After enduring the harrowing loss of two brothers and spending six months in a concentration camp during the Bosnian War, Mirsad “Mike” Causevic, a Chicago resident, is on a mission to establish a monument dedicated to raising awareness of the conflict.
If successful, the proposed 12-foot-tall statue located on the Northwest Side will honor the 3,176 individuals who lost their lives in his native Bosnia-Herzegovina.
The design features an image of an imprisoned man with his head down, facing a clear wall where relatives reach out in a futile attempt to connect, symbolizing the countless families separated by loss during the war of the early 1990s.
Causevic, 56, elaborates on the significance of the monument, stating, “We were beaten down and tortured, either at their hands or through the withholding of the body’s most basic needs.”
He has also authored a book detailing his experiences.
While Causevic dreams of seeing a monument in his hometown of Prijedor, he is doubtful that it will occur, citing the government’s reluctance to acknowledge the crimes against humanity that transpired during the war.
Residing in the Sauganash neighborhood, Causevic believes that the monument’s location in Chicago is fitting due to the city’s substantial Bosnian population, which swelled to about 40,000 refugees during the turmoil of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Owning Oasis Heating & Cooling in West Ridge, Causevic invested $3,000 in a design by Sarajevo architect Faruk Pirić seven years ago, but the project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, he is making strides to push the initiative forward, emphasizing that he is not seeking financial support from outside sources.
“The Bosnian community and I will fund the memorial, which I estimate will cost between $50,000 and $100,000,” Causevic shared.
He added, “We just need a location and a permit,” stating that discussions have taken place with 40th Ward Alderman Andre Vasquez.
Vasquez conveyed that he has had positive dialogues with Causevic and is exploring feasible options for the monument.
Although Causevic mentioned the possibility of erecting the monument at a planned Bosnian Cultural Center in Lincolnwood without needing city permits, he believes that this site would limit its visibility.
“That will only be seen by us, the same people who survived it,” he said.
“I’m sick and tired of talking to the same people, my people. They know what happened. Other people need to know. That’s why I want it exposed to the public.”
In 2017, Causevic penned a book titled “Death In The White House,” a reference to the name assigned by guards to the building at the Omarska concentration camp where he was detained.
He has also shared his harrowing story with the Illinois Holocaust Museum in Skokie and assisted in raising funds for an upcoming film entitled “Traka,” which depicts the atrocities of the war and is named after the white arm bands that non-Serbs were mandated to wear.
The monument in Chicago holds special significance for Causevic due to the large number of Bosnians who sought refuge in the area, and he hopes that it will enlighten future generations while honoring the victims.
Causevic’s experiences are reflective of many who survived the Serbian concentration camps.
After enduring six months in captivity, he emerged having lost 65 pounds and was unable to walk before being freed with the help of the United Nations and the International Red Cross.
“I was screaming, crying and singing,” he recalled, realizing he had survived a dire situation that once felt hopeless.
His relief was short-lived when he learned, upon his release, that his brother Mufid had been killed.
“I was shocked and went from happiness to sadness,” Causevic recounted, explaining how he spent days in silence, mourning his brother’s loss.
Just six months after his release, he relocated to Chicago with the support of the United Nations, bringing along his parents, Said and Hata, whose home had been destroyed in the conflict.
Tragically, only two days after arriving in the U.S., he discovered that his second brother, Mesud, had also been killed, and his remains were never recovered.
Once settled, Causevic found work at an Ace Hardware store, earning $5.75 an hour
Through hard work and determination, he pursued education in heating and air conditioning at Coyne College, eventually joining the engineering department at the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry while improving his English language skills.
With perseverance, he ventured into real estate, flipping properties for profit which allowed him to start Oasis Heating & Cooling from his garage seven years later.
Today, the thriving business employs 19 individuals.
Causevic emphasizes that while honoring the victims of the Bosnian War is pivotal, his story can also inspire others.
“The Bosnian immigrants are resilient people,” he affirmed.
“I’m proof that in this country, it doesn’t matter who you are if you’re hardworking and have a goal. I was mentally and physically gone. I touched the bottom, and I rose up. It was all up to me, showing up to work every day, planning, working hard and dreaming about goals.”
image source from：chicago
