The Real Cost of the War in Ukraine by Ella Čolić
This article was written by Ella Colic.
As the world reels from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many Americans are focused on gas prices, food shortages, and the stock market. But I know the real cost of war. That price is paid in loved ones lost, crushed dreams, experiencing terror, and leaving everything you know – your home, your family, your friends, your hometown – because soldiers are coming.
Although my family was from Bosnia, they never talked about the Bosnian War (1992-1995). But when I was 15 years old, I was unexpectedly handed a dusty pile of letters written by my father and aunt during the war. When war broke out, my father and aunt were only children. Learning about my family’s history was like opening a Pandora’s Box.
War is not simply a concept. It affects the oldest to the youngest. It’s personal. Its ramifications are generational.
After I read those letters, it took almost two years to pull the entire story from my father, piece by piece. As that story unfolded, my interest in the Bosnian War grew. I not only did exhaustive interviews with my aunt and father, but I also researched the history of the conflict under the guidance of my mentors and teachers. All this work made it obvious to me that my generation lives in a world of fantasy. With modern day technology, we effortlessly create barricades making it easier to judge rather than be compassionate. It’s easy to start creating an “us vs. them” mentality. It’s easy to say you understand. It’s far harder to truly empathize.
I realized someone from my generation needs to speak for the children of war. Someone needs to say what it’s like when the cameras aren’t rolling, when the world’s not watching, when hope is scarce. So, I wrote “Trees Without Roots,” with the help of Alive Book Publishing.
“Trees Without Roots” details those children’s heroic and painful journey dodging mortars and seeing death literally all around them. Their only desire was to go back to the lives they had before the war. Slowly they began to understand that would never happen. Separated from their parents due to the war, the children eventually made a harrowing escape out of Bosnia aided by both family and strangers.
Of course, all this research, and the intensity of what I’ve read, has impacted how I feel about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. America, as a country, has never been invaded, so Americans haven’t experienced how wars affect families when fathers, mothers and children are ripped apart from each other, and they are suddenly thrown out of the homes where they thought they had a secure future.
No one can justify the amount of suffering that has been inflicted on the Ukrainian people. I worry about the generational trauma that will result from this.
The American Academy of Pediatrics published a study titled “The Effects of Armed Conflict on Children.” From that study, it was concluded that, in addition to physical harm and suffering, “Pooled estimates from a systematic review of nearly 8000 children who were exposed to war revealed that the prevalence of PTSD is 47%, that of depression is 43%, and that of anxiety is 27%.” Even when war is officially over, the damage is consequential.
After I published my book in America, it was also published in Bosnia, where it was met with great acclaim because many families experienced similar gut-wrenching scenarios. This was monumental for me: I met so many talented young people - especially a young woman, Azra Pargan, who worked on the translation of my book.
In cooperation with BMG (Bosanska Medijska Grupa) and NVO Association for Peace, Education and Creativity, the idea for the project “My First Book” was born. We had our first festival in December 2021. As ambassador for the project, my opening speech was simple: We want to inspire young people to write and to establish goodwill and cooperation internationally. We support those who are marginalized or oppressed, whether it’s because of race, sex, age, or religion. We don’t focus on young people alone. In fact, seven books by adult women have already been published, thanks to our efforts..
With the proceeds from the Bosnian translation of my book, and my additional sponsorship, we were able to publish a book called "Bosansko Dijete" (translation: "Bosnian Child") by Enes Hodžić. Enes Hodžić was a 13-year-old budding musician and poet who wrote about politics and the fear children experienced in war. He was killed by a grenade in front of his home. His poems have been published in his memory.
Both Enes’ poems and stories like my family’s are extremely important. They force us to see the harsh reality of war. These stories must be heard for future generations to avoid something like this happening again.
About the author
Ella is now 20 years old and a student at Occidental College. Although her literary credentials are not extensive, her young age and interest provides a new outlook into the historical world of her family and culture and a drive to push for a better future. Inspired by her Justice Immersion trip to Tanzania and living with the Maasai community as well as other forms of social justice activism, Ella plans to pursue a career into reconstructive surgery, focusing on the humanitarian aspect of the medical field. You can learn more about her at treeswithoutroots.com, and connect with her on Instagram @treeswithoutroots, and on Facebook at Ella Colic.
