraid to help me or not what happened but he just like I don't know who you are.

William Krieger  

And you're 15 How would that feel? Like at that moment, that was like, even more real?

Azra  

Yeah, it and I was confused in that time. I just didn't know what really happening around me. I was just listening my mom she's just she tried to be brave you know and she just hold me for my hand all the time and telling me everything will be okay we will survive don't worry so yeah after that room they just we've been told to go out on 100 oer 100 degrees with all that stuff like in our backpacks and they say just there is another tracks they follow us with guns they follow us to that tracks and just say like jump that jump.  It was really hard time

William Krieger  

At this point they didn't even tell you where you're going now

Azra  

We didn't know we're just getting on these trucks.  We did not because there is some story that they are taking us someplace that they will kill all of us that they will just I mean killed and put in ground.

William Krieger  

A big mass graves.

Azra  

So people were crying all around scare also they were trying to separate young boys from their mothers so there's like mothers are crying you know asking Please don't touch them and stuff like that. So yeah, in that moment

William Krieger  

Well at this time too. You don't know where your father and brothers are at right? They're just they're just gone.

Azra  

No, they are just gone. They just gone it just happened same things as first they came to pick them up from our houses and then like may be like 15 days 17 days after that happen with us. So no, we didn't know absolutely in that time where they are, and he had we just jump in the trucks.

William Krieger  

So it's 100 degrees. You have your 86-year-old grandmother you have these little babies of a small child and your mother and you're all getting on these trucks

Azra  

Yep, so there's like hundreds of people on that truck that truck was covered with

William Krieger  

Canvas or tarp?

Azra  

Yes, sound like that. So with now water no food like just like really full of people and they cover and tight you know that

William Krieger  

The gate?

Azra  

We didn't we didn't have much of air, so he was almost like dying. So we feel like truck is starting and we are going somewhere so we couldn't see where we're going which side, so I was really thirsty and hungry, and people was crying babies are crying you know old people are just disaster. So after I don't know let's say hour or two hours of driving, we just came to some place that we didn't know very and yeah again the soldiers came they open that you know the gate and they said jump out. So we were all jumping all you know people are the people. And we when we I mean when we saw like we were on some between woods. And they say okay, just go this way. So how I say again, it was like 100 degrees you know, we're just shocked. We didn't know where to go. And then my mom was just how you say like my hero, she was holding my hand and holding the baby and she was a always telling us. Don't worry, everything will be okay. So yeah, it was huge group of people because the truck by truck was coming and dropping people off.

William Krieger  

Was this on a road hat led somewhere.

Azra  

Yeah, it was like huge place with woods. And there is a road that we didn't know where we are going. So we've been followed with soldiers with guns. And they've been told us just go this way. And then I remember walking on the other degrees without water, or food. Stepping over the dead people. It was so hard to see that. My mom tried to cover my eyes and said, just don't look on that. baby was crying. So we were walking like, miles and miles. Like, and we didn't know where we are going. And that time was kind of the night was coming. So then we came to the part of that road, then the guns start to be heard the sound of the you know of the bullets. So we were just like, laying down on the road. Having to walk again laying down and

William Krieger  

So this whole time they're shooting at you?

Azra  

Yes. They try to shoot you know to scare the people. That's why, you know, we saw the dead people, you know. So my mom's there, let's just lay down a little bit. Wait to be dark, to be easy to walk. And I don't know how that took us like, hours and hours. And I remember the people who took that load of stuff from their house that they couldn't hold anymore. Because of, you know, it can be really heavy, because he was hungry, and thirsty and all that stuff. So yeah, I saw like, many, you know, backpacks and next to the road, because. So my mom, my grandma couldn't walk anymore. My mom couldn't tell her anymore. So she was like, asking my mom, just leave me. Just guys. You go and you save your life. So it was really, really hard time for my mom to leave her on the street on the road. Because she was just like, you know? Like, you know,

William Krieger  

That was her mom.

Azra  

Yeah, she was just, and she said, Just go Leave me. I'm all old and just go and save your life and life. You know, have babies. So yeah, my grandma. My mom just left grandma, there. And she promised her that you know, if she had any chance, she'll just come back and pick her up.

William Krieger  

Unfortunately, that's all the time we have for this week. So please tune in next week to listen to the rest of Azra’s story. Thank you to the audience for listening in today. The Me You Us podcast is proudly sponsored by Consumers Energy leaving Michigan better than we found it. Remember, you can find the Me You Us podcast on all major podcasting platforms. So be sure to go out Find us and subscribe. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. That's 1-800-273-8255 If you are a veteran or know a Veteran who is in crisis, you can call 1-800-273-8255 and press one for the Veterans Crisis Line. And remember to tune in every Wednesday as we talk about the things that impact your personal wellbeing.