by Scott Cressman
Retold from the book “War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning,” by Chris Hedges.

The year is 1992. The Bosnian War has begun, using ethnicity and religion to tear neighbours apart based. Violence is rising between the nation’s three groups of people, Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats.

Rosa and Drago Sorak live in the town of Gorazde, some of the few Christian Serbs in this Muslim area. As the conflict grows, their two sons are killed. They suffer death threats and their town is bombed. The couple has a baby girl, but no electricity, gas, or water. Food becomes scarce and the parents can do little as other infants die and their own daughter weakens.

Then, one morning there is a knock at their door. It’s Rosa and Drago’s Muslim neighbour, Fadil Fejzic, offering half a litre of milk for the baby. Fadil has milked his cow during the night so snipers can’t shoot him. He does this for the next 442 days, bringing milk for the “enemy” child, ignoring the disapproval and threats of his own community. The baby lives. The families move to avoid the fighting, but they survive the war.

Fadil Fejzic stood his ground against the pressures of war and hate, but not because he was part of an international organization or a missions team. He saw how he could slow the tide of violence in his home community, and he acted. Without fund-raisers, a support team, or public praise, a life was saved. This man’s actions may have been overlooked as a tiny moment in a much bigger war, but he demonstrated how even small individuals can make an impact by mixing love and selflessness.