One of the men whispered in great pain that a co-worker had died when they were blown into the air. The other patient, Nebojsa Starcevic, has had reconstructive surgery that doctors hope will save his leg. These two people were courageous not only in their struggle to survive, but in telling us their story and reliving the horror. Belgrade's top official for civil defense was also a patient in the ICU unit. During the day, people fill the streets of Belgrade and other cities, shopping, going to work.
Life seems normal.
But when the air-raid sirens go off, their lives can be turned upside down in an instant. This afternoon at 3 p.m. we stood on a balcony in downtown Belgrade, about to head out to a refugee camp at Rakovica, a suburb 15 minutes away that had recently been bombed. Suddenly the sirens sounded. Within minutes came an announcement that bombs were dropping once again on Rakovica. Yugoslavia has no high-tech weapons that could possibly take on the Pentagon.