If you've noticed our Serbian grandparents & great-grandparents and their parents all lived in what is now within Croatian borders. The reason for this was that in the 14th - 16th centuries the Turks invaded Old Serbia and occupied it. In the 1670's Patriarch Arsenije Carnojevic led the Serbian people away from the Turk domination to the present-day Croatian lands. These Croatian lands were under the control of the Austrians who granted the Serbians freedom & protection. This exodus from Old Serbia to freedom was captured in a famous painting (icon) with the Patriarch leading the people on foot like Moses led the children of Israel out of bondage. This explains why our more immediat Serbian ancestors lived in Croatia.
The age-old animosity between Serbs and Croats lives on as evidenced in the wars of the past 15 years. Though they lived in peace for 60 years once the pot was stirred the old hatred spread like a wildfire. My Serbian friend Milka Acimovic (a Serb who has lived in Youngwood PA for the past 20 years) says that the town of Gospic (where some of our relatives lived) became infamous for atrocities against Serbs during the recent wars. She also said that during WW 1 Serbs were burned alive in Gospic. So the feelings of hate & anger simmer beneath the surface during the times of "imposed peace". And rise to the surface whenever the political tensions lead to military actions.
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