volume 3, no. 8 friday, february 21, 1997...

Insid

e YOU’RE A SOLDIER . . .2299TH SHINES . . . . . 3KALESIJA . . . . . . 4DUGI DIO . . . . . 54/3 ADA . . . . . . 6-7MODRICKI LUG . . . . . . 8PARANOIA . . . . . 11

Talonthe

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

Volume 3, No. 8 Friday, February 21, 1997

3 Survive Mine

Three soldiers of the 519th Military Police Bat-talion walked away from an explosion after theirvehicle drove over a mine on a small country roadnear Brcko during a routine patrol. The up-armored

X-M-1114 HMMWV they were in,however, had to be towed away as theright-front wheel was broken from itsaxle and engine parts were scatteredacross the road.

Pvt. Jason Tippett, Spc. DouglasCallicotte and Pfc. Jason Garland,members of the 293rd Military PoliceCompany were in the lead vehicle ina patrol along Main Supply Route“Pear,” a road in their sector of respon-sibility, just before 1 a.m. Mondaywhen the mine strike occurred.

The soldiers were treated and re-lease from the Camp Colt aid stationand given time to rest and recuperate.

Callicotte, the team leader for thethree-man crew recalled his initial re-action to the explosion. “My driver

swerved to miss a pothole, and thenext thing I see is a bright flash tomy right side out the window,there’s a loud explosion, everythingin the truck goes black. We got outand I saw that the front part of thetruck was destroyed,” he said.

The driver that night, Garlandsaid he knew to avoid driving on theshoulders of roads in Bosnia. “Iknew there were still mines outthere,” he said. “I stay away fromthe edges of the road. I was in thecenter of the road and still hit one.You’ve always got to be aware.”

“We happened to be the unluckyones to drive over the wrong bumpat the wrong time,” said 2nd Lt.

By Staff Sgt. Ken Hudson129th MPAD

Photo by 55th Combat Camera

Soldiers inspect theHMMWV after themine strike.

See EXPLOSION page 12

The Talon Friday, February 21, 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 the officialviews 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 PrintCom Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Circulation: 4,500.

The Talon

1st Infantry Division Commander . . . Maj. Gen. Montgomery C. MeigsEditor in Chief . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maj. William L. DuPont364th MPAD Commander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maj. Frank PartykaOIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1st Lt. Robert M. InouyeNCOIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sgt. 1st Class Daniel M. WareEditor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sgt. William L. GeddesFeatures Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Staff Sgt. Lavonna A. Rohloff1st Infantry Division PA NCOIC . . . . . . . . . Sgt. Gregory W. BinfordTranslator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arijana SabanovicIllustrator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sgt. Corwin L. Reed

LAYING DOWN THE LAWS

Deployment presents anenvironmental challenge tosoldiers to keep their weap-ons and weapon systemsclean. They must endure rain,mud, snow and dirt, all factorsdetrimental to the function ofa weapon system or M-16.

Soldiers struggle and workhard to keep their equipmentclean. This is important -- it is the equip-ment that helps them do their job andkeep them safe. Soldiers do preventa-tive maintenance checks and services onvehicles to ensure top performance.PMCS must be done on weapons as well.

Clean weapons thoroughly at leastweekly. Even when not fired, theyshould be taken apart, cleaned andoiled as regular maintenance. If clean-ing the weapon is not an organizedsquad level task, get together with abuddy and help each other. Noncom-missioned officers should inspect andcheck the weapon for cleanliness.

We were issued ammuni-tion, and carry at least twomagazines of ammo. NCOsneed to inventory those mag-azines on a regular basis. In-spect the ammo rounds fordamage and accountability.Match the number of roundsissued to a soldier with therounds tallied on the books.

Many soldiers use tape on the muzzleor muzzle covers -- this is a dangerouspractice. If you need to fire your weap-on, any obstruction could cause a mal-function. Keep your weapon free to func-tion. Remember, we train as we fight.

This is a long deployment -- it is easyto get complacent about routine taskssuch as cleaning our weapons. But we,as soldiers, must continue to be respon-sible for the maintenance and account-ability of all weapons, weapon systemsand other sensitive items.-- Command Sgt. Maj. James W. Laws,1st Infantry Division

Believe it or not, spring is just around the corner. With the onset ofwarmer weather, recreational activities will begin to pick up. Sportsand recreation are an integral part of the American way of life. Theyprovide a process through which the Army can help build and maintainan effective fighting force.

However, sports and recreational accidents rank second only to pri-vately owned vehicle accidents as a major cause of injury to soldiers.Sports and recreational injuries cost the Army millions of dollars eachyear through the loss of millions of man-hours of work.

Recreational safety means taking part in leisure activities for funand health, while avoiding injuries and accidents. The following rulesshould be adhered to before engaging in recreational activities:

* Get in shape* Choose exercises appropriate for your age and physical condition* Start out slowly, increasing exercise periods gradually* Start with a warm up period, finish with a cool down period* Know your limit* Dress appropriately for the activity and conditionsEvery activity has potential for accident or injury. Be aware of the

hazards and follow basic safety rules before participating in these activ-ities. Have fun and exercise your body, but also exercise your mind withhazard identification and risk assessment, and stay safe.

Lt. Col. J.D. Dillon, Safety Officer

Recreational Safety

You

might

be

a so

ldier if ... con

t�d..you convince your wife all

ten of your guns are necessaryfor home protection.

..you have more money in-vested in TA-50 than your car.

..you tell your kids to go tobed at 2100 and they try to ex-plain that it’s only nine o’clock.

..the allotment column ofyour LES has more entriesthan the entitlement column.

..no one understands thestories you tell because of allthe acronyms.

..you can explain the Get-tysburg battlefield better thandirections to your house.

..your kids know the wordsto “she wore a yellow ribbon”.

..your two-year old callseveryone in BDUs “daddy”.

..the phone book lists yourrank instead of Mr.

..your spouse hasn’t un-packed the good china fortwenty years.

..you ruin the movie for everyonearound you by pointing out the unrealis-tic military scenes.

..you live on post so you can hear rev-eille every morning.

..your family calls you “Sir”.

..all your jokes begin with “there wasthis soldier, a marine and an airman…”

..while walking, you look at people’scovers as you pass before you look attheir faces.

..you get upset when “The Star span-gled Banner” isn’t played before movies.

The TalonFriday, February 21, 1997

News briefs

EAGLE BASE -- Peacekeeping missions in-clude soldiers in a number of high visibili-ty positions like guarding busy checkpointsor helping displaced refugees. Behind thesesoldiers, unsung heroes make the missionpossible and often go unnoticed.

In the 299th Forward Support Battal-ion, soldiers spend endless hours maintain-ing and repairing the vehicles used to en-sure the peacekeeping mission in Bosniacontinues. On Feb. 11, several of these un-sung heroes were honored for helping givethe 299th maintenance companies an out-standing score on the recent PersonnelMaintenance Logistics Evaluation, a testof the battalion’s ability to do the internaltasks given to it, such as keeping person-nel records and maintaining equipment.

The 299th received commendable scoresin 20 of 24 areas evaluated, the highestscore achieved in the 1st Infantry Divisionin three years. “I knew we would do well,but I didn’t think we would do as well aswe did. We are all very proud of the scores,”

299th unsung heroes shineBy Sgt. Steven S. Collins129th MPAD

said Chief Warrent Officer Terry L. Grant,battalion maintenance technician.

Grant, of Savanna, Ga., instituted anumber of incentive programs to get sol-diers motivated for the evaluation. For ex-ample, the operator with the best vehicleduring a weekly inspection was given apass to Budapest. “Those incentives got thepeople thinking about PMCS (preventativemaintenance checks and services) andabout taking pride in their equipment. Ourgoal was to get the people to treat the equip-ment as if it was their own,” said Grant.

The programs worked – each companywas more than ready for the PMLE. “Oursoldiers had a lot of confidence,” said Sgt.1st Class Reginald B. White of Houston,Texas, motor sergeant for Company B. “Iwas pretty impressed with how they did.The many hours of preparation paid off.”

Since the evaluation, morale has beenhigh and soldiers seem to work even hard-er, said Shier, who is from Leesburg, Fla.

“It was a good feeling to do as well aswe did. We have a bunch of good peopleworking here,” he said.

Pfc. Josh Schwandt andCpl. Chris J. Wetzel, bothof Company B, 299thFSB, repair the wheel andaxle of a 5-ton truck.

Photo by Sgt. Steven S. Collins

SFOR ID CardsTask Force 38 has begun to is-

sue SFOR ID Cards to Task ForceEagle personnel. They plan to com-plete the mission by Feb. 28, 1997when current IFOR ID Cards expire.

The SFOR ID Card expirationdate is determined from unit or in-dividual movement orders, tempo-rary change of station orders ortemporary duty orders.

A completed Request For Issueof SFOR ID Card form is requiredto receive a SFOR ID card. In addi-ton, if the unit/soldier does not havea copy of orders bringing them intotheater in support of SFOR opera-tions, the soldier must provide aletter from the command or agencythat deployed him or her statingthey are in support of SFOR opera-tion, length of deployment, unit ofassignment, and point of contact.The letter must be signed by theindividual and person who autho-rized the deployment.

TF 38 teams will be located atdifferent camps to issue cards.

If you need more information, oryou have questions, call: MSE 553-7261 or 553-7270/7261.


In America, scars of our Civil War lasted for generations, withlingering effects remaining today. Bosnia may be no different.Peace does not come automatically when the fighting stops. De-spite the end of bloodshed, the task of uprooting hatred to plantthe seeds of friendship takes a continuous, determined effort.

“The message of peace has to be built now so it will last whenwe are gone. We go out everyday to build these bridges,” saidMaj. Ed Burley, Task Force 1-26 PSYOPCommander, with the 11th PSYOP Battal-ion from the Washington D.C area.

Burley recalls a situation that occurredin Mahala during the introduction of Re-public of Srpska police into the Muslim vil-lage. He and Sgt. 1st Class Mark Gonza-les, senior PSYOP noncommissioned offic-er, also with the 11th PSYOP, were speak-ing to a group of Muslim men while wait-ing for the RS police to arrive. Both fac-tions were uncertain of the outcome because of violent incidentslast year. As the RS police approached the village, one Muslimman asked Burley, “What would you do if I took a stick and hitone of the policemen?”

“It would be braver of you to instead say good morning,” Bur-ley answered. Amazingly enough, everyone in the crowd agreed.In fact, most of the Muslims greeted the RS police in this mannerand in turn received a genuinely friendly response. “The ice wasbroken,” Burley said. “One Muslim actually ran over to shakethe hand of one RS policeman because it turned out these two

men were friends before the war. It was great to see the renewalof bonds. The townspeople realized that perhaps they could re-build relationships lost during the war.”

The PSYOP mission throughout the country is to distributefactual information to all factions so that the common people haveaccurate news regarding Brcko and other heated decisions madeduring the peace process. Dissemination tools include a widevariety of media avenues such as posters, the Herald of Peacenewspaper, pamphlets and radio and TV spots produced in Sara-

jevo by the PSYOP Production team. TF1-26 Commander Lt.Col. Robin Swan alsoparticipates in live interviews hosted bylocal civilian radio stations to answerquestions for the public regarding activi-ties of TF 1-26 and Stabilization Forces.

Recently, a PSYOP mission took placein Kalesija, a small town neighboringCamp Dobol. Products and posters weredisplayed in public places to reinforcepeace, prosperity and freedom of move-ment, including one that read “Don’t let

rumors or agitators hamper the peace process.” The team stayedon the alert for propaganda that may be used to incite the civilianpopulous regarding Dugi Dio or Brcko, two towns where resettle-ment by Muslims has brought them in daily contact with Serbs.

So far, the overall reaction to the products and missions hasbeen favorable. “Right now the people are concerned about theBrcko decision,” Burley said. However, the general consensus isthat people are happy that SFOR is here and peace has at lastsettled on the war torn countryside.

Building Peace to LastBy Spc. Susanne Aspley364th MPAD

“What would you do if Itook a stick and hit oneof the policemen?”

------ unidentified Muslim man

Sgt. David W. Jackson, 305thPSYOPS Bn, puts up a poster inKalesija promoting peace duringthe Brcko Arbitration in Bosnia.

Photo by Spc. Susanne Aspley


DUGI DIO, Bosnia-Herzegovina -- A com-mon theme of cooperation -- played outacross the Zone of Separation -- quietlytook place in Dugi Dio last week where aRepublic of Srpska Police patrol, along withthe International Police Task Force, wereintroduced to the settlers of the Muslimvillage.

Details for the introduction were hashedout by U.S. and Russian SFOR officialsduring a meeting hosted by Russian Col.Aleksandr Mihailovich Pavlusiohenko.

Dugi Dio Mayor Alija Muskic met theRS police in the morning and walked them,along with IPTF and Stabalization Forceofficials, through the village.

During the tour Muskic and the RS po-lice decided on placement of a container/trailer, which will be used by the police dur-ing their patrols to rest and keep warm.

“Peaceful integration of RS police pres-ence into the town of Dugi Dio is neces-sary for the stabilization of tension in theSapna Region,” said Maj. Gen. Montgom-ery C. Meigs, Task Force Eagle command-er. Implementation of the RS patrol willenable the police to exercise control overRS territory and provide security for the

Bosniac population of Dugi Dio. “The introduction went off without a

glitch today,” said Maj. Bob Arnet, RussianBrigade Civil Affairs Team chief. Civil Af-fairs personnel played a key role ensuringthat all parties involved knew what washappening.

The implementation process is the re-sult of months of coordination and meet-ings between SFOR soldiers and Dugi Dioresidents. Flyers were passed out prior tothe RS police introduction in Dugi Dio. Theflyers explained that persons who re-occu-py Dugi Dio homes shall be subject to alllaws of the Republika Srpska, provided thelaws are in accordance with the Bosnia-

Herzegovina Constitution and DaytonPeace Accord.

The flyer also included details concern-ing the United Nations International Po-lice Task Force’s authority to undertakejoint patrols with the local RS police whendeemed necessary or appropriate. The fly-er also stated that weapons are not per-mitted within the ZOS, and civilian policeofficers are permitted to carry side armsin the zone while in uniform an in the lineof duty.

“The goal is to get everyone to acceptthat it can be a multi-ethnic country, andit can work,” said Lt. Col Jack Farr, 486th

Civil Affairs Bn., executive officer. “every-one is apprehensive that it may go back tothe way it was during the civil war.”

While handing out information pam-phlets to Dugi Dio residents, two days pri-or to the introduction of the RS patrol, Farr

would say, “Mir-Sada,” meaning peace now.One female resident was moved to share abowl of apples following her meeting withthe U.S. troops. “She was afraid. I toldher it’s all about peace, we’re here to helpand we care about her future,” said Farr.

“The apples helped validate the fact thatshe knew we were sincere and she acknowl-edged it. It was a breakthrough,” said Farr.

Muslims -- meet RS police.RS police -- Muslims.

“She was afraid. I told herit’s all about peace, we’rehere to help and we careabout her future”

------ Lt. Col. Jack Farr

By Staff Sgt. Mark L. Geiger300th MPAD

Photo by Staff Sgt. Mark L. Geiger

Soldiers hand out fliersto Dugi Dio residents.


Security at Tuzla Main Base involves walking the perimeter, manning ob-servation posts and patrolling roads. But base security also involves getting toknow local residents, which members of the 4th Battalion, 3rd Air DefenseArtillery do every two weeks to learn more about activity in the area surround-ing Tuzla Base.

“We go out to see how the local residents and refugees are feeling and howthey feel about us,” said Sgt. 1st Class James R. Kiehl, a platoon sergeant inthe 4/3 ADA. “It also gives us a chance to get outside the perimeter and to meetsome of the people who we’re here to help.”

Kiehl’s platoon traveled to the Tomici area Feb. 12 to meet with refugeeswho recently came to the area, which is within five kilometers of Tuzla Main’ssoutheast corner. The platoon stopped along the route to give candy and valen-tines to children and discuss issues with refugee leader Saban Alibasic.

While duty on the wire is monotonous, the trips outside the base give sol-diers a chance to interact with the local residents.

Giving goodies is fun for the soldiers, but it also has a practical effect, saidKiehl. The refugees learn to trust the Americans and are more willing to iden-tify areas where problems might occur.

“We meet with the refugee leaders and learn their attitudes, what theirplans are, how many are out here and other important information,” said Kie-hl. “Knowing what’s out here can help us plan our security inside the base.”

“Out here, we keep a high state of readiness, because we need to take thingsseriously,” said Kiehl. “Interacting with these people is nice, but I tell my sol-diers that they need to be aware of everything that happens out here.”

Kiehl also said anyone leaving Tuzla Main for other areas or base campsshould be aware of their surroundings. While on base, all soldiers need to beconscious of the security happening 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Patrolling the pe rBy Sgt. Steven S. Collins129th MPAD

From top left, clockwise -- 1st Sgt. Bobby J. Brown gives treats torefugees..., Brown gives a valentine to a refugee child..., Refugees inthe Tomici area received treats and valentines from soldiers on patrol...,Sgt. 1st Class James R. Kiehl gives a convoy brief before an externalpatrol..., Refugees share their valentines with each other.


rimeter


A handshake, a smile, a strong cup ofcoffee, a look of apprehension and even ashed tear or two.

It’s all part of a typical day for the ArmyReserve soldiers from the 361st Civil Af-fairs Brigade, Pensacola, Fla., stationed atCamp Colt.

A large portion of the civil affairs mis-sion is to show a Stabilization Force pres-ence. The 361st walk the streets of townssuch as Odzac and Gradacac and talk topolice chiefs, mayors and the locals.

“That’s what we do best, go out and meetpeople, to give a good SFOR impression,”said Capt. Wilfredo Rosario, 478th CA Bat-talion, Miami, Fla. “There is so much wecan show them about not going back to war.We bring a message of peace.”

They get an indicator as to what thepeoples’ attitudes are on such issues as theBrcko Arbitration and resettlement, Rosa-rio said. They look for anything unusual,any kind of movement — for example agathering of people and buses that wouldindicate a demonstration. They try to get asense of how the people are feeling and theconcerns they have.

“Their hospitality has been incredible,from all nationalities. They bring us in andwe’ll tell them what we are doing aroundthere, we make sure they understand weare trying to follow the Dayton Peace Ac-cord,” said Rosario. “They had a peacefulyear while IFOR (Implementation Force)was here -- I think they are at a point wherethey don’t want to go back to war, they haveexperienced peace. Many changes are hap-pening around them, projects are going onand people are going back to work andhopefully that’s what they want to do. We’llsee in a year, when SFOR leaves, what’sgoing to happen-- we can’t tell.”

The currentmission in-volves workingwith the peopleon the resettle-ment of the mu-nicipality ofModricki Lug,where there areapproximately600 Serbian ref-ugees living in homes that were occupiedby Muslims before the war. Recently 116of these Muslim families have received per-mission from the United Nations HighCommission on Refugees to move back to

these homes.The 361st soldiers are going door-to-

door asking people who live there whattheir background is and if they wish to re-turn to the area where they originallylived. They do this to map out the area for

a better idea of futureresettlement concerns.At this time there is noplace for these peopleto go, and the soldiersare trying to assist in-ternational organiza-tions in the effort to re-locate these people.

The refugees knowthey might have toleave these homes, andso may be hostile when

SFOR soldiers appear.“No one wants to leave their homes, and

people just getting out of a war are goingto be a lot more drastic in the measuresthey are going to take. We don’t know if

we are going to knock on a door and be face-to-face with the muzzle of a weapon”, saidHall. “So far the people have responded verywell, a lot better than we expected. We hada chance to sit down and talk with somepeople, drink some coffee and ask them howtheir lives have been.”

There are other areas within the TF519th area of operation that are lookingtowards resettlement, Rosario said. Hehopes all the hard work in Modricki Lugwill pay off, and what they learn there willhelp when other areas are resettled.

The terrible effects of the war really hithome for Pfc. Hall when a Serbian womanhe was talking with started to cry whenspeaking of her two sons. One of them is inCroatia and is afraid to come and live withher while the other one cannot be found.

“There’s really not enough words to de-scribe it, it was a feeling of helplessness notbeing able to help her,” said Hall. “Maybenext time we’ll go by and see what we cando to help her out.”

By Spc. Paul Hougdahl129 MPAD

Messageof Peace

Maj. Don Wadley,486th CA BN, getsinformation from aSerbian refugee inthe municipality ofModricki Lug.

Photo by Spc. Paul Hougdahl

“I think they are at a pointwhere they don’t want togo back to war, they haveexperienced peace.”

------ Capt. Wilfredo Rosario


Imagine walking into a room filledwith weapons, and then telling the own-ers of those weapons you were going totake some of them away.

One of many tasks performed by TaskForce 519th Military Police Battalion atCamp Colt, this task -- inspection ofNamed Area of Interest sites -- is quitepossibly one of the most challenging.

The 519th MPs inspect each of the ap-proximately 40 former warring factions’weapon storage sites once a month. Theylook not just for the total amount of weap-ons but for changes in inventory frommonth to month. Factions are allowed tohave certain quantities of arms in ap-proved sites, but must follow DaytonPeace Accord rules for moving or train-ing with them, and may face confiscationof weapons if they violate those rules orif the inventory changes.

What makes this task very difficult isthat the storage facilities are often verychaotic. After the war ended the facili-ties were hastily put together and arelocated in barns, sheds, garages, church-es and even active schools. Some are assmall as a few rifles and machine gunswhile others take up a large warehouse.Crates are often stacked from floor toceiling and from front to back making itvery difficult to inventory them.

The MPs use sound technical and or-ganizational skills in order to correctlyidentify and catalog many different kindsof weapons. The factions have weaponsmade in several different countries in-cluding Russia, Spain, China and theUnited States, some of which are WWI-era. Each weapon, round and explosivedevice must be accounted for andmatched to the previous month’s inven-tory list.

“We attempt to assist them as best wecan in terms of proper accountability andstorage procedures and to group appro-priate items together”, said Lt.Col.Charles Bradley Jr., 519th commander.“What we see in many of these storagesites still is that after the war they justthrew things into the sites.”

“We account for every round, we openevery box,” said Staff Sgt. Ronald Cope-land, a squad leader with the 258th MPCompany attached to the 519th. “Thatway we know where everything is at andwhen you come back you know if some-thing has been moved. Everything hasto be tightly controlled so war doesn’tstart over. They won’t have the means toget at it.”

Diplomacy is very important whendealing with the factions and their weap-on sites. The junior officers and noncom-missioned officers of the 519th take a

major role in this as they operate at thesquad level. Each squad has its own areaof responsibility,deals with the same fac-tions every day and have developed goodworking relationships with them.

“They do an absolutely superb job ofthat,” said Bradley of their diplomacy.“These junior officers and NC’s are repre-senting the U.S. Army.”

The diplomacy and organizationalskills of the 519th were tested during arecent named area of interest inspectionwhen 26 M-72 machine guns and a crateof C-4 type explosive were confiscated froma weapon storage site. The machine gunswere not on the previous months’ inven-

tories and only 78 individual packages ofexplosives were in a crate that previousrecords showed had 98.

At that time it was imperative to havegood records of previous inspections toprove what was at the site before and there-fore follow the Dayton Peace Accord rulesfor confiscation. It was also important tohandle the faction military leaders whowere not happy with the situation.

“We had what could have been a verydifficult situation; however, it was handledvery professionally,” said Bradley. “Thejunior Officers and NCOs of the UnitedStates Army are doing unparalleled workout there.”

519th MPs bring order to armsBy Spc Paul Hougdahl129th MPAD

SGT, Robert Eastman, 293rd MP CO, fromthe 519 MP BN operating out of Camp Coltinspects a homemade grenade launcherduring a wepon site inspection.

Photo by Spc. Paul Hougdahl


It’s hard not to be swept up in the ex-citement during the Gospel church serviceat Camp Dobol. The event is a lively cele-bration of hand-clapping, foot-stompingjoy. And preaching from the pulpit is thebattalion’s motor sergeant, Master Sgt. Ar-lee Robinson Jr., of Task Force 1-26.

Robinson, an Atlanta native, is a manof two callings: a straight-forward noncom-missioned officer in Task Force 1-26 and aspiritual leader in Christian ministry.

“God is perfecting my ministry as timegoes by. I stay rooted and grounded in Godby reading and studying, fasting and pray-ing and being lead by the Holy Spirit. As Ido this, God blesses myself and the minis-try.” he said “In the Army, as leaders andsoldiers, we strive for many things. Weneed to be physically fit, mentally fit andalso spiritually fit.”

Robinson grew up in a Christian back-ground. However, after joining the mili-tary, the Army took precedence in his life.Once married, his wife Martha began at-tending church and he soon followed. Rob-inson, the father of three boys, Anthony,Jamal and Abery, accepted Christ back intohis life in May 1986 and heard the call topreach in 1994 while at Fort Stewart. Thenext year while in Schweinfurt, Germany,he began ministering.

“I enjoy encouraging soldiers. Some-times they don’t feel appreciated, so a paton the back goes a long way. I struggledand turned wrenches in the mud just likeeveryone else here in the motor pool,”Robinson said. “I progressed through the

Robinson: Spiritual fitness trainerBy Spc. Susanne Aspley364th MPAD

ranks by staying focused. Both the Godand the Army recognize hard work.”

Robinson is proud of the accomplish-ments made by Task Force 1-26 in Bos-nia. “My soldiers are highly motivated anddedicated to duty here. I would definitely

Mistakes. We all make them. But it’s not whether or not wemake mistakes; it’s what we do with the mistakes we make. Dowe learn from them or grow from them? Or, when we have ourhands slapped, do we give up, quit, or stop trying?

A study conducted by the National Retail Dry Goods Associa-tion points out that unsuccessful first attempts lead almost halfof all salespeople to certain failure. One-half of all salespeoplemake one call and stop. One-quarter of all salespeople make twocalls and stop. One-sixth of all salespeople make three calls andstop. One-twelfth of all salespeople go back and back and back.

They make 80% of all sales.The Book of James tells us “we have not because we ask not.”

Realistically, we ask not because we fear rejection. We fear ourmistakes will lead people to dislike us. Therefore we take no risk.

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearingsentimental. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To exposefeeling is to risk exposing your true self. To place your ideas and yourdreams before the crowd is risk their loss. To love is to risk not being lovedin return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair. To try is torisk failure.— Author unknown

But risk must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life isto risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing, hasnothing, is nothing. If you’re not making mistakes, are you evertaking any risks? Are you trying or are you “playing it safe”?

serve with them again in any mission thatis handed down to us.” he said. “Anyonecan see the good results in our sector. Thekids wave to us. On a beautiful day, peo-ple are outside enjoying themselves orworking to rebuild their homes.”

There is a legend of an old violin maker who took his youngapprentice into the forest to cut wood for the instruments theywould soon make. The two left the protected valley where thetrees were tall and straight.

“We must climb the crags of the mountainside,” said the oldman. “That is where the gnarled trunks are twisted by the winds.”

The young apprentice asked, “Why don’t you choose thestraight, smooth trees in the valley?”

Said the old craftsman, “The wood that grows quickly in thesheltered valley breaks under the pressure used to shape the partsof the violin. But not the woods from the mountainside. Thosetrees, lashed and torn by the winds, produce good, strong, toughwood—the kind that gives sweet music.”

Mistakes, we all make them. They help shape and mold us.It’s not whether or not we make mistakes, it’s what we do withthe mistakes we make. God knows I’ve made my fair share, andI’ll make more. But I won’t stop trying to make a difference.

Let me close with a quote from Ralph Waldow Emerson. “Tolaugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people andthe affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest criticsand endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, tofind the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether bya healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition, toknow even one life has breathed easier because you have lived;this is to have succeeded.”

If at first you don’t suceed, try, try, againBy Chap. (Maj.) Michael P. Hartzheim

Photo by Spc. Susanne Aspley

Master Sgt. Arlee Robinson Jr.conducts a Gospel churchservice at Camp Dobol.


Mon-Fri0500-0900 Classic Rock (60’s-70’s)

0900-1100 Country1500-1800 Top 40

Saturday0800-1200 Oldies (50’s-60’s)

UUhhh, I really don�t think that was heater fuel

REED THIS By Sgt. Corwin L. ReedAmerican Forces Radio

Brighten up your day...

100.1 FM100.1 FM

American Forces RadioBrighten up your day...

Mon-Fri0500-0900 Classic Rock (60’s-70’s)

0900-1100 Country1500-1800 Top 40

Saturday0800-1200 Oldies (50’s-60’s)

Info Graph by the 300th

American soldiers supporting the Staba-lization Force’s mission need to be “profes-sionally paranoid” in order to protect them-selves, their families, and fellow solders.

“We have to assume that everyone is lis-tening,” said Capt. Edmund J. Bar-rett, 1st Infantry Division SecurityManager. “We need to make sol-diers aware that they all work withsensitive information and they needto treat it with care.”

“In Bosnia, soldiers encounter lo-cal residents, receive mail from fam-ily and friends and talk long-dis-tance on commercial and govern-ment phones,” said Barrett. “Eachinstance provides an opportunity forsensitive information to leak intothe wrong hands.”

“People need to take responsibil-ity for what they say and to whomthey say it,” he said.

Operational security requiressoldiers to be aware at all times.For example, when soldiers talk onone of the three types of phone linesavailable in Bosnia, they cannot besure of a secure line. The MSE linesare secure, but only in this theaterof operations. An MSE phone callto Germany or other points outsideBosnia, Croatia, and Hungary is notsecure.

“Calls made on IPN or on the ATT com-mercial lines are not secure, even in thistheater of operations,” said Barrett.

“It is not at all difficult for someone tolisten in on conversations made over thosephones,” said Barrett. “We must assumethat each of the factions are receiving ev-erything we say.”

E-mail is another problem. Only theclassified e-mail, on the SIPRNET, can beassumed to be secure. Commercial servic-es, such as America Online, as well as un-classified e-mail on Army systems, are notsecure. Passwords and other security mea-sures can be bypassed.

Soldiers must always be aware of their

surroundings. Local residents are oftenhired at base camps to support the peace-keeping mission. Although these workersmay not be reporting on-base activities,soldiers cannot be too careful.

“We can’t assume these workers don’tspeak English, or that they aren’t beingdebriefed by others once they leave thebase”, said Barrett. “We must be careful

what we say around them.”Even mail soldiers receive from home

could offer an opportunity for lapses in op-erational security. Packages and envelopesare often discarded by solders, completewith the soldier’s name, rank, social secu-rity, and other information. Return ad-dresses to the soldier’s family can also be

used by unfriendly forces to affect thesoldier’s performance in theater.

“In past deployments, threat forc-es, after obtaining return addressesfrom discarded letters, have writtenfamilies posing as someone in thesoldier’s chain of command,” Barrettsaid. “The family would get a lettersaying the soldier had been hurt orkilled. As you can imagine, that kindof message can be very disruptive.”

Barrett’s office has developed alist of nine items which soldiersshould not discuss in an unsecure en-vironment. Those items are:

1. Base camp defense plans;2. Patrol plans and timing;3. Specific locations of any vul-

nerable small element;4. Troop movement information;5. Specific information on former

warring factions’ units and locations;6. Critical shortages of manning

and equipment or troop strengths;7. Specific details of the rules of

engagement;8. Redeployment/Deployment

schedules;9. Soldier’s personal information (such

as social security number or family infor-mation).

If soldiers have any questions or con-cerns about security in and around theirbase camps, they are encouraged to callCapt. Barrett or his team members at MSE553-3326.

Professionally paranoidBy Sgt. Steven S. Collins129th MPAD

This package was left in the garbagewith the social security number andreturn address intact and a flightmanifest inside. Photo by Sgt. Steven S. Collins


Karyn Wuensch, platoon leader of thesquad on patrol. “But it’s fortunate in a waythat a civilian car didn’t hit the mine be-cause no passengers would’ve survived,”she said.

It was also fortunate for the crewthat the gunner was not up in his tur-ret at the time of the blast. The con-cussion from the blast tore the SquadAutomatic Weapon from its mount ontop of the vehicle. “I probablywould’ve been hit by shrapnel andbeen cut up pretty bad,” said Tippett,who was the crew gunner that night.The turret hatch, which was un-latched at the time, blew open at theforce of the explosion.

All three men credit the armor platingon the crew compartment of the vehiclewith saving their lives. This particularmodel of HMMWV is being field tested inBosnia. Hardened steel panels reinforced

by ceramic tiles are a protective shieldagainst most common munitions. Thewindows are a sandwich of resin betweenplates of bullet-proof plexi-glass.

The right front quarter of the vehicletook the brunt of the blast with the en-gine compartment being the most severe-ly damaged. From the firewall back, how-

ever, the vehicle is hardly scratched.The 293rd MP Co. has been in Bosnia

for seven months now. Callicotte esti-mates he must have driven this samestretch of road 40 times without incident

until now. The unit is scheduled to moveback to Fort Stewart, Ga., in a month.

Although the men in his squad are famil-iar with the territory, Staff Sgt. Mark Ford,convoy commander that night, said the teamnever allows the routine of patrolling to lullthem into a false sense of security. “Withthe recent decision in Brcko it was our job as

leaders to keep people’s minds focusedon what they’re doing out here,” hesaid.

Ford was riding in the second HM-MWV, directly behind the lead vehicle.He said that the intervening time fol-lowing the explosion was, “the longestten seconds of my life.”

Ford and his driver got out of theirown vehicle and moved toward thestricken one. “Spc. Calliotte got out ofthe vehicle and told us that everyone

inside was OK,” said Ford. The team radi-oed back to Camp Colt that there had beenan explosion. Back up and emergency assis-tance crews responded.

A Serb tank was confiscatedon Feb. 12 after a technical vio-lation of the Dayton Peace Accordat a Serb weapon storage site eastof Brcko in the Russian sector.

The tank, a Russian-built T-55, was driven about 80 metersoutside of the compound duringminor training activity the daybefore, said Col. Michael R. Th-ompson, commander, 2nd Bri-gade, 1st Infantry Division.

“It was not a deliberate at-tempt to mobilize or anything likethat, but it was a technical viola-tion,” said Thompson.

Once the violation was discovered byhelicopters, U.S. and Russian forces re-sponded, and the local Serb leadership wasinformed that they would have to hand overthe tank for destruction.

“The Serb brigade commander lives inBrcko in my sector and the violation wasin the Russian sector,” said Thompson. “So,we met here at ten o’clock in the morningwith the Russians to escort the tank out,and I was here to assist in the coordina-tion with the Serb brigade commander.”

Initial attempts to confiscate the tank

were hampered by a crowd of over 80 Serbcivilians who blocked the entrance to theweapons storage site.

“There’s a lot of emotion in this coun-try, a lot of tension,” said Thompson.“When we first arrived, there was a gath-ering of people who probably didn’t com-pletely understand the situation, so wetook the time to explain what the situa-tion was.”

By noon the crowd had been dispersedby senior Serb leaders and the SFOR sol-diers were allowed to enter the site and

By Spc. David Boe364th MPAD

U.S./Russian ForcesConfiscate Serb Tank

confiscate the tank with no more incidents.“This could have been hard or easy and

they (the Serbs) took the easy solution,” saidThompson. “They understand that militari-ly they cannot challenge the SFOR soldiershere. They understood here today.”

Thompson said that because the violationoccurred in their sector, the Russians weretasked with escorting the tank to their baseat Ugligevik where it was to be destroyedwithin 24 hours. Fuel and recovery assetsfrom McGovern supported the operation.

Photo by Spc. David Boe

A Serb T-55 tank, confiscated bySFOR forces, leaves it's storagesite enroute to eventualdestruction at the Russian base.

“ I was in the center of the roadand still hit one (a mine). You’vealways got to be aware,”

----- Pfc. Jason Garland

Explosionfrom page 1

volume 3, no. 8 friday, february 21, 1997...

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