The Turbe Fire Department in central Bosnia and Herzegovina proudly stands as a pillar of the community. Its 50 members, including 28 young volunteers, are unwaveringly dedicated to the protection and safety of their fellow citizens.
Heroes are all around us, often unnoticed, unrecognized and unappreciated. At a time when internet portals, newspaper columns and social networks are bombarded with daily political chaos, heroes are changing the harsh reality with small but determined steps.
Jelena Križanac from Krčevin, in Vitez Municipality, is described by her fellow citizens as a hero. During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995), she saved many lives, displaying wisdom and bravery, without any regard to ethnic or religious differences. Although she has passed away, her children carry on her legacy of helping those in need.
Alen Salihović, a twenty-one-year-old medical student in Tuzla and a member of the Tuzla Mountain Rescue Service (MRS), volunteered to help the distressed Turkish citizens after the devastating earthquakes that began on the night of February 5th, 2023, and affected areas in Turkey and Syria.
At the age of 11, Mersiha Čusto (fromerly Mersiha Begović) saved a child from Bosnia and Herzegovina while they were ice skating on a partially frozen pond at a military barracks in the Czech town of Nyrsko. They were staying at the barracks as refugees during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Banja Luka resident Merima Gajić is known to her fellow citizens as the heroine of the city on the Vrbas, after rescuing a young girl who recently found herself in the whirlpools of the cold Vrbas River. For this heroic act, she has received recognition from citizens throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as leaders in Banja Luka.