“War, terrorists, injuries. It was hell in Kosovo” – Milan Ćirić became a military invalid at the age of 22. The shrapnel in his head still threatens him!

“The war in Kosovo and Metohija caught me while I was serving my mandatory military service. From then on, it was the field, the forests, gunfights with terrorists, bombings…Practically as a child, I lived through  my friends being killed and dying in my arms. Then I was wounded in an Albanian ambush between Vučitrn and Mitrovica, and because of the shrapnel in my head and spine that cannot be removed, I became a war veteran. At just 22 years old, I had to go on disability pension. Today I often ask myself where I have been if my children don’t have clothes to wear, a proper meal to eat – at least a wardrobe to call their own. We are no longer of value to anyone,” began Milan Ćirić, a decorated Serbian hero, bitterly telling his story.

“We have nothing to give up, we are simply always in need!”

Milan served in a tank unit, and in the years after the war, he and his wife Marina had three children – Boris (20), Ivana (17) and Jovana (14). Today, a quarter of a century since the tragic year of 1999, they live in the village of Puhovac near Aleksandrovac. Their home is an old, crumbling, unsafe structure that can hardly be called a house. This crooked one-story building, without a roof, with sloping walls and bare bricks unevenly patched together just enough to keep holes from gaping open, without glass in the improvised uneven window openings, make one shudder and wonder – where did the state and society go wrong when this is even possible. When we turn a blind eye!

“Unfortunately, I had hoped for better, but my health keeps  getting worse year after year. I would like to work, but I can’t. The shrapnel in my spine must not be touched or I risk becoming paralyzed, and the fragments in my head aren’t removed, for I could go blind. There are also unbearable pains, ongoing  therapies and mental health struggles. I’ve really been through a lot.  Even my mother took her own life, mostly because during the war she didn’t know what had happened to me. I still hope to hear her voice, but… Later, a tumor took the life of my father. With 400 euros in disability benefits, we simply don’t have enough. I want to buy my children good sneakers for 1,000 or 1,500 dinars so that they don’t have to  wear torn ones, but it’s impossible. Sometimes I even have to ask my friends for bread, at least for them. We aren’t really giving anything up because there’s nothing to give; we simply never have anything,” continued this proud man, weighed down by immense hardship.

“My father is a hero!”

To make matters even harder,the mom, Marina, underwent surgery for thyroid and uterine tumors, and she has also suffered from frequent epileptic seizures. She still ends up on an IV drip due to stress. Boris had a heart murmur as a child, and now suffers from migraines. Ivana has serious speech difficulties, so she attends school under a personalized education plan (PEP). The youngest, Jovana, was born with only one kidney and must take good care of her health. The numerous greeting cards and drawings, with which she tries to cheer up other family members, are basically the only decorations on their walls, which are nearly blackened from mold.

“When we have money, we get juice and cake for birthdays. When we don’t, we just hug and wish each other happy birthday. I don’t feel bad about it or that my friends have phones and I don’t. I’m not ashamed, I’m aware of the situation we’re in and that’s that. With these cards, I try to brighten their days and let them know that I’m thinking of them. My dad was definitely a hero for going to war there at such a young age, and thank God for saving him,” said this wonderful, yet another prematurely grown-up girl.

A young man before whom stood the whole world…

It always saddens us to see anyone that lives under such difficult circumstances, let alone the families of Serbian heroes. Those who defended our people and risked their lives must not be forgotten, and this honorable man did it when it was the most difficult. A young man, before whom the whole world with all its opportunities should have stood, laid down his health and promising future for the defense of the Fatherland. And not only was he wounded, but he returned to his post in bandages after only 10 days and remained there until the very end – until the painful withdrawal of the Serbian army from Kosovo and Metohija!

“Ugh, I will never forget that. But we will return one day, God willing,” he said as he concluded the conversation.

Serbs remember their heroes!

The Charity organization Serbs for Serbs has already helped many such families throughout Serbia, Republika Srpska, Montenegro and other regions, and this time we are launching a fundraising campaign for Milan Ćirić and his family. Donate and help us provide them with a new home. Let’s show that Serbs remember their heroes!

YOU CAN DONATE THROUGH THE DONATION PLATFORM: www.srbizasrbe.org/donacije

SERBIA
1. SMS to 7763 (200 RSD)2. Account: 160-0000000279491-71, Banka Intesa
2. Pay Pal
3. Foreign currency account

REPUBLIC OF SRPSKA
1. Call 17763 (3 КМ)
2. Account: 56201281300241-58 (NLB bank)
3. Pay Pal

MONTENEGRO
1. Account: 510-91548-03 (CKG bank)
2. Pay Pal

USA
1. Donation platform (credit card, bank account)
2. Pay Pal
3. ZELLE: szsamerika@gmail.com
4.Check to: Serbs for Serbs, Po Box 34206 Chicago, IL 60634
*all donors exercise the right to tax deductions

CANADA
1. Pay Pal
2. Check to: Serbs for Serbs Canada, 635 The Queensway, Lower Level, Toronto, ON, M8Y 3B3
3. Е-transfer to: donate@serbsforserbs.ca
*all donors exercise the right to tax deductions

GERMANY
1. IBAN: DE97 7606 9559 0002 7519 92
2. Pay Pal
*all donors exercise the right to tax deductions

SWITZERLAND
1. Konto: 61-335679-5
IBAN:CH57 0900 0000 6133 5679 5
Hedwigstrasse 3, 8032 Zurich
2. Twint: donate.raisenow.io/stbdh
3. Pay Pal
*all donors exercise the right to tax deductions

AUSTRIA
1. IBAN:AT97 3200 0000 1036 4339
SWIFT/BIC: RLNWATWW
Customer: Org. f. hum. Hilfe – Srbi za Srbe
Kalvariengürtel 39/6, 8020 Graz Austria
2. Pay Pal
3. Call 0901 300 201 (3 Euro)

SWEDEN
1. SWISH: 1230 133 900
2. Pay Pal
3. Bank Giro: 5302-1077
4. Account: 5226 1060 858

NORWAY
1. VIPPS: 104 414
2. Pay Pal
3. Account: 1503 83 80483

AUSTRALIA
1. Donations via Bank Account:
BSB: 032-278
Account No: 878615
Bank: Westpac
2. Pay Pal
3. Donations via PayID
PayID Type: ABN
PayID: 57472783829
4. Donations via Cheque:
Check to Serbs for Serbs Inc, 18 Mantle Ave, North Richmond NSW 2754, Australia

Patreon 

Facebook fundraiser

BTC and ETH