Intended as a remembrance of the tragic war that followed the break-away of Bosnia-Herzegovina from Yugoslavia in March 1992, Sunday’s 30th anniversary celebration of that independence also served as an object lesson.

For many of the 250 or so people who turned out for the celebration at the La Gala venue owned by Bosnian immigrant Jake Simic, the current Russian invasion of Ukraine is all too similar to the atrocities that accompanied the Bosnian war.

That war culminated in the Srebrenica massacre of 1995, in which more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys were killed in an event later ruled a genocide under international law.

“As we all look at what’s happening in Ukraine, we should make sure that what happened in Bosnia and Srebrenica will never happen again,” said state Rep. Patti Minter, D-Bowling Green, who presented a proclamation from the Kentucky House of Representatives honoring Bosnian independence.

Likewise, one of the coordinators of Sunday’s event said her home country’s experience provides some parallels to the war in Ukraine.

“Our motherland paid dearly for its independence,” Sabina Smailhodzic Lewis said. “The current situation in Ukraine is all too familiar to Bosnians.

“The United States and the international community has an obligation to see that the war crimes aren’t repeated. We must remember the lessons of the past.”

Sunday’s celebration, organized by the Bosnian-American Association and other groups made up of Bosnian refugees and immigrants, included presentations from the Kentucky General Assembly by Minter and state Sen. Mike Wilson and a visit from Bosnian United Nations Ambassador Sven Alkalaj.

Alkalaj has been traveling throughout the U.S. and helping Bosnian communities in such large cities as Chicago and St. Louis celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Balkan country’s independence.

The fighting that took place between 1992 and 1995 forced many Bosnians to flee their country and find new homes.

Alkalaj said there are now more than 350,000 Bosnians in the U.S.

With help from the International Center of Kentucky, about 10,000 of those now call Bowling Green home. Alkalaj said his brief visit to the city left him impressed with how those immigrants and their families have adjusted.

“The Bosnian community here is rather large and well-organized,” the ambassador said. “They are good citizens who contribute to the development of the city.”

That was echoed by other speakers at Sunday’s event.

Warren County First District Magistrate Doug Gorman recalled that Bosnian businessmen Fuji Avdic of Stryker Logistics and Tahir Zukic of TAZ Trucking were among the first people to offer assistance after tornadoes struck Bowling Green in December.

“For us to be the great community that we are, we need the Bosnian influence and the Bosnian work ethic,” Gorman said.

U.S. Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Bowling Green, said he has firsthand knowledge of the Bosnian work ethic as many of the refugees and immigrants came to work at his family’s Trace Die Cast business in the 1990s.

“As people were leaving Bosnia in the 1990s, I think you were blessed to find Bowling Green and Bowling Green was blessed that you found us,” Guthrie said. “Our community is so much better off because the Bosnians are here.”

Alkalaj said events like Sunday’s are important to continue garnering support for his home country of some 3.8 million residents as it works to find stability.

“The situation politically is still very difficult,” he said. “It’s important for Bosnian-Americans to support us and to vote if they have dual citizenship.”

Avdic, who helped organize the independence celebration, said events like Sunday’s mean a lot to the local Bosnian community.

“It’s important for the younger generation to know what we went through,” said Avdic, who came to Bowling Green as a 7-year-old refugee in 1998. “These events keep people connected.”

Although the Bosnian community has been instrumental in organizing the Bowling Green International Festival and events commemorating the Srebrenica massacre, this was the first celebration of the country’s independence.

It won’t be the last, said another of the event’s organizers.

“It’s important that we not forget where we came from,” said Adela Muhic, who came to Bowling Green as a 2-year-old and is now a senior at Western Kentucky University. “We need to have events like this to educate the next generation of Bosnian-Americans who were born and raised here.”

– Follow business reporter Don Sergent on Twitter @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.