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Y! MyWebWright State insider
Outage easier to endure without bombs, Serbs say
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
It was a lot easier for Milovan Milosevic and Uros Grujic to get through the recent storm and resulting power outages than most of us.
Those two Wright State soccer players have been through it before, and not just on the field, where the Raiders won their opening Horizon League game at Valparaiso on Sunday, Sept. 28, to improve to 2-7.
Although they both contend they were in no imminent danger during the 1999 NATO bombings of Serbia — their country — they do admit it was a scary time in and around Belgrade, where they lived.
"It was like fireworks every night," said Milosevic. "We had to tape our windows from the inside so they wouldn't break in. A half mile away from me, the electricity plant blew up."
Milosevic lived in town, while Grujic lived in a more rural area.
"We went three months without water (plumbing)," Grujic said. "We'd put water in a cup and pour it over our heads. That's how you showered."
Not only did Grujic face that, he went back to it. In an effort to find a safer climate, he and his family (sister, brother, mother, grandparents) moved to be with relatives in Toronto when Grujic was 7. His father stayed behind to work in his real estate business.
Sister Ivona Grujic eventually earned a tennis scholarship to Miami University, but Uros felt he needed to be in Serbia to advance his soccer career. He moved back.
"I had a huge passion for soccer," Grujic said. "It was a dangerous time, and we had a couple of rockets fly over our roof but, unfortunately, sadly, people have to adapt to situations like that.
"We had to live without electricity. We would live under bombs. We would function normally under those circumstances, which is really sad, but it's life. We were without electricity for two months, for sure. We were bombed for 98 straight days."
Both said the country is much safer today, and is regaining stability. Still, they wanted to attend college in America.
Milosevic first went to Virginia, but didn't like it and transferred to WSU.
"In Serbia, when I was growing up, you either became a gangster, an athlete or go to school," Milosevic said. "I chose athletics and to see the world."
He's in management and human resources. Grujic is in business marketing. As for the soccer, WSU's next three matches are at home, Friday versus Loyola (7 p.m.), Sunday against Illinois-Chicago (3:30) and Oct. 11 versus Detroit (7).
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157
or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.
