They fought so that she, her cousins and their children could grow up in Bihac in safety. But now it holds little of the charm it had during her childhood, and none of the hope. There is massive unemployment since the war ended. Some of the private businesses have started again and the town has largely been rebuilt, but the heavy industry still doesn't work and many people don't have jobs to go to. Those who do are often on strike because they don't get their salaries.
Prices are much higher too.
When the war first finished in 1995, some things were difficult to get hold of, but once the roads opened and supplies got through, they were cheap. Not any more. Now we pay the same prices as they do in Germany and Austria, but we don't have the same salaries. Some people don't have any salary and there are often strikes. The town looks much better than it did in 1996, but life is hard and there isn't much left to keep people here.