Insid

e TEST ANSWERS . . . . 2ECONOMICS . . . . . 3MEDICS . . . . . . 4LITTLE JO . . . . . 5POSTAL . . 6-7AFN . . . . . . 8ROCK OP . . 9

Talonthe

Operation Joint Guard, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Volume 3, No. 14 Friday, April 4, 1997

Serving the soldiers of Task Force Eagle

MCGOVERN BASE – In a small wood-ed strip of shoreline north of Brcko,Bosnia-Herzegovina, spring has start-ed to bloom. Nearby, the slow-movingSava river, freed from the icy grip ofwinter, crawls southward. From bothshores, birds chirp from trees andbushes. Encouraged by the warmerair, vegetation starts to regain itsgreen complexion. A lone farmer be-gins to clear away an area in his back

yard of the residue of winter. The moistair smells of new life. A serene andpeaceful scene.

Not quite.Cutting through the woodline and

the farmer’s backyard is an erodedtrenchline, filled with paper and metalrefuse. Behind it stands the blasted andcrumbling remains of a once bustlingrestaurant. And out past the abandonedtrenchline lurks death. Death in theform of mines, sown perhaps years ear-

By Spc. David Boe364th MPAD

Demining Bosnia-Herzegovina

Staff Sgt. Bruce D. Barnes, with Company B, 82nd EngineerBattalion, shows Serb soldiers how to set a charge priorto destroying anti-personnel mines extracted earlier.

Photo by Spc. David Boe

See DEMINING page 12

The Talon Friday, April 4, 1997Th

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swer

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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:inouyer@pop1-email.5sigcmd.army.mil. Printed by PrintComTuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina. Circulation: 6,500.

The Talon

Page 2

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. Geddes1st Infantry Division PA NCOIC . . . . . . . . . Staff Sgt. Gregory W. BinfordTranslator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Arijana Salihbasic

LAYING DOWN THE LAWS

Recently I received a let-ter from a young member ofthis task force. The letterwas originally written tothe chief of staff, but thecontents of the letter hadnoncommissioned officerbusiness written all over it.The question was aboutforce protection here in Bos-nia-Herzegovina and whywe were still wearing flak vest andfull “battle rattle” when we are outon missions. It seemed that none ofhis NCO leadership could tell himwhy, or why we continue to travelin a four-vehicle convoy.

We have been deliberate as atask force to ensure no former war-ring faction will even consider anattack on an American soldier. Theway that we have accomplished thisso far is by maintaining that edgeto be ready at all times. This in-cludes being in the correct uniform

and traveling in a force ofa size large enough to de-fend ourselves should anysituation occur. Crew-served weapons and thecorrect sized element willdeter any potential threat.The leadership should ex-plain to soldiers why weare organized in this man-ner. It is not by accident

that we travel or dress the way wedo. It is very deliberate and focused.

As I talk about being focused, Iwant the leadership to be vigilant intheir efforts as the task force beginsto redeploy. This will be my last col-umn as your task force commandsergeant major. Thanks for all thesupport. Remember, it is not overuntil we get everyone home safely.

Dagger 7 out!

By Command Sgt. Maj. James W. Laws1st Infantry Division (Forward)

The period of transition is a period of high risk. As the transfer ofauthority is taking place between the “Dagger Brigade” and the “IronBrigade,” all soldiers and leaders are reminded that “Protect TheForce” and “Protect The Soldier” must be foremost on everyone’s mindand in their actions.

Redeployment activities are taking place throughout the sector,while at the same time new units are setting up working places andtemporary homes at the various base camps. You will find base campsvery congested with people, vehicles and equipment. As you go aboutyour business, think through the risks…take actions to reduce them.Execute all tasks like you have been trained.

As you make preparation for redeployment and convoy towardsthe ISB, leave the base camps as you would want to receive them.Review your safety checklists. Know your role in convoys and knowemergency procedures for convoys. Do convoys the right way — bythe book! Listen to all the safety instructions given at the ISB. Stayfocused and complacency will not creep in. Safety must be the toppriority all the way to home station. Carry it over to your “off-duty”activities. Stay alert, stay safe and stay alive!

Stay alert -- stay alive

The following are all quotes from11-year-old students’ science exams:

“When you breathe, you inspire.When you do not breathe, you expire.”

“H2O is hot water, and CO2 is coldwater”

“To collect fumes of sulphur, holda deacon over a flame in a test tube”

“When you smell an odorless gas,it is probably carbon monoxide”

“Nitrogen is not found in Irelandbecause it is not found in a free state”

“Water is composed of two gins,Oxygin and Hydrogin. Oxygin is puregin. Hydrogin is gin and water.”

“Three kinds of blood vessels arearteries, vanes and caterpillars.”

“The alimentary canal is located in the north-ern part of Indiana.”

“Respiration is composed of two acts, first in-spiration, and then expectoration.”

“The moon is a planet just like the earth, onlyit is even deader.”

“Magnet: Something you find crawling allover a dead cat.”

“Dew is formed on leaves when the sun shinesdown on them and makes them perspire.”

“A super-saturated solution is one that holdsmore than it can hold.”

“Mushrooms always grow in damp places andso they look like umbrellas.”

“The body consists of three parts- the brainium,the borax and the abominable cavity. The brainiumcontains the brain, the borax contains the heart andlungs, and the abominable cavity contains the bowls,of which there are five - a, e, i, o, and u.”

“The pistol of a flower is its only protectionagainst insects.” By Mr. R. A. Mente, Task Force Eagle Safety Director

The TalonFriday, April 4, 1997 Page 3

News briefsBy Spc. Susanne Aspley364th MPAD

CAMP DOBOL -- Long-term peace and sta-bility for Bosnia will only come when nor-mal economic activities begin to flourishand all parties work together for prosperi-ty. The intent of Task Force 1-26 is to pavethe road between municipalities and donororganizations to turn this ideal into reality.

“Economics and commerce are the keyto stability in Bosnia. A healthy economywill employ people and increase the de-mand for consumer and durable goods,”said Capt. Zofar Gali, economics officer forTF 1-26 Civil Affairs. “Businesses that pro-vide the necessary goods and services willemploy people and circulate more moneythroughout the economy.”

Recently, a milestone meeting called theCommittee for Economic Cooperation washeld at Checkpoint S-10 near Camp Dobol.This meeting opened avenues by bringingtogether Federation and Republic of Srpskabusiness people.

“It began as an idea to encourage free-dom of movement between the two entities,as well as to restore commercial links thatonce existed before the war,” said Gali.

All parties agreed the CEC would meettwice a month at S-10. In addition, Lt. Col.Robin P. Swan, TF 1-26 commander, indi-cated that S-10 “will be available 24 hoursa day for Federation and RS businessmenwho need a place to meet and negotiatetheir deals.”

Approximately 40 Federation and RSbusinesspeople attended the gathering,

which included some memorable reunions.Gali, Sgt. 1st Class Mark Andrews and Sgt.Mark Joachim, TF 1-26 CA EconomicsTeam, witnessed a Federation businessmanand RS businessman, apparently friendsbefore the war, hug each other and discussbusiness, as well as their families.

“We continue to meet with communityleaders to ensure they are talking with theappropriate international aid and develop-mental organizations that will help Bos-nia move closer to full recovery,” said Gali.TF 1-26 distributes forms, assists munici-pal officials in selection of projects and co-ordinates with local officials to prioritizeand identify extent of the projects.

Already, there are three projects withinthe Zone of Separation that require coop-eration between both sides: one water pipeproject and two road projects.

Using local businesses is the foundationof the projects, funneling money back intothe economy and creating employment fordemobilized Bosnian soldiers. People seethe quality of work which hopefully meansrepeat business.

Aid to Bosnia is currently in a transi-tion period, going from emergency relief todevelopmental and economic relief.

According to Gali, a Zvornik businessmansaid, “The CEC is a good start.” After themeeting, Gali sat down with a mixed groupof a dozen Federation and RS businessmen.They broke out the traditional smoked meatand home-fermented gin, and invited Sta-bilization Force personnel to join them.

“No, thank you,” said Gali. “You guysenjoy. It’s more important for you to talk.”

Economics key stability

Capt. Zofar Gali, economics officer with Task Force 1-26 Civil Affairs, conferswith a Serbian businessman during a Committee for Economic Cooperationmeeting near Camp Dobol.

Photo by 1st Lt. Tyrone Kindle

Cancel emailBefore you redeploy, make sure

you cancel your email account withG6 AMO. Email accounts are not ac-cessible from out of theater, so onceredeployed, retrieval of email fromthese accounts will not be possible.Failure by redeploying soldiers tocancel accounts will place strain onthe server and could cause it to godown. Accounts can be canceled bye m a i l i n g : m a i l m a n @ p o p 1 -email.5sigcmd.army.mil or call 552-1107.

Everywhere a SignAs redeployment nears, take

time to refresh your memory on Eu-ropean road signs. This winter pri-vately owned vehicle accidents dur-ing off-duty hours are on the rise.Most of these accidents are relatedto alcohol, speed, weather, fatigueand poor judgement by soldiers.Take the time to slowly adjust to ci-vilian driving -- POVs don’t handlelike HMMWVs.

Autobahn ends

Dead end

Deer Crossing

Double bend

End of nopassing

End ofRestrictions

The Talon Friday, April 4, 1997

out

Page 4

GUARDIAN BASE – The nurses of the 21stCombat Support Hospital at the Blue Fac-tory have grown, personally and profession-ally, during their six-month tour of duty inBosnia. While the nurses have improvedtheir professional skills, they have alsoimproved themselves, both physically andmentally.

“Every night the nurses have aerobicsand they have done a great job of getting‘buff,’” said Lt. Col. Gail Ford, deputy com-mander of nursing, 21st CSH. “Profession-ally, we’ve got a nursing staff here that’sbeen able to broaden their experiences be-cause of the variety of patients that we’veseen.

“I’m going home with nurses that are amore rounded and well-versed group ofnurses than I came over with,” said Fordof Harker Heights, Texas.

Ford oversees a staff of 12 nurses and55 medics. The hospital at the Blue Facto-ry, adjacent to Guardian Base near Tuzla,is manned by 94 soldiers of the 21st CSH,which is based at Fort Hood, Texas.

“All the soldiers here were handpickedand volunteered for this mission,” said Sgt.1st Class Kellyanne O’Neil, chief ward mas-ter for the 21st CSH and native of Boston,Mass. “We have 400-plus soldiers at FortHood, but all the soldiers here chose tocome. This was the first opportunity formany of them to deploy to another coun-try.”

The level of expertise found in the nurs-ing and medics staffs at the Blue Factory isreflected in the level of care provided to sol-diers of Operations Joint Endeavor/JointGuard during the past six months, since the21st CSH arrived in November. Ford is con-fident that her staff compares to any nurs-ing staff in any hospital in the United States.

“The setup here rivals any communityhospital in the states,” said Ford. “We’vebeen able to provide a high level of care tothe soldier. This deployment has allowedmy nurses to go back home with somethings they probably didn’t think they’dleave here with.”

For example, some of the nurses aretraining in areas new to them. An Obstet-rics/Gynecological (OB/GYN) nurse hasbeen working in the emergency room. A pe-diatrics nurse has been working in the In-tensive Care Unit (ICU) at Blue Factory.

“These nurses have done an excellent joblearning new skills even though this deploy-ment has really been slow (as far as the num-ber of casualties treated),” said Ford.

The medical staff at Blue Factory hasnot had many major casualties. Daily sickcalls bring in an average of 25-30 soldiers.At any given time, soldiers only occupy fouror five of the hospital’s 19 beds.

“The ER has two functions. First is tocare for routine common illnesses and ail-ments. But our primary role is to receivetrauma patients,” said Maj. Richard Ric-ciardi, head ER nurse, 21st CSH. “We’vehad mine accidents, shrapnel victims, chesttraumas, but as you can imagine, a lot ofcommon colds as well.”

Ford said the majority of surgeries havebeen minor, such as hernias and appendec-tomies. Mostly, nurses and medics havebeen able to sharpen their skills on disease/non-battle injuries. Nurses have also

By Sgt. Steven S. Collins129th MPAD

learned to work in less-than-ideal condi-tions, working harder to make do with less.While the hospital has state-of-the-artequipment, nurses are required to rely onthemselves more or less on technology.

“Here, we are much more dependent onour eyes, ears and other senses,” said Maj.Linda Hundley, head ICU nurse. “We’vehad to sharpen our assessment skills quitea bit. You’re right there with the patientsand you’re the first line and some machineis not going to catch (the problem) for you,you have to catch it on your own.”

Although the Bosnian mission for the21st CSH has been slow for the nursingstaff, Ford said her crew still trains for thetraditional wartime mission.

“We can’t let down planning and train-ing for the wartime scenario. We are anarmy,” said Ford. “But in the future, I cansee more of this type of mission. I’m notsaying we’re going to become the world’spolice force, but we support the Americansoldiers. Wherever they go, we go.”

“It has been a positive experience,” saidRicciardi. “Hopefully, in my heart of hearts,we’ve done something to assist the differ-ent factions here to get over their problemsand be better off when we leave.”

Medicsrounding

Maj. Linda Hundley, the head Intensive Care Unit nurseat the 21st Combat Support Hospital at Blue Factory,does a preliminary check on a new patient. Photo by Sgt. Steven S. Collins

The TalonFriday, April 4, 1997 Page 5

CAMP DOBOL -- At 23, 2nd Lt. Kei-th Jensen is the youngest officer inTask Force 1-26. As such, he was thelucky recipient of the Junior OfficerRound, otherwise known as “Little Jo”,a dud round the youngest officer in 1stBattalion, 7th Field Artillery, is givenguardianship over until a younger of-ficer comes along. Jensen has had cus-tody since joining the 1-7 FA in Sch-weinfurt, Germany 10 months ago.

“The last junior officer handed himoff to me. Now here we are together inBosnia. This is the first time Little Johas been deployed,” Jensen said.

The round often comes across asfrightening, so Jensen painted itbright red as not to scare the childrenin the local villages of Bosnia. LittleJo is actually quite harmless.

The Junior Officer Vehicle in whichLittle Jo rides is an olive drab, camou-flaged wagon, with a kevlar blanket-lined bottom, so Little Jo and Jensenare safe on the mine-littered roads. There is a dispatch book com-plete with the proper paperwork and risk assessment. Jensen in-sists on seat belts (bungee cords) and performs preventative main-tenance checks and services everytime he moves out with Little Jo.A drip pan is used out of concern for the environment and, of course,

a chock block is utilized to keep the wagon from rolling away unex-pectedly. The bumper number is HHB 00, 1-I-1-7-F.

People attempt to kidnap the Little Jo from his rightful guard-ian. “They would love to have the companionship and prestigethat Little Jo brings, but Little Jo has one master,” said Jensen.

There are rumors that Little Jo has been stolen from Jensenin the past. However, these reports have never been proven andare completely unsubstantiated.

“I take him everywhere I go,” said Jensen. “People who I

thought were my best friends said they would keep an eye onLittle Jo. The minute I turned my back, they were running outthe door with my round.”

“Little Jo and I are one, inseparable,” said Jensen. “He sleepswhere I sleep, eats when I eat, and accompanies me on weap-ons storage site inspections. He has always been my inspira-tion. I will be very sad when I have to hand him over to thenew junior officer, but there comes a time when you have topart with loved ones and move on.”

Visitation rights will depend on the next junior officer, “butmore than likely he will not let me touch him,” said Jensen.“However, I will be older and wiser when I hand him over. Yessir, if you love something, set it free.”

Jensen put his arm tenderly around Little Jo and said, “Wehave been though a lot here in Bosnia, both good times and badtimes. And we will go through a lot more together...I love him.”

By Spc. Susanne Aspley364th MPAD

2nd Lt. Keith Jensen, fire support officer with1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery, TF 1-26, loadsLittle Jo into the breach -- a reminder of LittleJo’s roots.

2nd Lt. Keith Jensen updates the Junior Officer Vehicle's dispatch book with LittleJo by his side -- notice the chock block under the front wheel.

Ode to Little Jo

Photo by Spc. Susanne Aspley

Photo by Spc. Susanne Aspley

“People who I thought were my bestfriends said they would keep an eyeon Little Jo. The minute I turned myback, they were running out the doorwith my round.”---- 2nd Lt. Keith Jensen

The Talon Friday, April 4, 1997Page 6

EAGLE BASE -- In Bosnia-Herzegovina, mail call becomes the highlight of asoldier’s day. The 38th Postal Company, an active duty unit, along with the320th Postal Company out of Cinncinati, Ohio, and the 316th Postal Compa-ny from Fort Totten, N.Y., both Reserve units, makes sure that the lettersand packages which create that highlight are received.

“Our mission here is to provide mail service and postal finance support toall military and civilians attached to the military in theater,” said Capt. Micha-el A. Tayman, commander of the 38th.

The postal company runs 24 hours a day, seven days aweek. The routine day starts with three to four pal-lets of mail being flown in by the Air Force. Themail is unloaded, then shipped to the post officewhere it is sorted to the different units. Mail isalso sent out to McGovern and Dobol base camps.

It takes about three to four hours to sort themail and by 1 p.m., mail is ready to be pickedup by the units.

“They work really hard for four hours thenthe rest of the day is just mopping up,” saidTayman.

The military mail system has provenitself to be very efficient. Mail sent fromthe United States normally takes aboutfive to six days while mail sent fromGermany takes only three to four days.Bad weather will cause the occasion-al delay.

Soldiers in Bosnia-Herzegovinacan send letters of up to one poundin weight to civilian addresses forfree by simply writing free in thecorner where the stamp usual-ly goes. If sending to a militaryaddress, the soldiers writeMPS in the corner.

“Everything that we offerin Germany, we offer here,”Tayman said. “I thinkdown here it works a bitbetter than in the rear.We have more spacehere and less volume ofmail than in Germany.”

“We get some compliments fromthe soldiers on how efficient we run the mailhere,” Sgt. Rachel R. Olson said.

Fast, free efficient service. “Going postal” has changed.

Story and photos by Pfc. Wendy R. Tokach129th MPAD

Going postalchanged?

Has

The TalonFriday, April 4, 1997 Page 7

From top left, clockwise, Spc. Tosca Dominick, left, and Spc. MariaLeonforti, both of the 316th Postal Company, sort mail... Staff Sgt. LeslieFultz, 320th Postal Company, sorts packages bound for McGovern Baseand Camp Dobol onto the appropriate conveyor belts... 2nd Lt. CliffordDaniels, 320th Postal Company, pulls mail off the conveyor belts... Spc.Nancy Wessel, 38th Postal Company, sorts boxes into the appropriatebins... the mail gets stamped.

The Talon Friday, April 4, 1997Page 8

EAGLE BASE -- Television and radio re-ception are clearer thanks to three EagleBase American Forces Network broadcastengineers and their operations officer. To-gether, they installed digital satellitereceivers at 23 different sites withinthe Balkan region.

Spc. Eric R. Harding, Spc. GeorgeA. Lopez and Spc. Darius Sims, alongwith Capt. Shawn Jirik, worked on theproject from March 15 until its com-pletion on March 25. They are allmembers of the 222nd Broadcast Pub-lic Affairs Detachment, a Reserve unitfrom Bell, Calif. They were deployedhere in January in support of Opera-tion Joint Guard.

AFN headquarters in Frankfurt,Germany decided to update the equip-ment throughout Europe. Maj. Daniel J.Wolfe, 222nd commander, said the 222ndhad more locations throughout Bosnia andthe surrounding area to upgrade than anyother AFN affiliate in Europe.

Jirik was involved in both the planningand implementation of the project. Therewere two weeks of preplanning, and ninedays to switch over. “It took an average of

By Staff Sgt. LaVonna Rohloff364th MPAD

40 minutes at each site,” said JirikReplacing old equipment, the digital

equipment is designed to improve the sys-tem by upgrading the receiving and trans-mission quality of signals. “It will be a pret-tier TV picture with clearer and better qual-

ity,” said Wolfe.It is also more reliable for the viewer

and technicians who keep the equipmentoperating. “The equipment will break downless often,” said Wolfe. “This is better tech-nology.”

“The digital is newer, better equipmentand the consumer gets a better product,”said Harding. “It is high-speed, low-drag

stuff.”The goal was to “cover the camps,” to

make TV and radio reception better for allsoldiers in support of Operation JointGuard. “It was a difficult task given themovement conditions down here,” said

Wolfe.“A lot of sites we went to by helicop-

ter,” said Jirik. “We would not havebeen able to accomplish the mission aswell without the aviation support. To-wards the end we had to convoy. Lotsof units and lots of people helped.”

Each time the 222nd left Eagle Baseby HMMWV, they needed four vehi-cles. Other units supplied vehicles,drivers and assistant drivers.

“We hit four sites in a day in oneconvoy,” said Jirik. “It was the teamconcept that pulled it all together. Oneday we traveled over 100 miles by con-

voy. We even walked part way to some ofthe remote hilltops. We used everything ex-cept train and boat.”

“Engineers often don’t get enough cred-it,” Jirik said. “They (the 222nd’s engi-neers) worked like true professionals andaccomplished the mission,” she said.

The old equipment the broadcast engi-neers replaced will be recycled back to AFNheadquarters in Germany.

AFN gets good reception

Spc. George A. Lopez, broadcast engineer with the 222nd BroadcastPublic Affairs Detachment, adjusts the modulation of the TV signal. Photo by Staff Sgt. LaVonna Rohloff

“One day we traveled over 100miles by convoy. We evenwalked part way to some of theremote hilltops. We usedeverything except train andboat.”---- Capt. Shawn Jirik

The TalonFriday, April 4, 1997 Page 9

CAMP DOBOL- Company C, Task Force 1-26, has suc-cessfully operated Rock Observation Point (OP) for near-ly six months. Recently, it was assessed by TaskForceEagle commanders that in Multinational Division-North, the former warring factions are abiding by theDayton Peace Accord. This week, the walls of Rock OP-came tumbling down in another step towards peace andnormalcy.

This shift will allow Task Force 1-26 to withdrawfrom civil-police actions called for under the GeneralFramework Agreement for Peace (GFAP). Although dis-continuing the upkeep and manning of permanentcheckpoints throughout their area of responsibility, thetask force will carry on with active patrolling. This willenhance the military capabilities of TF 1-26 and theincoming TF 1-41 by freeing up maneuver teams. Quick-reaction response time and versatility will also increase.

“Our attitude here is if it’s not growing, it’s dying,”said Capt. Brian Coppersmith, Company C command-er. “Rock OP required constant improvement and man-power. Now that it is decommissioned, we will gainmobility and patrol capabilities for a wider sector withpeople and vehicles. We are shifting our efforts to a moremobile setup.”

Rock OP was manned by platoons from Company C.The mission was to observe the key intersection andidentify military traffic in violation of the Dayton Peace Accord.Mass civilian interference between the checkpoint and Camp

Dobol was also a possibility, but it didn’t come to be.“Essentially, what we are doing here is decommissioning a

miniature base camp. Platoons at observationposts need to be supported, fed and the OPmaintained and improved. It has been deter-mined that the situation here is stabilizedenough that missions can be conducted out ofCamp Dobol,” said Coppersmith.

Sgt. Albert M. Amoroso Jr., a Bradley gun-ner, with Company C, TF 1-26, explained thatRock OP is the only checkpoint on the Serb sideof the Zone of Separation.

“The OP has been in place since the imple-mentation force came to Bosnia,” said Amoroso.“Our main effort is overlooking the intersec-tion of Hawk and Sparrow, and the small townof Caparde where some resettlement is goingon. We observe everything, and everything ispeaceful.”

For the benefit of the local people in thearea, the dismantling of the checkpoint rein-forces that the ZOS is not an internationalborder. Checkpoint closures will boost free-dom of movement, which is a major GFAPprinciple. This enhances the expansion of eco-nomic opportunities for towns bordering theZOS, promoting economic stability.

By Spc. Susanne Aspley364th MPAD

Walls come tumbling down

Pfc. Gary Gillens removes wire and hesco bastionbaskets at Charlie Rock Observation Point.

Photo by Spc. Susanne Aspley

A soldier guides a Heavy ExpandedMobility Tactical Truck removingdebris from Rock Observation Point

“Our attitude here is if it’snot growing, it’s dying.”---- Capt. Brian Coppersmith

Photo by Spc. Susanne Aspley

The Talon Friday, April 4, 1997Page 10

EAGLE BASE, Tuzla – Interest rates riseand fall at banks throughout the UnitedStates, but soldiers serving in OperationJoint Guard still get the best and most sta-ble rate from their Uncle Sam. Soldiers canearn up to 10 percent annually on moneyplaced in the Savings Deposit Program.

The deputy secretary of defense autho-rized the SDP effective Jan. 1, 1997 for allAmerican soldiers serving in OperationJoint Guard. Enrolling in the program isas simple as talking to a finance represen-tative at any finance office.

“Anyone can be a part of the program,”said Sgt. Janet Blackington, a finance spe-cialist with 106th Finance at Eagle Base,Tuzla. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve served

Father Ilija gives 2nd Lt. Brian J. Novoselich a cedar sprig representing a palmduring the Palm Sunday service at Camp Sava North.

CAMP SAVA -- From Isaiah 50: 4-7, “TheLord God has given me a well-trainedtongue, that I might know to speak tothe weary a word that will rouse them.”

P. Fra Ilija Jerkovic, OFM, otherwiseknown as Father Ilija, has acquired awell-trained tongue which he uses torouse weary soldiers at the Camp SavaNorth Chapel, Slavonski Brod, Croatia.

Once a week at 5 p.m. he conducts Ro-man Catholic services. “I am very happyto do this for those who are so far fromhome,” said Ilija, a priest in the Fran-ciscan Brotherhood.

Ilija has been providing these servic-es for nearly 18 months. Capt. JohnKrippaehne, 82nd Rear Tactical Opera-tions Center, S-1, recently provided Fa-ther Ilija with a limited access camp pass and reiterated the im-portance of his weekly presence.

“It’s important we have services for all denominations,” saidKrippaehne. “Father Ilija fills a need.”

Although Ilija has never studied English formally, he said thathe “learned mostly by listening” and memorized the mass liturgy.He has studied a variety of other languages, however, includingGerman, Latin, Italian, and Spanish. He trained for the priest-hood in Sarajevo and also studied in Jerusalem for three years.

“The war made refugees of my family,” said Ilija, who is orig-inally from Korace, Bosnia. “My sister and one brother live asrefugees in Zagreb. Another brother died and his family are alsorefugees in Zagreb. The war made us leave our homes.”

Ilija is helping a refugee family with eight children by assist-ing in the renovation of a hundred-year-old school into a home.He also passes on supplies he obtains to needy refugee families.

“They can use clothes, medicine, school supplies, toys and oth-er things that families need,” said Ilija. Money is also welcome,but he won’t pass any baskets around or even mention that thesoldiers should give anything. “If they offer something, I will take

By Staff Sgt. Tim Erhardt129th MPAD

it and put it to use, but when they come to mass, I only want themto feel welcome,” said Ilija.

When Ilija isn’t ministering to the soldiers of Slavonski Brod,he is busy handling St. Anthony’s parish, in Slavonski Brod andadministering the “Zlatni Cekin,” of Gold Coin, school. It is namedthat because of the patronship of an area in Italy. The Gold Coinis an “institution for rehabilitation and education of children.”

Ilija helped construct the school when he came to SlavonskiBrod in 1992. He said that 70 children receive instruction eachday at the Gold Coin with 35 enrolled in speech therapy and 40more in mentally handicapped classes. The Gold Coin also hous-es 25 children during the week and feeds 80 for breakfast, 120 atlunch, and 30 for dinner. Father Ilija has 30 people on his staff,including two nuns, two doctors and one nurse.

Throughout the Easter season, Ilija hopes soldiers rememberthat “in suffering they will find power, for in suffering like Jesus,we can see that death is not an end.”

For 21 years, Ilija has given of himself. He has helped getmore than 1,300 children adopted. He plans to continue helpingrefugees, children, and soldiers indefinitely.

Serving soldiers

in Bosnia before, or are a reservist orwhether you’ve opened and closed an (SDP)account before.”

Soldiers are authorized to deposit up to$10,000 in an SDP account. Interest at 10percent per year is compounded quarterly.The amount a soldier can place into his orher account each month cannot exceed thetotal unallotted current pay and allowanc-es for that month. For example, if a soldiertakes home $2,727 per month, he or shecan only deposit up to $2,727 in a SDP ac-count.

Enrolling in the program is easy, saidBlackington. Soldiers simply make a cashor check deposit using DD Form 1131 (cashcollection voucher) at a finance office. De-posits can also be made by allotment, un-less the soldier is a reservist on active duty.

Reservists are not allowed to designate al-lotments with their pay, said Blackington.

Spouses with powers-of-attorney canmake deposits on behalf of deployed sol-diers but only by cash or check.

A soldier who redeploys cannot contin-ue to make deposits to the account. Inter-est will accrue for up to 90 days after a sol-dier is redeployed. Once home, a soldiermust file a request to make a withdrawalfrom the SDP account. This request mustbe sent to the Defense Finance and Ac-counting Service-Cleveland Center in Ohio.Forms are available at any finance office.

“This has been a good program for thesoldiers here,” said Blackington.

For more information about the SavingsDeposit Program, contact any finance rep-resentative or finance office.

By Sgt. Steven Collins129th MPAD

Savings Deposit Program best rate

Photo by Staff Sgt. Tim Erhardt

The TalonFriday, April 4, 1997 Page 11

PROTECT THE FORCE

■ Keep your troops informed■ Identify risks and apply counter-measures■ Make sure you and your people getcrew rest■ Plan and tailor operations to avoid therisk of Cold/Hot Weather Operations■ Execute like we trained you■ Make sure the troops have a bud-dy —who’s yours?■ Don’t let a trooper operate gear w/o proper training and a license■ Do fire prevention rehearsals■ Ensure weapon safety, security ofweapons and sensitive items■ Ensure proper planning and exe-cution of Rail Operations■ Do convoys the right way - by thebook■ If you didn’t drop it, don’t pick it up

PROTECT THE SOLDIER

■ Take care of your buddy■ Know your “turf”■ Think through the risks ...take ac-tions to reduce them■ Know when you are too tired■ Use your cold/wet weather gearproperly■ Know what causes cold/hot weath-er injuries...prevent them■ Know how to prevent Carbon Mon-oxide (CO) poisoning■ Do not operate military equipmentw/o proper training, a license andconfidence■ Know and use fire prevention■ Be able to clear your weapon inyour sleep■ Know your role in convoys andemergency procedures for convoys■ If you didn’t drop it, don’t pick it up.■ Refer to Rule 1

Improvement opportunitiesTake advantage of your free time dur-

ing this deployment to continue your edu-cation. Some of the Bachelors degree-levelclasses offered are listed below. Mastersdegree-level classes are also available. Toregister for classes, or to find out moreabout classes, check with the base educa-tion center. The courses start soon, so reg-ister now.

Central Texas CollegeTuzla MainLAWE 1310 Criminal Investigation IILAWE 2304 Juvenile ProceduresMILS 1101 Military Science IMILS 1102 Fundamentals of LeadershipMILS 2208 US Presence in BosniaEMET 1101 BLS and Emergency CareEMET 1102 Cardiopulmonary ResuscitationEMET 1104 Basic Science for ParamedicEMET 2101 Intro to ParamedicTuzla WestEMET 2101 Intro to Paramedic

University of MarylandTuzla MainBMGT 364 Management and Org. TheorySPCH 100 Foundations of Speech Comm.HIST 141 Western Civilization IBMGT 110 Introduction to BusinessENG 100 Fundamentals of EnglishGNSC 160 Human BiologyTuzla WestENG101 Introduction to writingSPCH 100 Foundations of speech comm.HIST 142 Western Civilization IIBMGT 110 Introduction to businessGuardian/Blue FactorySPCH 100 Foundations of speech comm.BMGT 110 Intro. to businessHIST 142 Western Civil. IIENG 101 Intro. to writing

ColtEngl 100 Fundamentals of EnglishENG 101 Introduction to writingHIST 141 Western Civilization IMcGovernMATH 101 Concepts in modern algebraMATH 100 Transitional MathematicsZOOL 146 Heredity and manPSYC 100 Intro to psychologySlavonski BrodENG 100 Fundamentals of EnglishENG 102 Composition and LiteratureSPCH 100 Foundations of Speech Comm.HIST 157 History of the US since 1865Demi and DobolSeminars only until May 5 (all courses TBA)

Seminar scheduleTuzla MainHIST 219 PLOHIST 219/319 International TerrorismUCSP 198 Black writiersMGST 198/398 Conflict ManagementHIST 219/319 Fall of YugoslaviaTuzla WestHIST 219/319 Gulf crisisHIST 219/319 PLOMGST 198/398 Motivation and perf.Guardian/Blue FactoryHIST 219/319 Fall of YugoslaviaMGST 198 Comm. skills for supervisorsUCSP 198 Black WritersMGST 198/398 Conflict managementCamp BedrockHIST 219/319 PLOHIST 219/319 The Gulf crisisUCSP 198 Black writers

City Colleges of ChicagoVideo courses

You know, I miss sand.

Turtles in the box By Capt. Peter J. Buotte

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Sgt. Jerry Malec0800-1200/Saturday

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The Talon Friday, April 4, 1997Page 12

lier, but still ready to provide a tragic har-vest to the unsuspecting.

After six months in Bosnia, Sgt. 1stClass Jeffery S. Stivers, 34, a platoon ser-geant with Company A, 9th Engineer Bat-talion, has made it his job to be suspiciousof innocent-looking ground.

“As an engineer, that’s something I dealwith on a day-to-day basis,” said the Bloom-field, Ind., native. “We go out and look at afield, and while someone might see the fieldas pretty and greening up, in our eyes it’sa potential minefield.”

Since February, mines have been verymuch on the minds of Stivers and the restof the “Apache” engineers. During the win-ter, mine clearing was next to impossiblesaid Stivers, but with the spring thaw, thejob of clearing the U.S. sector of its 250,000known mines has become a priority. How-ever, mine clearing is not the mission ofthe engineers. That, said Stivers, is the re-sponsibility of the former warring factions.

“What we’re doing with the VRS (Bos-nian Serb) army demining team near theSava river is removing PMR-2A anti-per-sonnel mines,” said Stivers. “Wheneverthey (the former warring factions) deter-mine they have a minefield they want totake out, my job is to observe them andmake sure that all the mines that wereplaced there come out.”

The Serb demining team, a squad of dif-ferently-dressed soldiers armed only withaluminum pokers, spread out along themine-infested shoreline, poking and prod-ding for the small PMR-2A’s. The anti-per-sonnel mine, one of the more common usedby the Serbs, looks like a pineapple sittingon a stake. When detonated by trip wire,the PMR-2A explodes like a grenade, spray-ing metal fragments up to 50 meters in alldirections.

During the mine clearing, the Serb sol-diers wear noth-ing but their uni-forms – no hel-mets, no flakvests. Standingfarther than 50meters away, be-hind a berm andthe trenchline,are the engineers.One soldier walksonto the bermoverlooking theshoreline. Stiversorders him down.

“It’s their (the Serbs) job to take out themines,” said Stivers. “My soldiers do not go nearthe minefield, for obvious safety reasons.”

After finding all of the mines listed forthe area, the Serb soldiers bring them upthe embankment where the engineerscount them against existing records. Onesoldier, returning with a defused PMR-2Astill attached to it’s rotted stake, pounds it

against a fallen tree trunk until the minefalls off.

This is the first time Stivers hasworked with the Serbs in mine-clearingmissions. “It’s a professional relationshipbetween us and them,” said Stivers. “Ba-sically we tell them how we work and theyunderstand the standards we maintain, sothey try to keep that in mind when they’reout here working with us.”

It willalso be oneof the lasttimes Stiv-ers workswith theformer war-ring fac-tions inmine-clear-ing opera-tions. Hewill returnto Germany

with his unit soon, turning over their areaof responsibility to their replacements,Company B, 82nd Engineer Battalion.

“My last job is to do a battle hand-offmission with them,” said Stivers. “TodayI’m just trying to place them in my shoes,and show them what their mission is go-ing to be during the summer months.”

Hovering close to Stivers and assist-ing in the mine recordkeeping is 2nd Lt.

Kevin J. Lovell, 24, a platoon leader withCompany B, 82nd Engineer Battalion. Afterthe Apache engineers leave, the job of work-ing with the former warring factions in mineclearing will fall on his and the 82nd’s shoul-ders. Deployed to Bosnia just a week ago,Lovell said paying attention to detail will bea major factor in his new mission.

“The most important thing we can get outof this is knowledge of preparation and exe-cution,” said the two-year army veteran fromLansing, Ill.

“The key is to do the little things right,and if you do them right in your planningand execution, then you’ll be successful.”

“It all boils down to situation awareness,”said Sgt. 1st Class John J. Jellison, platoonsergeant, Company B. “It looks peaceful, butthere is still that threat present.”

The 15-year veteran said he performed mine-clearing operations in Honduras some yearsback, but nothing on the scale as Bosnia.

“I think it’s going to be a challenge,” hesaid. “But it also is going to be some excel-lent experience for myself and the platoon.”

After the mines are collected and counted,they’re taken to a gully near the river to bedestroyed. Using C-4 from the engineers, theSerb soldiers prepare the mines for destruc-tion. Five minutes later a deep “whump” fromthe gully shatters the quiet. As black smokedrifts up through the barren branches in thetree line, the birds become silent. A few mo-ments later they resume their singing.

Deminingfrom page 1

A Serb soldier recovers a PMR-2A anti-personnelmine from an embankment near the Sava River. Photo by Spc. David Boe

“It’s their (the Serbs) job totake out the mines,” saidStivers. “My soldiers do not gonear the minefield, for obvioussafety reasons.”--- Sgt. 1st Class Jeffery S. Stivers