When asked what he appreciates most about his life, Agron Fejzullahu will tell you it's his freedom.

Five years ago, Fejzullahu, formally of Kosovo, was forced to leave his home and then his country. He now calls Lansing home because he has extended family in the area.

The 35-year-old is traveling the state to promote Democratic presidential hopeful Wesley Clark, who he says is the source of his freedom.

Fejzullahu lived in the war-torn Balkan region in 1999 when then-Serbian president, Slobodan Milosevic, started to invade the country. Milosevic is on trial for war crimes including genocide and ethnic cleansing.

"In Kosovo, people had problems - 70 percent of people were not working," Fejzullahu said. "Milosevic's police were just killing Albanians as they wished, genocides were starting to go on."

Those of Albanian decent, like Fejzullahu and his wife and daughter, were banned from any form of education and weren't allowed to speak freely, he said.

Clark, a retired Army general, was the NATO Supreme Commander at the time of the war. Clark, who was leading 19 different countries' militaries, has been credited with restoring peace to the nation in 78 days.

"With his idea and his strategy, he stopped the war," Fejzullahu said. "He saved 1.5 million lives from genocide - this is huge for me."

Clark now is using his past experience as a general as part of his campaign. C. Edward Wall, an organizer for the Michigan Clark Campaign, said that Clark's past service demonstrates his ability to lead.

"He accomplished so much despite the fact that there was great opposition and resistance, even within our own armed service," Wall said.

MSU Communication Professor Charles Atkin said he thinks it makes "perfect sense" for Clark to use his military experience to promote his campaign.

"We have had a general as president before. Eisenhower in the 1950s didn't have much political background, but got elected as president." Atkin said. "Eisenhower probably serves as a role model for Clark."

Atkin said he thinks Clark's military résumé helped him out in the polls at first, but his post-military image isn't continuing to gain support.

"There is a bit of a switch in tactics when dealing in the government system - you have to use persuasion rather than just controlling people," Atkin said.

But to Fejzullahu, Clark is someone who saved his people.

"He did so much for the Albanians. They were killing us in huge numbers," he said. "I could have been killed, my whole family could have all been dead - it is a scary idea."

Fejzullahu said he'll continue to urge people to vote for Clark.

"I believe he has intelligence, strategy, patience and he knows how to bring peace," Fejzullahu said. "Wesley Clark is the only guy who is not putting on a show."