277: What if you survived the Bosnian genocide?

May 9, 2023

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ANECDOTE

Childhood Shattered Overnight

Mirsad recounts the sudden collapse of mixed-community life when war reached his village and neighbors turned on neighbors.
He describes hunting, snipers, bodies left to rot, and the smell of decaying flesh that haunted him as a child.

INSIGHT

Silence As Survival And Identity

Mirsad's father taught him silence as survival: speaking risked exposing others to danger.
That lesson shaped Mirsad's identity and led him to become 'the boy who said nothing.'

ANECDOTE

Torture And A Grenade That Could Have Killed Him

Mirsad describes being tortured: beaten, cut across his chest and arms, placed on an execution spot, and forced to hold live grenades.
He says silence saved him and an older soldier ultimately removed the grenade, sparing his life.

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From an idyllic childhood in communist Yugoslavia, as a teenager, Mirsad’s world becomes a living nightmare as the Bosnian War brings shelling, torture, murder and ethnic cleansing to his village, leaving deep scars that haunt and transform his life.

Today's episode featured Mirsad Solakovic. If you would like to contribute to help the Solak Gym (a charitable organization) that Mirsad helped create, you can donate through PayPal at solakgym@hotmail.com. You can see and find out more about the gym on Instagram @solakgym. You can also find out more about Mirsad on Instagram @mickey_solak and on Twitter @MirsadSolakovic, there you can find links to his memoir "The Boy Who Said Nothing"

Producers: Whit Missildine

Content/Trigger Warnings: war, murder, ethnic cleansing, graphic violence, torture of a minor, graphic bodily injury, rape, suicidal ideation, explicit language

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Intro Music: ""Illabye" – Tipper

Music Bed: "Union Flow" - Spuntic

Services

If you or someone you know is struggling with the effects of trauma or mental illness, please refer to the following resources:

National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Text or Call 988

National Alliance on Mental Illness: 1-800-950-6264

National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): 1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

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