volume 2, no 10 friday, march 22, 1996 · pdf filevolume 2, no 10 friday, march 22, 1996 ......

the TalonVolume 2, No 10 Friday, March 22, 1996

Serving the soldiers of Task Force Eagle

LINKING CROATIA AND BOSNIA

Insid

e COMMENTARY........... 2WRITING HISTORY ...... 5PHOTO FEATURE ........ 6RECON HELICOPTERS ... 8GERMANY NEWS .......10PERSONALITY PAGE ....11CIVIL AFFAIRS ...........12

Operation Joint Endeavor, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Stack ‘em up ...Engineers rebuildBrcko Road bridgeBy Sgt. 1st ClassJACK LEE, 203rd MPADandSgt. KELLY C. FISCHER,358th MPAD

See Bridge , page 12

GUNJA, Croatia —Call it the prologue to“Bridging the Sava, TheSequel.”

Using C-4 explosives,demolition experts fromB Company, 23rd Engi-neer Battalion recentlyremoved three giantconcrete slabs that wereonce part of a bridgelinking Brcko, Bosnia-Herzegovina, andGunja, Croatia.

The demolition wasthe first phase of an ef-fort to repair the BrckoRoad Bridge, a 2,000-foot concrete and metalstructure damaged andrendered impassableduring the war.

The rebuilt structurewill offer a second SavaRiver crossing point —the only fixed structure— and relieve pressureon the military supplyroute over the twoOrasje Floating Bridgescompleted in January.

(Following the demo-

lition, contractor Brown& Root repaired thepiers. The 502nd and586th Engineer Compa-nies — two units thatalso worked on theOrasje Float Bridge —are now working with aHungarian engineerbattalion to launch twoBailey-type bridgesacross the two gaps inthe span.)

The entire project isscheduled to be finishedlater this month, saidCapt. Michael Farrell,assistant operations of-ficer for the 130th Engi-neer Brigade, which isoverseeing the effort.

Two blasts and about300 pounds of explosiveswere required to com-plete the demolition.The explosions brokethe bridge’s damagedconcrete slabs across thecenter and collapsed thesupporting steel trusses,making room for thebridge to be built overthe top.

“We cleared twoabutments and mini-mized the slabs — cut

Spc. John Hoffer, a member of 2nd Brigade Combat Team,throws a sandbag while building a .50-caliber machine gunbunker on the perimeter at Camp Lisa.

Sgt. Angel Clemons

KORAJ — U.S. and Russian sol-diers continue to prove that formerpotential adversaries can become fastfriends.

The latest example occurred earlierthis month when about 50 U.S. sol-diers from A Battery, 4th Battalion,29th Field Artillery traveled to TaskForce Eagle’s Russian Brigade sectorfor a professional exchange of fire-sup-port tactics, techniques and proce-dures.

It was just one in a series of jointoperations and exercises conductedrecently between U.S. and Russiansoldiers serving together with IFORin northeast Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The soldiers convoyed to the Rus-sian encampment March 9 where theyspent four days and three nights in abombed-out school building that Rus-sian soldiers now call home.

During the exercise, the U.S.

artillerymen assisted their Russiancounterparts with the daily task ofcutting firewood for the wood-burningstove that heats the old school.

The chore proved to be an “icebreaker” for the soldiers. What fol-lowed was a genuine display of cama-raderie and interest in each other’swork and world.

Soldiers exchanged patches, hats,flags, money, rank insignia, and otheritems to keep as souvenirs. Flashbulbs popped in the hallways as sol-diers documented this historic jointexercise.

“I would just like to have somethingfrom the Americans that I could showmy family,” said Pvt. Colt Pershoevaof the Russian Airborne Brigade.

The first full day of training beganwith soldiers doing physical training.After breakfast, the soldiers convoyedto an open field north of the encamp-ment, where the training took place.

Russian and U.S. artillerysoldiers hold joint exerciseBy Staff Sgt. COLIN R. WARD358th MPAD

See Artillery , page 12

Friday, March 22, 1996 The Talon

THE TALON is produced in the interest of the servicemen and womenof Task Force Eagle, headquartered at Eagle Base, Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina. THE TALON is an Army-funded, field expedient newspaperauthorized for members of the U.S. Army overseas, under the provision ofAR 360-81. Contents of THE TALON are not necessarily the official views of,nor endorsed by, the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, Department ofthe Army or Task Force Eagle, commanded by Maj. Gen. William L. Nash.THE TALON is published weekly for the 1st Armored Division (Task ForceEagle) Public Affairs Office, Eagle Base, Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina APOAE 09789, Telephone MSE 551-3351. Printed Circulation: 6,000.

Bradley Gunner .........................................................Sgt. Steven R. MaukstadPublic Affairs Officer ...........................................................Maj. John E. SuttleNCOIC ........................................................................Master Sgt. Guy BensonProduction Staff : 29th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment; 5th RegimentArmory, 29th Division Street, Baltimore, Md. 21201-2288Commander ......................................................................Maj. Robert L. GouldOIC.......................................................................................Capt. John GoheenNCOIC................................................................Sgt. 1st Class Bettina E. TilsonLayout Editor/Journalist ..............................................Spc. Cesar G. SorianoPhoto Editor ......................................................................... Spc. Bryan DriverJournalists ..............................................Sgt. Ed Rollins, Spc. George Roache

THE TALON

Command Sgt. Maj.Jack L. Tilley1st Armored

Division

From the top

During OperationJOINT EN-DEAVOR, someequal opportunitycomplaints havebeen filed by TaskForce Eagle soldiers.But thanks to anintensive “preven-tive maintenance”program begun wellbefore the deploy-ment, most of these mattershave been resolved on aninformal basis.

Most of the complaintsinvolved alleged sexualharassment, as well asreligious or racial discrimina-tion. All of the complaintslodged so far have beenresolved. Master Sgt. EdwardEdmonds, Task Force Eagleequal opportunity NCO, tellsme most soldiers do not fileformal complaints becausethey know their informal

complaints will beaddressed.

To anyone whois unclear on thissubject, this taskforce does nottolerate discrimi-nation of anytype, be it racial,gender or reli-gious.

The 1stArmored Division has longbeen proactive on EO educa-tion, and trained everysergeant major and commandsergeant major in the divisionbefore deploying. We startedtraining staff sergeantsthrough captains, but had onlyfinished the training of about350 of these leaders before wedeployed.

In April, we will resumethese classes, and brigadecommanders will select whothey want to attend.

The two-day class is tailoredfor anyone — even civilians —and puts participants in variousscenarios in which people aretreated unfairly. The role-playing helps bring out varioussolutions to these real-worldproblems.

The classes are designed toraise awareness among theleaders of Task Force Eagle,and the knowledge learnedwill be passed down to troops.

In the meantime, soldierswho have an equal opportunityconcern should contact one ofseveral EO advisors we havethroughout the area ofoperation. Edmonds and Capt.Michael Mills, TFE EO officer,can be reached at 558-5727.Other EO advisors include:

•1st Brigade CombatTeam, Sgt. 1st Class O’DellPlair, 551-1010

•2nd Brigade CombatTeam, Sgt. 1st Class Miguel

Pabon, 551-1102•4th Brigade, Sgt. 1st

Class Gilbert Minor, 551-4010•Division Artillery, Sgt.

1st Class Daniel Migenes, 558-5846

•Division Engineers, Sgt.1st Class Buddy Best, 551-6030.

•Division SupportCommand, Sgt. 1st ClassReginald Watkins, 558-5727

•16th Corps SupportGroup, Sgt. 1st Class Ken-neth Swinnie, 558-2748

•22nd Signal Brigade,Sgt. 1st Class RomanFaliciano, 557-0114

Being proactive on equalopportunity issues is anotherway to take care of your troops.

We are all professionalsoldiers. Remember to treatothers with the proper dignityand respect. Act on equalopportunity complaintspromptly and take swiftcorrective action.

Task force proactive on EO complaints

Viewpoint

The real ‘hooah’ behind the U.S. Army’s hooahIt is not really a

word, yet it is one ofthe most spokenforms of communica-tion in the U.S.Army.

It can meannothing, or mean justabout anything at all.It can be a questionor an answer, eventhe question and the answer.When in doubt, just say it andyou’ll appear squared away.

Hooah.Who the heck came up with

that? Someone, please tell me.I mean, only in the Army can

you have a perfectly coherentconversation that goes some-thing like this (civilian transla-

tions provided):Soldier one:

“Hooah (Hello).”Soldier two:

“Hooah (Hello).”Soldier one:

“How was chow?”Soldier two:

“Hooah (Same old,same old.)”

Soldier one: “Youneed to go talk to the firstsergeant. Hooah? (Ok?)”

Solder two: “Hooah. (Noproblem. It’s taken care of.)”

Soldier one: “Hooah. (Good.)See ya later.”

Solder two: “Hooah. (Later,buddy).”

Soldier one: “Hooah (Rightback at ya, my man).”

Hey, a few more versatilewords like “Hooah,” and we’dneed only 12, maybe 15 wordsin the entire English language.

I’ve polled several people,but no one seems to know thetrue history of this word.How long has this gutturalnoise been associated withthe G.I.?

But who needs history,anyway? We’re talking fatehere. It’s karma, man.

The Army wouldn’t be theArmy without hooah. Right? (Imean, hooah?)

Hooah, which means nothingto anyone outside the Army, is acode word to be “in.”

If you’re in the Army andyou never say hooah, stay

away from me. That’s badkarma, man. Your vibes aren’tright. Maybe you need tomeditate on it.

All I know is that, threemonths ago, before my ArmyReserve unit was called toactive duty, hooah meant verylittle to me. I had heard it; Iknew what it was, but itmeant very little. I wouldn’thave been caught uttering it.

But after three months ofdeployment, dealing withmuck, mines and mayhem,hooah makes sense. It ex-plains this whole situationwe’re now all in.

Wouldn’t you agree? (Imean, hooah?)

Hooah.

Staff Sgt.Brian Bowman

203rd MPAD


News briefs

Safety noticeTask Force Eagle soldiers have

experienced accidents that couldhave easily been avoided by us-ing ground guides. In accordancewith USAREUR Reg. 385-55, Pre-vention of Motor Vehicle Acci-dents, taking short cuts will setthe stage for a serious accident.Last year a USAREUR soldier losthis life when he was crushed be-tween two vehicles.

The following procedures willensure vehicles move safely whenmaneuvering in motor pools, as-sembly areas, living areas andother built-up areas:

Use ground guides when back-ing vehicles and when visibility islimited.

Use a minimum of one groundguide for 1 1/4 ton and smaller ve-hicles. Use a minimum of twoguides for all track vehicles or ve-hicles larger than 1 1/4 tons.

Use more ground guides whenlimited visibility requires it.

Ground guides will not positionthemselves between vehicle be-ing guided and another object.

Ground guides will not walkbackwards.

Driver will stop vehicle if theylose sight of ground guide.

Leaders will enforce the stan-dards to protect the force.

For more information, contactthe Safety Office at MSE 551-7338or 551-3510.

Women’s History MonthMarch is Women’s History

Month, and camps around theTask Force Eagle area of opera-tions are planning commemora-tive programs.

A Women’s History Month lun-cheon, featuring Sgt. Maj. MarySutherland, is scheduled for 11:30a.m. March 27 at the Lukavac din-ing facility. For more information,cal l Sgt. 1st Class ReginaldWatkins, DISCOM Equal Opportu-nity Advisor, at MSE 558-5727.

A commemorative program isset for 4 p.m. March 29 at theCamp Dallas chapel, featuringspeaker 1st Lt . Kr ist inReisenwebber, adjutant of the485th Corps Support Battalion,according to Sgt. 1st Class Ken-neth Swinnie, 16th Corps SupportGroup Equal Opportunity Super-visor.

For more information, call MSE558-2748.

With the arrival of warmer temperatures soldiers deployed toBosnia-Herzegovina may be

exposed to a variety of debilitating dis-eases.

One of the most worrisome to TaskForce Eagle preventive medicine offi-cials is hemorrhagic fever, which iscaused by the Hantavirus.

The virus, similar to the one thatcaused an outbreak in the Southwest-ern United States in 1993, is shed in ro-dent urine, saliva and feces, and trans-mitted to humans through dust par-ticles.

Hantavirus causes high fever, lowblood pressure and kidney problems, as-sociated with malaise, abdominal or lowerback pain, flushing, and in more severeforms, bleeding from the gastrointestinaltract, internal organs and skin, accord-ing to Lt. Col. (Dr.) William S. Besser, 1stArmored Division Surgeon.

It can be fatal in up to 5 percent ofpatients, especially children and elderlypersons, but generally responds well toprompt care and the drug ribavirin,Besser said.

A few hundred cases of hemorrhagicfever occur annually in the Balkans. It

cannot be transmitted by everyday ca-sual contact, he added.

To assess health hazards to deployedsoldiers in the area, the U.S. Army hasdeployed the 520th Theater Army Medi-cal Laboratory, a medical surveillanceunit.

In order to familiarize soldiers with theHantavirus, the 133rd Medical Detach-ment (Preventive Medicine) has circulateda fact sheet containing basic medical in-formation and prevention tips.

Attention to cleanliness and theelimination of rodent populations in liv-ing and work areas is the key to avoidthis rare disease.

All soldiers must keep living andworking are free of food products, gar-bage, and debris that may attract andharbor rodents.

To disinfect rodent contaminated ar-eas, spray a disinfectant (such as dilutedbleach) solution prior to cleaning.

Do not sweep or vacuum rat-con-taminated areas. Use a wet mop, broomor towels moistened with disinfectant.

Anyone with a high fever or any ofthe above symptoms should seek promptmedical attention.

For more information call the 133rdMedical Detachment at 558-5091 or5093.

DOBOJ — High technology is what’son tap when members of 440th SignalBattalion’s small extension node team— called “Charlie 63” — arrive on-site.

“What we’re doing here is unheardof,” said Sgt. Michael W. Ferrera,Charlie 63 team chief.

Before Ferrera’s team arrived here inearly January, the Nord-Pol Brigade hadno means of transmitting data rapidlyand efficiently.

Seizing the initiative, Ferrera signedfor a Maneuver Control System, whichis an Army computer system designedto transmit information much like theInternet.

“We’ve made an international com-munications center here,” said Ferrera,a Stockton, Calif., native.

The system allows the brigade to re-ceive fragmentary orders, along withother data from Task Force Eagle Head-quarters.

Experience gained through the use ofpersonal and home computers allowedthe team to expedite the installation ofthe control system.

“Within 30 minutes we were up and

using the Maneuver Control System,”Ferrera said.

Working closely with the Nord-PolBrigade has also given the five membersof Charlie 63 a chance to work on theirforeign diplomacy skills.

“This is a good opportunity for oursoldiers to learn a little more about thecustoms of the other countries they’reworking with,” said Capt. Chuck Abare,commander of D Company, 440th Sig-nal Battalion, headquartered inDarmstadt, Germany.

Pfc. Ken S. Fries, a switching systemsoperator with Charlie 63, and aMascoutah, Ill., native, has been work-ing side-by-side with the Danish army.

“They’re very close knit,” Fries said.“They put a real high priority on mo-rale.”

One of the first U.S. troops at theNord-Pol Brigade during OperationJOINT ENDEAVOR, Fries said, “It’s thebiggest thing I’ve ever been a part of ...Communications is always the key.”

“Communications is a field that is sodifferent all over the world,” Abare said.“When it comes time for newer technolo-gies, maybe the armies involved herewill start building those technologiescloser together.”

Unit helps establish rapidcommunication for NordicsBy Sgt. RICK ROTH29th MPAD

By the 30th Medical Brigade

Springtime increases disease risk


A female soldier recently received a gift from her husband. It was gift-wrapped beautifully. “It was great just opening it up,” she said. “You know, around here you don’t really feel like a woman;

you’re kind of an ‘it.’”Women deployed in Operation JOINT ENDEAVOR may

feel like just another working soldier. But on March 8,women in the former Yugoslavia were honored with gifts,cards and flowers on “Women’s Day.”

The day is like a combination of Mother’s Day andValentine’s Day, set aside to show appreciation for women.Husbands take care of all the housework, bosses give lun-cheon parties for females at work and women bring gifts totheir women friends.

Ljilja Jankovic, a Serbo-Croatian translator working forHeadquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Brigade,said women receive things like flowers, cake or gold on thisday. But she does not expect to receive anything this yearbecause she is away from her husband while she works forIFOR.

“It’s supposed to be a beautiful day for women, whenthey don’t have to do anything,” said Ivana Cvetkobic, an-other Serbo-Croatian translator with HHC. On this day,people “try to make women happy,” she said.

“Now, that would be nice, especially if my husband washere,” said Spc. Julia C. Vanek, a medic attached to HHCbut assigned to C Company, 501st Forward Support Bat-talion.

When asked what she would want to receive on “Women’sDay,” flowers and cake didn’t come to mind.

“I’d like to sleep in an extra hour,” Vanek said.

COMANCHE BASE — When Spc.Christopher L. Cook deployed to Bosniaas part of Task Force Eagle, he left be-hind his pregnant wife, Keri, and their 13-month-old baby.

He worried about their welfare and re-flected on all that he had not done spiritu-ally.

He discussed his concerns with a chap-lain at Comanche Base, where he serveswith Headquarters and HeadquartersCompany, 2nd Battalion, 227th Aviationas a mechanic, and came to one conclu-sion.

“It’s time for me to be saved,” said theJonesboro, Ga., native. “Being away frommy family — especially my wife — it hurtsa lot. I feel if I get saved, the Lord willlook after my wife (during) delivery in an-swer to my prayers. I felt I needed to bebaptized, and if there was one going on,this was the right time to do it.”

The right time for Cook and five othersoldiers was Feb. 25, when Chaplain(Capt.) Daniel Wackerhagen of 2nd Bat-talion, 227th Aviation, and Chaplain (Lt.Col.) Dave Campbell of the 18th MilitaryPolice Brigade performed ComancheBase’s first baptisms.

“Many times when soldiers face sepa-ration from family, they look to God to fillthe void in their lives,” Wackerhagen said.“Also when faced with the threat of death,soldiers confront their mortality. This alsocauses soldiers to turn to God for help anddeliverance. And He helps.”

The idea of holding a baptism ceremonystarted when Cook and two other HHCmechanics, Spcs. Scott Richard of Weirton,N.Y., and Charles Brown of Turon, Kan.,went to Wackerhagen’s tent following asermon in the mess hall tent at the end ofJanuary, Wackerhagen said.

Brown reflected on his personal prob-lems and wondered how he could helpbring peace to a country when he couldnot even bring peace to himself.

“I’ve done everything I can for myselffor solving my problems,” he said. “If any-one can do it, the Lord can lead me in theright direction.”

In keeping with his faith,Wackerhagen, a Southern Baptist fromFarmville, N.C., performed the baptismby immersion.

He used a HEMMT engine replace-ment box donated by the 127th AviationSupport Battalion, which also provided aforklift and operator. Contractor Brown& Root filled the 6-foot-long, 4-foot-wide,4-foot-deep, 1,200-pound container withhot water from the showers at ComancheBase’s Tent City.

Spc. Anthony Cunningham and Sgt.Patrick Hopper of the 127th AviationSupport Battalion, and Spc. WilliamDock of the 18th Military Police Brigadealso participated in the ceremony.

“I had been raised around the churchall my life,” said Hopper, whose wife Mel-issa and two young children are back athis home in Rome, Ga. “I knew in my heartthat the Lord Jesus Christ died on thecross for my sins, but I never lived my lifeto return what I owe to Him. I felt com-pelled to renew my faith.”

Wackerhagen and Campbell conductedthe baptism as part of morning serviceson Sunday, Feb. 25.

“They had all talked together andwanted the baptism to be a public testi-mony for what God had done in these sol-diers’ lives,” Wackerhagen said.

Six soldiers renew faith through baptismBy Spc. GEORGE ROACHE29th MPAD

Spc. William Dock resurfaces from the “baptismal tank” with the help ofChaplain (Lt. Col.) Dave Campbell, while other soldiers watch the ceremony.

Spc. George Roache

Bosnians honor women with special March holiday

RELIGION

Sgt. KELLY C. FISCHER358th MPAD


Running Task ForceEagle is a massive andcomplicated undertak-

ing, taking the energies of thou-sands of people.

Keeping track of it forposterity’s sake, however, hasbeen dropped on the shouldersof just six men.

Two Army National GuardMilitary History Detachments— the 102nd MHD from To-peka, Kan., and the 130th MHDof Raleigh, N.C. — make up themilitary history team.

“The information we gatherwill be used for future referenceand for future operations,” saidMaj. Michael D. Yuzakewich,the 130th MHD commander.

The Fayetteville, N.C. nativeis a language training special-ist at Fort Bragg, N.C. Hespeaks Spanish, French, Ger-man and Polish.

“We look at plans, maps, op-erations orders, briefing charts,etc.,” Yuzakewich added. “Weget the basic data of what theoperation is all about.”

In addition to gathering docu-ments, the historians take photo-graphs and conduct interviews.

“We hope to be able to gatheras much information as possible

so a complete history of this op-eration can be written,” saidSgt. 1st Class Dennis Droge ofthe 102nd. “We need all of theinformation we can get on howTask Force Eagle was put to-gether.”

The historians say their jobis limited to information gath-ering. They say they will leaveanalysis to others.

“We don’t analyze events orwrite what should have hap-pened,” said Staff Sgt. John S.Ruehl of the 130th. “We docu-ment what really happened.”

Documenting Task ForceEagle often takes the histori-ans to the field.

“The vast majority of the his-tory of the operation is not hap-pening in the headquarters build-ings,” said Ruehl, who works inadvertising and marketing in hishometown of Raleigh, N.C. “It’shappening with the everyday sol-dier (who is) out there knee-deepin mud and snow.

“They are more than happyto tell us about their mission,the kind of work they are doing,”he added. “They are very proudof what they are doing.”

One of Ruehl’s favorite inter-views was with Sgt. GerritAllen, the soldier who placed anAmerican flag in the center ofthe first Sava River bridge justafter engineers completed thenow-famous span.

“He was very emotional inexpressing how proud he felt tobe part of that operation and totop it off with the flag,” Ruehlsaid. “You could see the painand victory of those engineersthrough him.”

The Sava bridging operationis just one of several eventsdocumented by the historians.

Maj. Nels T. Dolan, 102ndcommander, was on hand whenthe U.S. turned over the opera-tion of Checkpoint Shark nearTuzla to Russian soldiers.

“A couple of years ago thatwould’ve been unthinkable,”said the Manhattan, Kan., high-school history teacher. “And

here I was, at the Russian sec-tor, eating in a Russian messhall, sitting next to and talkingto a Russian soldier. It’s a bigdeal working them and I’m gladto have the chance to do it.”

Team members say histori-ans will look kindly on TFE andOperation JOINT ENDEAVOR.

“I think the future will be ex-cited about some of the things weare documenting,” Ruehl said.“Someday in the future, histori-ans will look at this, and see theblood, the sweat and the tears ofOperation JOINT ENDEAVOR.

“Who knows?” he added.“Maybe someday our photographswill even be in the Smithsonian.”

Army unit makes history while recording itBy Spc. CESAR G. SORIANO29th MPAD andSgt. 1st Class GARY YOUNGER358th MPAD

KIME BASE — “Our job has been described as hours of bore-dom with five minutes of sheer terror,” said Senior Airman RodneyRighter, tactical air command and control specialist, 717th AirSupport Operations Group, Kirch Goens, Germany.

Righter’s job is to provide Col. Gregory Fontenot, 1st BrigadeCombat Team commander, with close air support if he needs it.Righter acts as an air liaison officer between Army ground forcesand air support.

The job is unique in that it requires Air Force personnel to workalmost exclusively with Army units during their tours of duty.

A big part of Righter’s mission during Operation JOINT EN-DEAVOR is to keep close communication with pilots while he’sliterally within arm’s reach of Fontenot. The commander then in-structs Righter on how he wants to use his CAS assets.

Once Righter is told to perform a particular mission, he makescontact with the pilot. He does all of his communication with thepilot by radio.

“When the pilot checks in with me, I’ll update him on the areaof operation and what the mission is,” Righter said. “Once I clearhim onto a certain altitude, I’ll keep a positive control over him inthe area. That means giving him an idea of where his borders areand where my location is. If the weather is clear, I’ll bring himlower and guide him to a strategic grid coordinate.”

In turn, the pilot also communicates with Righter by describ-ing terrain to him from about 10,000 feet. Righter then uses thatinformation to guide the pilot directly onto the grid coordinate.

“The most challenging thing for me is to get the pilot to seewhat I’m talking about,” he said.

1st Lt. ALBERT SWEPSON358th MPAD

Air liaison keeps Army and Air Force in check

1st Lt. Albert Swepson

Spc. Cesar G. Soriano

Senior Airman Rodney Righter contacts pilots by radio.

(Left to right) Maj. Michael D. Yuzakewich, Staff Sgt. JohnS. Ruehl and Sgt. Gerrit Allen compile the history of TFE.


Ready FirstBy Spc. Bryan Driver1st AD Public Affairs

The 1st Brigade Combat Teamspearheaded Task ForceEagle’s crossing of the Sava

River into Bosnia-Herzegovina inthe early stages of OperationJOINT ENDEAVOR.

Also known as the “Ready FirstCombat Team,” the brigade hasmore than 2,000 soldiers deployedfrom the Sava River bridgehead,south to Task Force Eagle Head-quarters in Tuzla.

The “Ready First” brigade cur-rently patrols more than 115 kilo-

meters of the zone of separation en-suring compliance with the GeneralFramework Agreement for Peace.The brigade’s troops also man sev-eral checkpoints in the PosavinaCorridor.

The brigade headquarters is lo-cated at Camp Kime; 1st Squadron,1st Cavalry, Snead Base; 4th Battal-ion, 67th Armor, Emerald City workarea; 3rd Battalion, 5th Cavalry,McGovern Base; 501st Forward Sup-port Battalion, Gentry Base; 23rd En-gineer Battalion and 2nd Battalion,3rd Field Artillery, Camp Kime andelements of 2nd Battalion, 67th Ar-mor task organized throughout thebrigade.

Clockwise from top left:Engineers fromHeadquarters andHeadquarters Company,23rd Engineer Battalion,remove a broken-downtank from the zone ofseparation with an M-88Tank Recovery Vehicle;Pfc. Keith Holcomb, CTroop, 1st Squadron, 1stCavalry, cleans his M60machine gun; a 1stSquadron, 1st CavalryM113 Armored PersonnelCarrier crew sets up campin a muddy, snowy fieldin the ZOS; a 3rdBattalion, 5th Cavalrysoldier watches the roadfrom the turret of an M113Personnel Carrier; a 2ndBattalion, 67th ArmorM1A1 Abrams tankstands guard at a checkpoint in the PosavinaCorridor.

Photos by 55th SignalCompany (CombatCamera)

PHOTO FEATURE

On patrol in northern Bosnia


HAMPTON BASE — Theyresemble aliens from spacecoming to spy on us.

Their large, helmeted headssit one apiece on slender necksperched atop each of the eightscout helicopters parked on theconcrete strip here.

Their glassy, owl-like eyeslook as though they could seethousands of meters.

And that’s just how soldiersof D Troop, 1st Squadron, 1stCavalry use the mast-mountedsights of OH-58 Delta observerhelicopters — for keeping aneye on activity in the nearbyzone of separation from a safedistance.

“These birds are forwardscouts we use to scout out thearea in front of the gun (attackhelicopters) to look for ... anyactivity that shouldn’t be goingon in the ZOS,” said Cpl. TorrellWilliams, a Delta crew chief.“It’s to make sure there’s nobodyin the ZOS that shouldn’t bethere.”

“The standoff capabilitymakes these aircraft essentialto the mission in this location,”said Chief Warrant OfficerRobert F. Selje, a helicoptermaintenance test pilot fromMadison, Wis. “If we’re going

to look at a known area of in-terest, we can stand off (fromit) and look at it from great dis-tances without being in anykind of trouble to the aircraft.”

Surrounded by a cornfieldwith the snow-capped moun-tains of northeast Bosnia vis-ible through the midday haze,Hampton Base sits roughlyhalf-way between zones ofseparation located to its northand south.

D Troop soldiers moved fromZupanja, Croatia, near the tac-tical assembly area at Harmon,to Kaposvar, and then to a pointthis close to the ZOS so “we can

send these aircraft in and checkto make sure the zone is clear,do daily reports and go back tocheck that nothing’s moved in,”Selje said.

“This is the most forward wehave ever been.”

In the seven weeks sincearriving, the aircraft fly dailyand nightly, identifying targetsusing the optical sensorsmounted on top of thehelicopter’s rotor system.

The sight consists of a tele-vision camera and heat sensor,projecting the image on screensin the cockpit, and a laser rangefinder to determine distances.

Recon helicopters keep watch over ZOSSpc. GEORGE ROACHE29th MPAD

Its placement above the rotorsenables a scout to hover justbelow the crest of a mountainor hill and still see over the top.

The left-seat observer con-trols and operates the sight,which can rotate 360 degreesto see all the way around theaircraft, Selje said. The pilotpicks out a target visually, andthe observer can focus the sen-sor on that heading and obtaina better identification.

Armed aircraft, like thenearly 10 AH-1 Cobra attack he-licopters also based at Hamp-ton, can use that data for hit-ting targets.

“Often we can have a remoteshot from an Apache or anotherOH-58 Delta — the armed ver-sion — and can send Hellfiremissiles in on it, or with ourCobras we can give a headingand the distance,” Selje said.

With ground troops pullingsecurity, Selje said soldiers feelsafe being so close to the ZOS.

“We have with us BravoTroops from the 1-1 Cav,” he said.

“They’re supporting us withBradleys, M-1s (Abramstanks) located here with usand guard towers,” he said.“We feel pretty secure. They’rehere to support us. We alsohouse them and feed themhere. We take care of them andthey take care of us.”

For the industrious, solutions aresometimes no farther than themailbox.

Spc. Ian V. Copeland, a member of BCompany, 141st Signal Battalion, fromBad Kreuznach, Germany, recently no-ticed a scratch on the lens of his personalsafety glasses, making them difficult touse.

Undaunted, Copeland decided to writethe manufacturer, UVEX Safety Inc.

“I told them that, in a nutshell, I had apair of glasses with a scratched lens andwanted a replacement lens,” Copelandsaid.

In his letter, Copeland alsomentionedthat his co-workers were interested in theglasses and asked for a catalog. A fewweeks later, he received an unexpectedpackage from Harry D. Neff, vice presi-dent of sales for UVEX Safety Inc.

“I was surprised he sent 20 pair ofglasses,” said Copeland, from Bowie, Md.

Along with the glasses, Neff sent 20

replacement lenses. Copeland handedthem out to the members of his platoon.

“We’re very grateful for what Mr. Neffdid,” Copeland said. “We wrote him backand thanked him and promised to sendhim a platoon photo.”

Ever since painfully scratching his cor-nea while working a civilian job, Copelandhas had great respect for eye safety.

“If that was a minor eye injury, I can’timagine what a major injury would belike,” Copeland said.

As a generator mechanic at the EagleBase motor pool, Copeland never hesitatesto wear safety glasses.

“I try and use them whenever I thinkthey’re needed, even if it’s something assimple as driving a nail,” Copeland said.

Corporate donations aren’t new to thisdeployment.

In February, AT&T set up a free faxline for sending Valentines to NATO troopsand Mars Inc., donated 25,000 Dove CandyBars to troops involved with OperationJOINT ENDEAVOR. Several other com-panies have contributed products for thetroops, or offered them special discounts.

Soldiers see clearly with donated safety gogglesBy Sgt. RICK ROTH29th MPAD

Sgt. Rick Roth

Mechanic Spc. Ian V. Copeland sportsnew safety shades sent to his unit.

Spc. George Roache

Pilots ready an OH-58 Delta helicopter for a recon flight.


COMANCHE BASE — Keeping avigilant watch over the main gate ofComanche Base are members of the141st Signal Battalion.

In addition to their normal job of pro-viding communication resources forTask Force Eagle, 141st Signal Battal-ion soldiers from Bad Kreuznach, Ger-many, have been providing the secondinvaluable service.

“We want to be doing signal work themost, but site security comes first,” saidSgt. Mark A. Phillips, a node center op-erator with A Company, working a one-week shift as main gate sergeant of theguard.

Phillips ensures guards are in placeand that every vehicle is stopped andchecked before entering post.

Working six-hour shifts, the soldiersare detailed for week-long guard dutyrotations.

When inspecting identification andvehicles, the guards stress the impor-tance of maintaining focus.

“We can’t just let anyone go walking

through here,” said Spc. MatthewHallahan, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native andenvironmental control specialist withHeadquarters and Headquarters Com-pany, 141st Signal Battalion.

Signal Battalion pulls double duty for securityBy Sgt. RICK ROTH29th MPAD

Members of the signal battalion alsolaid concertina wire and built fightingpositions that surround the gate.

“As long as you avoid complacency, youwon’t have any problems,” Hallahan said.

VLASNICA — People nor-mally try to steer clear of out-laws.

However, there is a band ofoutlaws traveling the hills androads of Bosnia that you mayactually want to have around.

The Outlaws of 5th Platoon,501st Military Police Company,are usually a bunch of good sol-diers, laughing and joking witheach other like most other sol-diers here in Bosnia. However,

when they get down to busi-ness, they will do what it takesto get the job done. Each MPin the company carries an M-99 mm pistol and an M-16A2rifle. Several of the soldiershave M-203 grenade launchers,and every armored Humvee hasa machine gun mounted, readyto fire at a moment’s notice.

Outlaw 55 is the call signgiven to the team of Sgt. RobertDaul, 28, of Youngstown, N.Y.,and Spc. Joshua Themann, 23,of Midway, Utah. They are of-ten joined by platoon leader, 2ndLt. Michael Laney, 25, of Buna,Texas. The trio protects soldiers

in the 2nd Brigade area by pro-viding security on convoys andstaffing the entry gate at Lodg-ment Area Lisa.

Daul and Themann, alongwith their brethren Outlawsrove the lodgement area dur-ing the night to make sure thatno intruders sneak through themiles of concertina wire encir-cling the camp.

“We get to see more of Bosniain a day than some (soldiers) seein a month,” said Themann ashe tugged on one of the manybungee cords he has hangingthroughout his vehicle.

“Punch buggy,” said Daul,a nine-year veteran, said as herapped Themann on the arm.The duo play an observationgame when they are on patrol.They try to spot VolkswagenBeetles and the one who spotsone first gets to knock theother. It helps them keep vigi-lant. On a recent patrol, thescore was 3-3.

“I just like getting out anddealing with people,” saidThemann, who hopes to some-day be a Utah Highway Patroltrooper. “Nobody likes an MPuntil they need one, but I guessthat’s true for most police of-ficers.

“What is tough is all of the

shift work,” he said. But I’m notcomplaining because I’d ratherbe an MP than anything else.”

“We do volunteer for a lot ofthe missions we go on,” Daulinterjected. “It helps the timego faster and it gives us some-thing to do. If you aren’t work-ing, you are thinking aboutwhat you left behind.”

When the kidding betweenthe two partners and friendsends, the seriousness of themission begins.

Themann gets out of thevehicle to act as a roving pa-trol while Daul keeps his bin-oculars handy, watching allaround to provide as muchsecurity as he can for the con-voy and the people he is thereto protect.

“We can’t be complacent,”Daul said as he watches a ve-hicle pass by.

He tells Themann and theother MPs, but the vehicleturns out to be no threat at all.The driver was just going thesame direction, following theconvoy before turning in frontof a house that apparently washis destination.

Just as Daul turns to look adifferent direction, Themannraps him on the knee and yells,“Punch buggy!”

‘Outlaws’ provide security on the roads of Bosnia

Sgt. 1st Class GARYYOUNGER358th MPAD

Sgt. Rick Roth

Spc. Matthew Hallahan waves on a vehicle while manning a checkpoint.

The Outlaws include: (left to right) Sgt. Robert Daul, Spc.Joshua Themann and 2nd Lt. Michael Laney.

Sgt. 1st Class Gary Younger


KIRCHGOENS, Germany —Food has been the butt of a lot ofArmy jokes over the years.

However, for the soldiers andfamilies who eat at the 3rd Battal-ion, 5th Cavalry “Black Knights”Dining Facility here, the food isnot only “just like mama used tomake,” but you might even thinkthat Mom herself is there.

“If you want people to come,make your food look good andtaste good and keep your placeclean,” said Sgt. 1st Class ElaineSanders, the dining facility man-ager and “Mom” to many of thesoldiers, remembering the wordsof their own mother.

“I guess I remind them of theirmother or an older sister,” saidSanders, who has been in theArmy for 22 years and is lookingforward to retiring soon.

“I owe everything that I knowto my mother, who taught me howto cook,” said Sanders, who hasbeen cooking since she was 7years old.”

“I love to see people eat andenjoy it,” Sanders said.

Sanders and her staff arestr iv ing tomake thedining facil-i ty a homeaway fromhome.

She en-c o u r a g e sd e p l o y e ds o l d i e r s ’famil ies totake advan-tage o fF a m i l yNight each

Thursday, when famil ies caneat without having to pay a sur-charge. A family of four caneat for about $5.

“We have the best dining fa-cility,” Sanders boasts, quicklygiving credit to the staff of ci-vilians and soldiers who workfor her.

For the soldiers of the 3-5 Cav-alry and others who have enjoyedtheir dining facility, sayinggoodbye to Sanders will be likesaying goodbye to mom.

DEXHEIM, Germany — Spouses andchildren of deployed soldiers from Ander-son Barracks gathered here recently for aseminar on “Dealing with Deployment.”

“There are really no experts, but if thereare, you are the experts,” Kevin Russell, asocial worker with Social Work Servicesat the Bad Kreuznach Health Clinic, toldthe group.

The seminar was designed to givepeople the opportunity to share their ex-periences — those that have worked andthose that haven’t. Helping people with thestress of raising children alone was theprimary focus.

“It’s my conviction that everybody needsto take parenting classes,” said Russell, aparent himself.

“We want to deal with the positive as-pects of what works when your spouse isdeployed,” said Russell. “The moms whohave been through this before — they’rethe experts.

“I’ve been through this before,” read a

quote from the Coping With Separationhandout, relating one parent’s experiences.“I relax the rules and standards. Go to bedand still be alive is the goal. Anything be-yond that is overkill ...”

Others don’t handle it as well.“Being a single parent,” another mother

said, “there’s no time to sleep. I’m ex-hausted. I don’t get to do the activities onweekends that I hoped to do with my hus-band and all the personal things have toslide. Even household things can’t be cleannow like I wanted them to be.”

“It’s healthy for people to use re-sources,” Russell said, “rather than wait-ing for something to be wrong. This is anexample of how a community can worktogether to provide resources.”

Family Assistance Centers and otheragencies, such as Youth Services and So-cial Work Services, have ongoing programsdesigned to assist families in a variety ofneeds, said Russell.

“It’s an opportunity to let them know,”said Russell, “that there is individual coun-seling available and you don’t have to bein desperate straits to utilize it.”

To Cav troops,their families,she’s just ‘Mom’By 1st Lt. JEROME S. LORING114th MPAD

NEWS FROM GERMANY

Coping with deploymentfocus of family seminarBy 1st Lt. JEROME S. LORING114th MPAD

Sgt. 1st ClassElaine Sanders

VLASENICA — Spc. Robert D. Fornel, 22, a radar technician from QueenCreek, Ariz., replaces a scope on an ANTPQ-36 Firefinding Radar System.Using the radar system, Fornel and the other soldiers in B Battery, 25thField Artillery, 1st Infantry Division, help protect soldiers. The firefindingradar detects hostile artillery, mortars and rockets — often directingcounter-fire before the enemy round hits the ground.

Staff Sgt. Colin R. Ward

Eyes in the sky


PERSONALITY OF THE WEEK

Young soldier proud to serve in BosniaBy Spc. GEORGE ROACHE29th MPAD

Pvt. Michelle Hisle hadwanted her first mili-tary assignment to bestateside.

It would be the first timeaway from home for the 18-year-old Pensacola, Fla., na-tive and she wanted time toadjust.

Instead, this young U.S.Army supply clerk found her-self in a six-person advanceparty rolling into Tuzla Valley,tasked with helping to set up ahome for other American sol-diers serving in Bosnia withthe Implementation Force.

For three weeks she shareda four-person tent with fiveother soldiers at a site thatlacked latrines and she got onlyan occasional cold shower. Herduties included stringingconcertina wire around thecamp’s perimeter and distrib-uting the contents of crates fivetimes her size.

Pictures of her workingwill appear in the April edi-tion of a national magazine.

A former model for cloth-ing retailer J.C. Penney, shehad caught the eye of a vis-iting Vanity Fair photogra-pher who had reportedlytaken p ic tures o f s ingerMariah Carey and PresidentBill Clinton the week be-fore, and thought she re-sembled a 1960s Avon ad.

“Being in Bosnia is a realexperience,” said Hisle, whoproudly describes herself aspatriot and uses personalchecks embossed with “GodB l e s sAmerica.”

“ I ’ mlearning tobe a soldierthe hardway,” shesaid. “I’mnot complaining. Whenever yousign up for the Army, you haveto expect something like this inorder to defend the UnitedStates and its ideals. I justwasn’t expecting it so soon.”

Hisle handles supplies anddoes daily status reports onvehicles, helicopters and per-sonnel for the Headquarters

and Headquarters Company,7th Battalion, 227th Aviationat Comanche Base.

She made her transitionfrom high school student topeace enforcer in the Balkansin only six months.

The younger of Floyd andVictoria Steele’s two daugh-ters, Hisle graduated from PineForest High School in May1995. She entered basic train-ing as the youngest in her classin June. She turned 18 in Julyand finished basic in Augustand advanced individual train-ing in October.

She got two weeks leave af-ter taking a functional coursein supply, and then left forHanau, Germany, joining aunit already preparing for de-ployment.

Four weeks later, she wassharing a former SCUD missilebarracks in Kaposvar, Hun-gary, with the other soldiers inher battalion.

The trip by convoy to Tuzlatook two days. Hisle drove thewhole way, intrigued by thewar’s impact on the region.

At the Sava River separat-ing Croatia and Bosnia, shecrossed the famous pontoonbridge erected by U.S. forces.She saw the boats that held thebridge in place bobbing in thewater and a dead cow floatingin the debris.

While passing through thezone of separation, she and theother drivers were warned byradio to follow the tracks of thevehicles in front of them.

Marked mine fields to theirleft stretched alongside theroad for two miles, while

sturdy butunoccupiedfighting po-s i t i o n sl o o k e ddown onthem fromthe steep

hills to their right.They even spotted an

unexploded artillery shell, one-foot long and deadly, lyingalong their route.

After arriving at ComancheBase, Hisle’s advance partylived in a small tent pitched inthe mud near one of the formerRussian air facility’s runways.

There were no latrines, por-table or otherwise. They had noshowers until after the firstweek but had to drive to nearbyEagle Base for them.

“It was an all-day experi-ence for one cold shower,” shesaid.

Once settled, the groupcontacted the division for thesupplies needed to preparethe base camp for arrivingsoldiers. Lacking forklifts,Hisle and another soldierbroke open the crates of cots,mirrors and footlockers todistribute the items individu-ally.

Three of Hisle’s nine monthsin the Army have been spenton deployment in Bosnia.

“People complain abouthaving little space and howmuch they have to work, butwe could be sitting in fightingpositions day after day scared

somebody is going to lob a mor-tar at us,” she said. “The Armyis taking care of us.”

Hisle has adapted well tobeing away from home for thefirst time, said Capt. RobertKokorda, the battalion’s supplyand logistics officer.

“For a young kid to showup just out of AIT, come to anoverseas unit and be thrustinto a very complex deploy-ment, she has done nothingbut excellent work,” he said.“She has had a great impacton the success of our logisticsoperations.”

And even though Bosnia isher first duty station, shedoesn’t regret joining the Army,she said.

“I am a patriot if ever yousaw one,” she said. “America isthe greatest country in theworld. I am so glad to be anAmerican.”

Spc. George Roache

Pvt. Michelle Hisle, 18, a former department store model,sports her new fashions as an Army supply specialist.

‘‘I am a patriot ifyou ever saw one.’’— Pvt. Michelle Hisle


them in half — so they would fall in between the abutments,”said Staff Sgt. Mark Heidman, a squad leader in B Company.

“There was a lot of detailed work with this demolition,”said Maj. Mark Loring, the 23rd Engineer’s operations of-ficer. “We wanted to drop the girders straight down, so justthe right amount of explosives had to be placed on the gird-ers. We also wanted to minimize the missile hazard fromthe steel.”

The demolition proved to be a satisfying day’s work for theengineers.

“Everyone learned a lot,” said Pvt. Jason W. Komlso, 18,from St. Louis,whose firstduty station isBosnia. “Ihelped set thecharges wherethey needed togo on the I-beams, made

sure the ‘det’ (detonation) cord was in place and helped dampthe charges by placing sandbags over them.”

“It was a lot of hard work,” said Spc. James E. Campbell,24, an assistant squad leader also from St. Louis, “but we gotthe job done.”

The Orasje Float Bridge, IFOR’s initial and still primarySava River crossing point, was made famous by the engineersovercoming frigid temperatures and flooding during its con-struction.

With the coming of the spring thaw and rains, thebridges will reduce load capacity, due to the speed andheight of the river. The Brcko Bridge will keep trafficflowing.

Russian soldiers peered downthe road where the first signs of therumbling U.S. Army 155 mm howit-zers could be seen.

Following a sweep of the artilleryemplacement area by the recon-naissance team, the cannons rolledinto sight and aligned in a diamondwedge formation. Once the batterywas prepared to fire the Russiansagain examined the weapons, in-specting every inch of the massivesystems.

“They are just very big guns,”said Pvt. Alexi Aleosha, as hepeered through the sighting device.

The next day it was the Rus-sians’ turn to supply the trainingactivity. In similar fashion, theyconducted their artillery emplace-ment exercise. Given the smallersize of the Russian 2S9 self-pro-pelled artillery vehicle, the actionwas somewhat faster.

A joint formation was held on theday of the American’s departure.Both commanders exchanged to-kens of appreciation. The U.S. sol-diers also extended an invitation totheir new Russian training partnersto visit their lodgement area so theycould return the hospitality.

Bridge , from page 1

‘It was a lot of hard work,but we got the job done.’

— Spc. James E. Campbell

IFOR soldiers make their way to the top of the Brcko RoadBridge, which suffered extensive war damage. A rebuiltstructure will soon bridge Bosnia with Croatia.

Capt. Rhonda Reasoner

Artillery , from page 1

TASK FORCE BRCKO — As combatengineers work to repair a war-damagedspan across the Sava River here, a civil af-fairs team is assisting the effort by bridg-ing the gap between the military and thelocal civilian population.

The team, U.S. Army Reservists withthe 432nd Civil Affairs Detachment fromGreen Bay, Wis., was sent to Bosnia-Herzegovina to assist the 23rd EngineerBattalion.

The engineers are helping rebuild abridge in northeastern Bosnia that con-nects the Bosnian city of Brcko with theCroatian village of Gunja. The bridge wasdamaged in the war sometime during thewinter of 1992.

The bridge is “going to be important forboth sides, not only (because of traffic con-siderations), but it also is going to allowsome of the families that were separatedduring the war to be able to be reunitedwithout having to do a lot of travel throughdifferent parts of the country,” said Maj.Jay A. Clason, 43, the civil-military opera-tion officer for the 23rd Engineer Battal-ion. “Many of them have gone four yearswithout seeing their family members.”

Though the local people seem to sup-port the rebuilding project, “there is un-easiness about it, because of what hap-

pened during the war,” Clason said. “Theyare concerned about what it will mean tothem when it opens — who will control itand what it will mean for civilian traffic.”

It is part of the civil affairs mission tounderstand the local attitudes about mili-tary missions in their area and to form acommunication link to facilitate dialogue.

The team has set up a civil military cen-ter in a small tent near the bridge, wherepeople can come and ask questions.

The center does more than simply keeplocal people informed.

Clason was able to refer a local engi-neer with questions about the project tothe Army engineers. The man offered acopy of the bridge’s original plans. Throughthat contact, the engineers now have some-one to answer questions about how thebridge was built.

Staff Sgt. James H. Koehler, 35, teamnoncommissioned officer-in-charge for theCA team, left his civilian job as a managerof a wine and spirits store to come to Bosnia.

“(We) coordinate the flow of informa-tion about civilians to the military and themilitary to the civilians,” Koehler said.“With (the) demolition, we have to thinkabout the safety factor and the psychologi-cal effect of the explosion going off in anarea that has seen conflict. So we’re help-ing coordinate the information aboutwhat’s going on with the demolition andmake sure the populace is prepared for it.”

Civil affairs team bridges language gapBy Sgt. KELLEY C. FISCHER358th MPAD

volume 2, no 10 friday, march 22, 1996 · pdf filevolume 2, no 10 friday, march 22, 1996 ......

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