Serbia forgets its war veterans?

Although high state officials talk about assisting Serbia's war veterans with disabilities, little has been done. A former Yugoslav Army (JNA) reserve soldier, Zoran Milanovic of Aleksandrovac in southern Serbia, who emerged from the war blind, has been waiting for the past 14 years for politicians to make good on a promise to help him regain his eyesight. Serbia forgets its war veterans? Milanovic was called up and sent to Borovo Selo and Vukovar in 1991, as a Pozarevac Brigade reservist, to be mobilized once again in late 1992, and deployed in Bosnia. He was shot in the left temple on March 22, 1993, and was rendered momentarily blind in both eyes. His struggle against hell, as he calls it, starts with that day. Zoran has never seen his children and wife and says he has a very hard time accepting that. "Darkness. How do you get used to that? It took me ten years to get used to that," he says. The lucky twist in Zoran's story is that his blindness is reversible. Operations that would restore his right eye sight are performed in Portugal. But the surgery would cost in excess of EUR 100,000. This fact has been skillfully used by Serbian politicians for the past ten years, the veteran tells. Vojislav Seselj, Tomislav Nikolic, Vojislav Kostunica and Boris Tadic all promised over the years to raise the funds for the operation. The promises came mostly during election campaigns, only to forget about Zoran and leave him alone in his darkness once the ballot was over. "The state has done nothing to help us war invalids at least a little. Their promises are worth nothing. Kostunica promised, Tadic wrote and called and said the money would be found, but it all came to nothing," he explains. None of the ministries with jurisdiction in the matter would even set aside EUR 350 to buy software assisting blind persons in using computers. For this reason, in his own words, Zoran is in the 21st century unable to try and work to earn some of the money necessary for his operation.

Serbia forgets its war veterans?

Milanović was called up and sent to Borovo Selo and Vukovar in 1991, as a Požarevac Brigade reservist, to be mobilized once again in late 1992, and deployed in Bosnia.

He was shot in the left temple on March 22, 1993, and was rendered momentarily blind in both eyes.

His struggle against hell, as he calls it, starts with that day. Zoran has never seen his children and wife and says he has a very hard time accepting that.

"Darkness. How do you get used to that? It took me ten years to get used to that," he says.

The lucky twist in Zoran's story is that his blindness is reversible. Operations that would restore his right eye sight are performed in Portugal.

But the surgery would cost in excess of EUR 100,000. This fact has been skillfully used by Serbian politicians for the past ten years, the veteran tells.

Vojislav Šešelj, Tomislav Nikolić, Vojislav Koštunica and Boris Tadić all promised over the years to raise the funds for the operation.

The promises came mostly during election campaigns, only to forget about Zoran and leave him alone in his darkness once the ballot was over.

"The state has done nothing to help us war invalids at least a little. Their promises are worth nothing. Koštunica promised, Tadić wrote and called and said the money would be found, but it all came to nothing," he explains.

None of the ministries with jurisdiction in the matter would even set aside EUR 350 to buy software assisting blind persons in using computers.

For this reason, in his own words, Zoran is in the 21st century unable to try and work to earn some of the money necessary for his operation.