volume 3, no 3 friday, january 17, 1997 - defense … talon friday, january 17, 1997 the talon is...

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e COMMENTARY . . . .2TENT SAFETY . . . . . 3SLAVONSKI BROD . . . 5MPS . . . . . . . . .8C A I S S O N . . . . . . . 9NORDPOL . . . . . 10E N G I N E E R S . . . 1 1

Talonthe Friday, January 17, 1997Volume 3, No 3

Serving the soldiers of Task Force EagleOperation Joint Guard, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Task Force 1-26 ready to rumble

It’s 8 p.m. A fuel truck has over-turned and exploded on Tuzla Airfield, leaving 80 soldiers aboard

a C-130stranded,

c i r c l i n ga b o v e

the runway. The aircraft has seriousmechanical problems and is danger-ously low on fuel.

Route Skoda is the only availablelanding area, but first it must becleared of traffic.

The Task Force 1-26 battle captainactivates Camp Dobol’s quick reac-tion force.

Team Delta’s 2nd Platoon re-ceives the alert, and within threeminutes tank platoon leader 2nd Lt.

Kelly E. Schneider reports to the taskforce battle desk. Within five minutes,Schneider has the mission and leavesto brief his platoon.

It’s just an exercise, but it tests thetask force’s ability to mass and movea force quickly in response to a cri-sis. In an operation where actions andreactions are often unpredictable, theQRF is critical.

“In the back of your head, you’realways thinking ‘it’s an exercise,’”said Pvt. Conan J. Currigan, 21. “Butyou never know, so you basically justdo your job.”

As the platoon leader and tankc o m m a n d e r ,

See DOBOL,page 12

Capt. TAWANNA R. BROWN350th MPAD

See MEDAL, page 12

OMERBEGOVACA — It was a dayPfc. Michael D. Buchanan and Pfc.Isidro A. Martinez will never forget.

It started when an explosion rip-pled the ground Dec. 20 near Obser-vation Post 9, located in the town ofOmerbegovaca outside Brcko.

By Sgt. TIM PINKHAM350th MPAD

A few minutes later, two civilianmen ran up to the OP’s south gate andtold Pfc. Justin D. Miller and Pvt.David A. Thrailkill that two womenhad just been shot and wounded. Withthe aid of translator Admir Smajlov-ic, the soldiers learned one of the menwas the son of one of the women and

Infantrymen save life

Combat Camera55th Signal Company

Task Force 1-26Quick Reaction Forceprepares for another mission.

The Talon Friday, January 17, 1997

THE TALON is produced in the interest of the servicemembers of TaskForce Eagle, headquartered at Eagle Base. THE TALON is an Army-fundednewspaper authorized for members of the U.S. Army overseas, under theprovision of AR 360-81. Contents of THE TALON are not necessarily theofficial views of, nor endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense,Department of the Army or Task Force Eagle. THE TALON is published weeklyby the 1st Infantry Division (Task Force Eagle) Public Affairs Office, Eagle Base,Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina APO AE 09789, Telephone MSE 551-5230. E-mail:[email protected]. Printed by Print Com Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Circulation: 4,500.

The Talon

1st Infantry Division Commander . . . Maj. Gen. Montgomery C. MeigsEditor in Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maj. William L. DuPont100th MPAD Commander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maj. Victoria D. WoodOIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Capt. Terry L. ConderNCOIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Staff Sgt. Patrick SummersEditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spc. Daniel M. PaschallDesign Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sgt. 1st Class Stephen M. LumFeatures Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spc. Aaron Reed1st Infantry Division PA NCOIC . . . . . . . . . Sgt. Gregory W. BinfordTranslator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arijana Sabanovic

LAYING DOWN THE LAWSTalon

sur

vey

says

By Staff Sgt. PATRICK SUMMERS100th MPAD

IN MY OPINON

“To my pleasant surprise, Ifound an article about twoof my soldiers in The Talon.Thanks for writing such awonderful article for the restof Task Force Eagle toread.”

“Air Force is here too. Youshould focus more on us sometimes.It’s almost like we aren’t even here.Everyone knows about the Army, butwhat about us?”

“Please publish MWR schedule andspecial events.”

“Great publication — just try andgive it a little more feeling that we’rea ‘TEAM’ here in Bosnia.”

“The fold-out poster/center is great.”

“The ‘What they’re saying’ portion isuseless political rhetoric; youshould use the space for better pur-poses.”

A recent issue of The Talonincluded a survey askingTask Force Eagle soldiers totell us what they think. Hereare some examples of whatthey had to say:

In the two months that have goneby since the transfer of authority,we have performed our role asguardians of peace admirably andwith honor.

However, an enemy lurks in ourmidst. This foe is not an externalthreat, it is a state of mind that wemust continually rededicate our-selves to combatting — complacen-cy.

Fighting complacency within our-selves and our troops is a challengethat I want every leader to take se-riously. Complacency can creep intoall aspects of our operation.

Ensure that proper proceduresare followed with regard to vehicleconvoys. Drivers should get adequaterest and use ground guides whenrequired.

Cold weather also provides oppor-tunities for inattention to detail.Adequately prepare yourself for thecold, and be especially careful whenoperating tent or vehicle heaters. Besafe to prevent carbon monoxide poi-

soning or thepossibility of anaccidental fire.

Force protec-tion is the finalarea I wouldlike to empha-size.

Each soldieris responsiblefor his sector ofoperation.

Don’t letyour fellow soldiers down. Make surethat your area of responsibility is upto speed. This includes a full account-ability of your weapon, ammunition,and personal equipment. These itemsshould be cleaned and properly main-tained to guarantee their efficient op-eration.

There is always a threat here.Keep up with continued improve-ments to our fighting positions andwith personal vigilance, the TaskForce will continue to excel and setthe standard for others to follow.

Martin Luther King Jr. was shotand killed three weeks before I wasborn.

Even though I never lived at thesame time as he, his message of in-clusion and acceptance is one thathas deeply affected the society andtimes in which I’ve lived.

Jan. 20 will mark our country’scelebration of his birth. But ratherthan focusing on the man, hopeful-ly this holiday people will focus onhis message of hope for a colorblindsociety that judges people not by the“color of their skin” but by the “con-tent of their character.”

One need to only look aroundBosnia-Herzegovina to see thedevastation that can be causedwhen ethnic and racial hatred dic-

tate people’s actions. America is far from perfect, but

that should not stop us from tryingto understand and respect each oth-er as individuals who share thesame sense of community and citi-zenship.

The Army has demonstrated thatracial differences can be transcend-ed and virtually ignored when peo-ple work toward a common goal.

We should challenge ourselvesto rise above racial prejudice andrefuse to give credence to the big-otry of those who want to divideus through racist words anddeeds.

If people expand their minds,work together, and give their fel-low citizens a fair shot to provethemselves as individuals, Rever-end King’s dream has a chance tobecome a reality.

Send us your opinions; we’re still listen-ing.

CommandSgt. Maj.

James W. Laws1st Infantry

Division

The TalonFriday, January 17, 1997

News briefs

We hear youThanks to Pfc. Daniel S. Gallagh-

er for telling us about A-Team Main-tenance Platoon, 1st Infantry, 77thArmor. We appreciate hearing fromsoldiers who have pride in theirunits and the job they are doing inBosnia-Herzegovina.

Sleeping bag exchange

Big Red One websiteEAGLE BASE — They’re always on theprowl. They storm living quarters. Theysearch and make notations as startledtroops attempt to conceal incriminatingevidence.

“We perform inspections to prevent thetroops from getting hurt,” said Staff Sgt.Steven W. Moomey of the 323rd Firefight-ers, Engineer Platoon and fire inspector forTask Force Eagle.

“I know they’re disappointed they can’thave everything they want, but I want themto go home unharmed and alive,” Moomeysaid.

Tent city one failed a safety check re-cently carried out by the base camp assess-ment team.

Master Sgt. Don L. Ervin, mayor of Ea-gle Base, said that when a life support areais red, the entire base camp is red until thedeficiencies are corrected.

When setting up a living area in a tentsoldiers need to keep a few key things inmind: avoid privacy screens, overloadingelectrical circuits, hanging objects from therafters, and overcrowding.

“Almost everything soldiers have is ex-tremely flammable. If a poncho liner catch-es on fire and falls on someone, it will meltinto their skin,” said Moomey, 40, from ElDorado, Kan.

A clear view of the entire living area isessential for fire rescue teams.

“Overloading a tent with too many occu-pants is a big fire hazard. If someone isgoing to end up being closer than 3 feet from

a kerosene heater they’re wrong,” Moomeysaid.

“It takes two minutes for a GP Mediumto burn to the ground after igniting. Con-sidering how close the tents are, if one tentbursts into flames, more than likely theyall will. If this happens over 600 lives areat risk.”

Fire Prevention Inspection Checklist1. Is there a fire SOP posted near eachfire extinguisher?2. Are occupants trained in evacuationand emergency procedures?3. Are exits and entrances unlocked andunobstructed?4. Have fire extinguishers been visuallyinspected frequently?5. Are smoking restrictions being enforcedwithin 50 ft?6. Are electric appliances properly posi-tion and used (circuits not overloaded)?7. Are there audible fire alarm devices inplace?8. Is the area well maintained inside andout (free of debris)?9. Are heaters being fueled outside, awayfrom the tents?10. Are the heaters clean and being usedwith metal drip pans?11. Are fuel cans properly stored away fromstructures?12. Are fuel cans properly marked with con-tents?13. Is there any cooking being done?14. Are there flammables stored in livingareas (i.e. Coleman fuel, kerosene, etc.)?15. Are heaters a minimum of 3 ft fromcombustible objects?

By Spc. CHERYL A. KRANING100th MPAD

Tent city one fails inspection

The following are the designat-ed days when sleeping bag ex-change will take place each month.

Camp Colt: 2nd and 3rdCamp McGovern: 4thSlavonski Brod: 8th and 9thEagle Base: 12th - 14thUgljevik: 13thCamp Demi: 15thCommanche Base: 16th and 17thValhalla: 21stCaisson: 22ndGuardian Base: 23rdCamp Bedrock: 24thBlue Factory: 25thCamp Dobol: 26thSteel Castle: 28th and 29th

The Talon welcomes view-point articles from soldiers inthe field. Please drop off a hardcopy at our office on the 2ndfloor of Bldg. 17, Eagle Base, orsend us your viewpoint to:

The Talon100th MPAD-JIBAPO AE 09789

Access the new Big Red Onewebsite at:

http://www.1id.army.milPoint of contact for the page is

Maj. William L. DuPont 1st InfantryDivision Public Affairs Officer at-MSE 551-3351.

Viewpoints wanted

Spc. Cheryl A. Kraning

Mental HealthHelp f rom Div is ion Menta l

Health is available 24 hours aday, seven days a week. Meet-ings are confidential, and easyto access. Soldiers can contactDMH through their chaplain, theworld wide web or by MSE.

Bosnia-Herzegovina:559-2177Slavoniski Brod: 558-5607

http://freud.readadp.com/1idmentalhealth/index.htm

Overloaded circuits is one of the violations on the fire inspection checklist.


CAMP DEMI — Soldiers awaiting the con-voy’s departure readied equipment, ribbedone another, and composed lyrics in thechill of the mid-morning sun.

Their mission requires these soldiers tobond as a cohesive team — to rely on andtrust every member to perform his job ifthreatening situations arise.

These military policemen serve as thepersonal security detail for 720th MilitaryPolice Battalion commander Lt. Col. ChrisFrels.

“This group is much tighter than mylast platoon,” said Spc. Jason Farrell, fromSanta Rosa, Calif. Farrell joined the teamin early December, serving as a HMMWVgunner. “We take our jobs seriously.”

“You have to get along so you can worktogether better. After all, we are provid-ing security for the battalion commander,”Frels’ driver Spc. Gerald Adcock, from No-lanville, Texas, said, acknowledging theimportance of the detail’s mission.

“We travel almost every day except Sun-days, which we try and use as a mainte-nance and soldier sustainment day,” said

B team leader Sgt. Bruce MacWhorter.“She (Frels) likes to visit the troops at oth-er locations and she also meets regularlywith city mayors and council members.

Several MPs said they enjoy the assign-ment because it gives them the opportu-nity to leave the base camp more often andmeet local people.

“We don’t do the same daily routine,”said squad leader Staff. Sgt. MitchellSmith, from Milwaukee, Wis. “Workingthe PSD helps break up the days andmakes them go by faster. Some may saythe job is dull, but I get to see the big pic-ture involving the factions — which Iwouldn’t get if I were doing somethingelse.”

Frels selected the soldiers just prior tothe battalion’s arrival in Bosnia-Herzegov-ina, following their training at Hohenfels,Germany. Several squads rotated as herPSD during the 10-day training periodbefore she selected the squad from the411th Military Police Company

“She (Frels) is a down-to-earth person,”said Adcock who has logged more than7,000 miles while in Bosnia-Herzegovina.“She is the only lieutenant colonel I knowthat would get out of the vehicle to help

take off tire chains. But she also lets usknow when we are out of line. She is strictbut fair.”

Threats to the commander’s securityfrom outside the detail’s influence are al-ways a major concern for the group.MacWhorter said the squad hasn’t experi-enced any real threatening situations. Theclosest they came to a tense moment waswhen they confiscated 12 illegally-held ri-fles from municipal police. However, assecurity for the battalion commander, thegroup could — at any time — find them-selves in a hostile environment. They alsoface internal challenges trying to keep upwith an independent commander such asFrels, who occasionally ventures away fromthe security detail.

“We get bent out of shape when she goesout on her own,” Schoolcraft said.

“It’s hard to tell somebody of higher rankwhat to do, but she allows us to do that,”said Rodgers, explaining the efforts squadmembers must take in protecting Frels.

If a threatening situation occurs, secu-rity personnel have a clear vision of theirresponsibility. Adcock said, “It’s our job toget her out of the direction of fire — hersafety comes first.”

Sgt. 1st Class Brian Kappmeyer

Sgt. Bruce MacWhorter, a team leader for the 720th Military Police Battalion, stays in contact with other teammembers as they provide security for battalion commander Lt. Col. Chris Frels in Bratunac, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

By Sgt. 1st Class BRIAN KAPPMEYER350th MPAD

Security detail sees big picture


It’s that old “necessity is themother of invention” story.Long patrols in the turret of

a HMMWV — October windsand rain whipping across hisface — set Spc. Christopher L.Richard thinking of ways to im-prove his lot.

The Lafayette, Ind. native, amember of the 258th Military Po-lice Company, 519th MP Battal-ion, at Camp Colt found a way.

“In about October it startedgetting chilly, and then the rainstarted,” Richard said. “I knewit wouldn’t be good when win-ter came. I started experiment-ing with cardboard, behind thegun. It stopped the wind andhelped push heat up from thetruck.”

Military Police gunnersspend hours in the open turretof their vehicles as they patrol,provide convoy escorts andmaintain checkpoints. As fallturned into winter, sitting be-hind a MK19, M60 or M2 .50caliber machine gun in theopen has become increasinglyuncomfortable.

“My gunner was tired of get-ting wet, so I got a piece ofplexiglas to try and build a rainroof for him,” Sgt. John A.Hammons said. “But it didn’t

SLAVONSKI BROD, Croatia – Technolo-gy enables instant communication via sat-telite. But if you encounter problems, theoperator is just a button away.

Unless, you happen to be at Camp SavaNorth, in which case chances are the op-erator is sitting just around the corner ina small extension node, S250 expandedshelter carrier.

There are two such shelters set up atCamp Sava North, and run by soldiersfrom Company C, 17th Signal Battalion.Twenty-five soldiers from the unit basedin Kitzingen, Germany, provide tacticaltelephone communication services to TaskForce Pershing headquarters and two oth-er locations in the theater of operation.Company C, is attached to 121st Signal

By Sgt. JACK SIEMIENIEC350th MPAD

By Staff Sgt. ANNA M. PRUSAITIS100th MPAD

Battalion in support of Operation JOINTGUARD.

Eleven of the unit members are as-signed to TF Pershing while the remain-der operate two other SENs, one at CampBedrock, and the other at Camp Dobol.

These services include mobile subscrib-er equipment, defense switching network,and commercial lines for TF Pershing.

Staff Sgt. Kennedy S. Hall, SEN sec-tion sergeant, said the link is shot throughthe Line of Site radio van to the hub nodecenter in Tuzla. “The MSE/V2’s are whatwe have here, they can handle more sub-scriber customers,” the Daytona Beach,Fla., resident said.

In order to provide the best service pos-sible, the SENs are operated by Co. C,troops in 12-hour shifts, every day of theweek. Occasionally a wire gets cut, caus-ing the subscriber to lose service. Al-

though the MSE concept is that each sub-scriber is responsible for running theirown wire, Co. C is more than willing toassist. “Our guys are willing and capableof going out and giving them a hand,” Hallsaid.

Pfc. Samson N. Lytle, network switch-ing systems operator said he doesn’t mindthe 12-hour shift, he’s just not used to thesnow. “I’m not used to snow at all, I skibut that’s about it,” the resident of Boul-der Creek, Calif., said. The space insidethe shelter is limited, which creates a chal-lenge for Lytle being 6’5”. “About the onlyway I can stand up in the shelter is if Ibend at the waist,” he said.

Soldiers of Co. C, do what they must inorder to accomplish their mission and en-able the troops of TF Pershing and othersto stay in the constant loop of communica-tion.

Communication

Pershing operators work it out

work because there’s no way tofasten it. So I brought it overfor Richard and said ‘try this.’”

Next, their squad leader,Staff Sgt. David C. Johnson,suggested moving the shield tothe front of the gun, attachingit through the predrilled holesalready present on up-armoredHMMWVs.

The trio’s shield is perma-nently attached at the vehicle’s

roof. There are two rectangles,set diagonally, forming a “V.”With a narrow space betweenthe two pieces, there is no in-terference for a weapon mount.

Another gunner, Pfc. Paul D.Skinner, agreed the shield is animprovement. “With theshields, the cold air goes off tothe side and up over you. Thecenter heater vent (from inside)is pointed straight at me and

with the shield, it keeps mepretty warm.”

Only the 519th’s up-ar-mored HMMWVs currentlyhave the shields.

Richard, Hammons andJohnson plan to submit theiridea to the Army’s SuggestionAward Program and possiblymake the shields a standarditem for MP vehicles Army-wide.

Gunners find new way to stay warm

Sgt. Jack Siemieniec

Sgt. John A. Hammons (left), Spc. Christopher L. Richard and Staff Sgt. David C.Johnson showoff the wind shield they designed.


December 20, 1996June 20, 1998

OperationJoint Guard


JgthfwbzCjdvtcnyfz Jxhfyf

SFOR


“You all right, Wick?”The thumbs up in response

means the HMMWV’s gunner,Spc. John M. Surowiecki, iskeeping warm.

Surowiecki, 21, is original-ly from Blaine, Wash., butright now he’s a member of the65th Military Police Company,blasting down a snow and ice-covered road in northern Bos-nia-Herzegovina.

Staff Sgt. Scott Beck is hissquad leader and the man incharge of this three-vehiclepatrol.

The 65th is part of the519th Military Police Battal-ion.

The battalion, which callsFort Polk, La., home, is actu-ally an amalgamation of MPcompanies put together for

this deploy-


Spc. John M. Surowiecki takes a break from his turretgunner duties while on patrol.

By Sgt. JACK SIEMIENIEC350th MPAD

ment: the 65th, from FortBragg, the 293rd, from FortStewart, Ga., and the 258th,from Fort Polk.

They came to Camp Coltlast August to take the placeof some of 1st Armored Divi-sion’s M1 Abrams Main Bat-tle Tank units during Opera-tion JOINT ENDEAVOR.

Now it’s January andSurowiecki is sitting behind anM60 machine gun in a HM-MWV turret. There’s no snowfalling today, but the temper-ature is cold and as the after-noon wanes, it’s getting cold-er.

Beck keeps a practiced eyeon his gunner, looking out forsigns of hypothermia, at thesame time watching for illegalcheckpoints. During this five-hour patrol, the squad willcross the inter-entity borderline and its surrounding zoneof separation several times.

B e c k ’ ssquad is

made up entirely of soldierswho volunteered to join the65th when it was notified itwould be deployed. As is notuncommon for MPs, all the sol-diers have been deployed be-fore.

The thirdMP in theHMMWV ist h e


Sgt. Arvin Fant visits with children along the patrol route during a stop as Sgt. PanfiloDe Los Reyes looks on.

driver, Sgt. Arvin K. Fant,from Charlotte, N.C. Referringto the IEBL and how formerwarring parties live so close toeach other, he said, “It’s anamazing place — the ZOS. “

Time and miles disappearas the patrol moves throughtowns and countryside. Onthis day, not many civilian ve-hicles brave the weather. Pe-destrians make their wayalong the edge of the road.

The MP vehicles pull overmany times to readjust andtighten the chains their tireswear for traction.

The 519th is responsible foran area roughly 480 squaremiles across the northern por-tion of the U.S. sector of Mul-tinational division north.

It all adds up to about 150missions and 30,000 miles aweek; the battalion’s vehicleshave racked up over 550,000miles since deploying fivemonths ago.

The squad has been outabout three hours now andthey pull off to the side of theroad. It’s almost dark in thelate afternoon of winter.

Beck’s soldiers switch off,giving the man in the turret abreak from the cold. Fant pullson another layer of clothes,climbs up behind the M60 ma-chine gun and the patrol hitsthe road again.

MP storyPatrols keep peace


Caisson gets better with age

Soldiers in outlying camps canfind life both demanding andlonely. Adequate living condi-

tions are crucial to maintaining morale,leading to the success of the peace-keeping mission.

American troops of Battery B, 1stBattalion, 7th Field Artillery, based inthe NORDPOL Brigade area of CampCaisson have seen many changes.

Capt. Tim Daugherty, the command-er of the battery, said the conditionsof the Caisson base camp when hisbattery arrived were horrendous. Lo-cated next to the Swedish base campof Tor, Caisson was a virtual mud pit.Tents had dirt floors. The soldierswould go days without being able totake a shower, and morale facilitieswere nonexistent.

Sgt. Eric D. Stevenson, of Tuskeg-ee, Ala. agreed. “When we first gothere, the camp looked terrible,” hesaid. “But with the help of our chain ofcommand and all of our guys pitchingin and working together, the camp wasbrought up to the standards that weneeded to maintain high morale.”

In addition to the soldiers’ hardwork, Brown and Root was brought into upgrade the camp. The mud prob-lem was solved when the sagging tentswere reinforced and raised. Massiveloads of rock were spread about thecamp, and wooden walkways were cre-ated.

“The ability to come into a basecamp and drastically raise the qualityof living for the soldiers is a real boost

By Cpl. LEN BUTLER100th MPAD

to the soldiers’ morale,” Daughertysaid. “But we wanted to do more thanjust improve their living conditions.”

Inside an old maintenance buildingthat is used to service and repair Btry.B’s 155mm Howitzers, spare roomsserved as a perfect place to further en-hance the transformation taking place.The space is now filled with morale,welfare and recreation equipment.

Until recently, soldiers could notmake phone calls to loved ones backin Germany and the United States.However, all of that changed with theinstallation of AT&T telephones in adesignated calling room inside themaintenance building.

In another room, a new televisionand videocassette recorder were in-

stalled to keep the soldiers abreast ofwhat is going on outside of Bosnia-Herzegovina. A popcorn machine wasbrought in to complete the viewing ex-perience.

“I’ve seen how it was before 1/7 FAarrived and the changes that can beseen now,” said Sgt. Charles W.Brigham of 1st Battalion, 101st FieldArtillery, Massachusetts Army Nation-al Guard. A native of Falmouth, Mass.,Brigham maintains Btry. B’s vehiclesand keeps the soldiers’ morale high bymaking supply, PX and mail runs forthe battery.

“We arrived here in August,” Brighamsaid. “There is no comparison betweenwhat we had to deal with before 1/7 gothere, and what it’s like now.”

Cpl. Len Butler

Sgt. Richard A. Washburn (left) and Sgt. Charles W. Brigham work on aHMMWV at Camp Caisson.

Cpl. Len Butler

Section 2, Battery B, 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery, based at Camp Vahala, set up for a dry fire exercise.


Esprit de corps is a well-exercisedconcept in the NORDPOL Brigadesector of Bosnia-Herzegovina where

U.S. Army units, Nordic and Polish battal-ions work together to ensure SFOR’s success.

Battery B, 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artil-lery Regiment, and soldiers from the Texas,Indiana and Massachusetts Army NationalGuard augment the NORDPOL Brigade withartillery support. Joint training missions in-cluding NORDPOL elements and Americanunits are common. The result has been a tru-ly multinational force within SFOR’s largermultinational operation.

Staff Sgt. Brad D. Posey, 35, of Tarboro,N.C. said the NORDPOL Brigade has no ar-tillery assets of its own participating in Oper-ation JOINT GUARD. “The units of the NOR-DPOL Brigade are comprised of maneuverbattalions, such as infantry,” Posey said.

Battery B is assigned to Camp Caisson,next to the Swedish Battalion at Camp Tor,and Camp Vahala, home of the Danish Bat-talion. Fire support teams from the Massa-chusetts National Guard are spread across a280 square kilometer area, lending forward

By Cpl. LEN BUTLER100th MPAD

observer support to all NORDPOL camps.“They are the eyes of artillery,” Posey

said. “Every patrol that goes out, a FST el-ement accompanies it, whether it be tanksor infantry.”

Battery B commander Tim Daughertysaid there has been agreat deal of partner-ship with the Scandi-navian, Danish andPolish battalions. “Ithas been interestingto observe how othercountries do busi-ness,” Daughertysaid.

Daugherty saidjoint operations withthe NORDPOL Bri-gade include patrols, small-arms range ex-ercises and physical training.

Interaction between Btry. B and NORD-POL units doesn’t stop at the end of the day.“All of the guys from the Scandinavian coun-tries speak English,” Daugherty said. “That’swhat language they use when they can’t un-derstand someone’s native language.”

“What is interesting to me is that Amer-icans are just as curious about our culture

NORDPOL welcomes U.S. artillery

Cpl. Len Butler

Pvt. Thony Kankare (left) of Company C, Swedish Battalion and Cpl. Joseph Holmes of Battery B, 1st Battalion, 7th FieldArtillery allow a Swedish armored personnel carrier to pass through the gate at Camp Tor/Caisson.

“Danes were runningaround the mess hall,drinking enormousamounts of water,fanning their tongues... ”

— Warrant Officer M.J.Wade

as we are of theirs,” said Pvt. Thony Kan-kare, 26, of Jaonkopimg, Sweden. “It’s beena great experience for everyone.”

Warrant Officer M.J. Wade, 38, of Lean-der, Texas is with the Texas NationalGuard’s 139th Field Artillery (target acqui-

sition) Battery. Heremembered how hebecame friends withDanish soldiers atCamp Vahala.

“When we ar-rived here, we hadsalsa and pico degallo, which webrought with usfrom Texas,” Wadesaid. “We had noplace to store it, so

we ‘hid’ the sauces in the refrigerator forsafe keeping, unaware that anythingstored in the refrigerator was fair gamefor everyone. The next time we went backfor it, the stuff was almost gone, and therewere Danes running around the mess hall,drinking enormous amounts of water, fan-ning their tongues, their eyes wateringfrom the heat of the sauce. It was one ofthe funniest sights I’ve seen,” Wade said.


N ow that Thanksgiv-ing leftover meals arebut a memory, Christ-

mas decorations have comedown and the chow hall hasstopped serving egg nog, manysoldiers believe that the holi-days have come to an end.

For a number of soldiersand many people outside theconcertina wire, the holidaysare not over quite so soon.

In fact, for some, this monthis a time for one of the most

By Sgt. ANDREW AQUINO350th MPAD

meaningful periods of the year.Ramadan, the Muslim

month of fasting, began Dec 10.Starting on the ninth month ofthe lunar calendar it will con-tinue for 30 days, or until thebeginning of the next phase ofthe new moon.

According to Staff Sgt. Mo-rae Rezaei, technical inspectorfor the 7th Battalion, 159th Avi-ation regiment at Eagle Base,this is a time of physical, men-tal and spiritual cleansing.

“Ramadan is a time to getcloser to God and forget the badthings you are doing,” Rezaei

said. “You are to leave all thethings of the body; anythingthat you might enjoy.”

From before sunrise untilsunset, adherents to the faithabstain from any form of eat-ing, drinking, smoking or sex.

“That is not to torture your-self,” he said. “Almost anybodywho is healthy can go withoutfood for a time.”

According to the Iranian-born U.S. soldier, spiritual les-sons are learned through fast-ing. It teaches patience andthe importance of rising abovephysical needs.

“This is especially a time forremembering God and all thegood things he has done foryou,” he said.

The meaning behind Ra-madan is to celebrate God’sdelivery of the Koran, the holybook of Islam, to the prophetMohammed almost 1,400 yearsago. Mohammed, who livedfrom 570 - 622 A.D., practicedthe month-long fast for the lastnine years of his life.

Followers of the faith emu-late his experiences as daily liv-ing examples of the Muslimfaith.

Muslims begin Ramadan, month-long fasting

By Spc. AARON R. REED100th MPAD

CAMP BEDROCK — Lt. Gen. Joe N. Bal-lard, chief of engineers and commander ofthe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, got achance to view some of the newest equip-ment being fielded by his combat engineersduring a two-day visit here last week.

Soldiers of Company B, 9th EngineerBattalion demonstrated the “mini-flail”and a device the soldiers called a “Frenchclaw.”

The mini-flail, a remote-controlled JohnDeere chassis powered by a 3-cylinder die-sel engine, is designed to clear a foot path42 inches wide; either by detonating anti-

personnel mines with flailing chains, or byreversing the direction of the chains andsweeping the mines out of the way.

“It can take hit after hit from anti-per-sonnel mines,” said 2nd Lt. Glen R. Drys-dale, a Co. B platoon leader from AllenPark, Mich. “In a video filmed in Kuwait,the mini-flail detonated 50 ‘toe-poppers.’

Cpl. Robert L. Frye, a team leader whooperated the mini-flail from the safety ofhis armored personnel carrier, called themine-clearing machine a nice piece ofequipment. “It needs a little bit of work,”Frye said. “But it sure beats me going outthere on foot and probing.”

The French claw, a collapsible alumi-num grappling hook, was adopted by the

engineers after an officer observed Frenchcombat engineers using it during a train-ing course. Unlike the mini-flail, the clawis used to remove mines from a route. Af-ter moving the mines to the side of theroute with the claw, engineers would markthem for later disposal or detonation.

Ballard praised the ingenuity and mo-tivation of the engineers, and said that themission in Bosnia-Herzegovina has point-ed to the need for certain skills and tools.

“We have a deficit in dealing withmines, and we’re continuing to work somesolutions,” Ballard said. “ But in the mean-time, I think we’re dealing with it veryeffectively under some very difficult con-ditions.”

Combat engineers show off new gearSpc. Aaron Reed

Spc. Darick Majka, a ground sapper with Company B, 9th Engineer Battalion, demonstrates the “French claw”mine removal device using an inert anti-tank mine at Camp Bedrock.


MEDAL from page 1

the husband of the other. The other manhad been working on a house in the area.

“I had talked to the older lady a coupledays earlier,” Smajlovic said. “I knew shewas weak and skin-ny. I knew every sec-ond was important.”

When the news ar-rived at the gate,Buchanan was sleep-ing following guardduty, while Martinezwas in PT clothes af-ter returning fromthe gym. But within minutes they weredressed and joining their squad in two M2Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles head-ed for the explosion site.

The Bradleys halted at checkpoint 30,and the soldiers went the rest of the wayon foot. The explosion site was near a routepatrolled each day by soldiers from OP9.

Platoon leader 2nd Lt. Chase A. Free-man stopped his soldiers about 40 feetshort of where the injured women lay atthe fork of two paths. By this time the

squad had been informed the casualtieswere the result of land mines. Althoughthe Bosnian men at the scene indicatedthey wanted the soldiers to move straightdown the path and pull the women to safe-ty, Freeman said he did not want to puthis soldiers at risk.

Using hand signals, Freeman communi-cated to the Bosnians to pull the women tohis soldiers. They did so using a circuitousroute, rather than straight down the path.

First aid was administered immediate-ly. Buchanan worked on the older wom-an, Ana Brkic, while Martinez treated theyounger woman, Ana’s daughter-in-law,Verka Brkic. Ana’s left leg was blown offbelow the knee; Verka’s right foot was bad-ly injured.

Ten minutes after Martinez startedfirst aid, Verka Brkic was carried to a Bra-dley and taken to OP9.

Ana Brkic was more seriously injuredand difficult to treat. Describing her inju-ry, Buchanan said, “Blood was flowing outof her like Niagara Falls.” He gave Anaan intravenous injection, but she pulledout the IV and started going into shock.After being stabilized, she was taken to

the second Bradley.Minutes earlier, medical personnel

from the McGovern Base aid station ar-rived at OP9 and started treating theyounger woman. After the older womanarrived, both casulaities were transport-

ed to the helipad atMcGovern Base.

A helicopter flewthe women to the21st Combat SupportHospital at the BlueFactory near Tuzla.Ana Brkic died short-ly after arriving; Ver-ka Brkic was admit-

ted for surgery.“We did our best to save their lives,”

Freeman said. “We had trained for it inHohenfels. When it happened in real life,we did what we were trained to do. Weexecuted and did the mission. We broughtour guys back without being hurt.”

Maj. Gen. Montogmery C. Meigsawarded Buchanan and Martinez ArmyCommendation Medals. The soldiers arewith Company C, 1st Battalion, 18th In-fantry Regiment.

Spc. J. Craig Pickett

Spc. John A. Walsh, 21, from Fitzgerald, Ga., sweeps away thenight deposit of snow at Observation Post A1. The OP at EagleBase is manned 24 hours a day and overlooks Route Hawk.

Schneider, 23, a native of Denver, Colo.said he is “constantly balancing speedagainst safety.”

As soon as the M1A1 Abrams MainBattle Tanks leave the gate, the balanc-ing act begins as drivers maneuver 70tons of steel over narrow, icy roads,compet ing with compact vehicleswhose drivers rarely yield.

“You’ve got to be careful, especiallyin really bad weather,” said Pfc. RamonPersuad, the driver of the lead tank.

The night of this QRF mission, Per-suad, 20, from Richmond, Va., must ne-gotiate through sleet and fog, with lessthan 10 feet of visibility.

“Everyday is a close call,” said Cur-rigan, agreeing with Persuad, describ-ing the reckless driving of some localmotorists. “You’re always driving defen-sively. It’s not easy.”

This night everything is in sync, andthe tanks reach their objective withinminutes of the alert.

Schneider radios the task force netto report mission completion.

“The mission was a success,” saidTask Force operations sergeant, MasterSgt. Phillip Rivera from New York, “Ev-erything was clicking.”

But as far as Sgt. Tim Rancore, 33, isconcerned, the mission isn’t over untilthe after actions reports are completed,the vehicles are serviced and “the hors-es are dried and put away.”

DOBOL from page 1

Martinez Buchanan

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