Today in class, I was discussing how World War I began with my students.
We discussed the assassination of Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie.
It made me remember an event back in 1993 during the Bosnian War. I was acutely aware of the Bosnian War being in the military at the time and especially the Siege of Sarajevo. As I often do, I attempt to tie more modern facts with older facts to make it more real for the students, so I related the story of Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo.
I remember this event so vividly. The bodies of Admira Ismić (Bosniak) and Boško Brkić (Bosnian Serb) on the front page of the papers lying in an embrace dead for days in the road. They were a couple from opposite sides of the street, so to speak. They were attempting to flee Sarajevo but had to pass through an area known as Sniper Alley. They had secured a ceasefire to allow them to pass. They made it to Vrbanja bridge before a shot rang out and Bosko fell dying instantly. Admira was shot next, fell, crawled to her lover, and embraced him while she lay dying over the next fifteen minutes. The bodies lay there for days in embrace.
This is why we study history, so these tales can be remembered.
Read the May 23, 1993 news article written by Kurt Schork who tells the tale far better than I ever could.