It was an unusually cool morning during an unusually warm month when our group of US soldiers gathered in the Comanche motor p

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Webmaster Note: This weeks Refugee visit report is by Freddie Krueger. Who is also our Head Photographer.

It was an unusually cool morning during an unusually warm month when our group of US soldiers gathered in the Comanche motor pool for a briefing. Looking around at everyone in attendance I noted that all were wearing load bearing vests, flak jackets and protective masks with Kevlar helmets in hand. We then conducted a short mission brief followed by a short convoy brief outlining the plans for that day. This mission was to be something different for those of us in the aviation unit, for we would be traveling by ground and interacting with the local people. The infantry units travel throughout the local area on a daily basis while on peacekeeping duty in Bosnia, but most of us were not sure what it would be like. Before getting into the vehicles we checked and counted our weapons and ammunition and other items that we wanted to be sure not to lose. This was no ordinary mission.

As we began the drive that would take us off of the base and out into public view the rain started to come down. Other than making the roads wet, it made picture taking from a moving vehicle more difficult. The traffic was heavy that day and the convoy became separated several times but rejoining was easily accomplished at the next pull-off. The drive seemed to be taking more time than I expected that it would when someone in our vehicle noticed a point on the ground that we had seen many times from the air. That point is probably about seven miles from Comanche by air, but it is a 20 minute ride in a vehicle. We made a turn there and continued the journey down a narrow road that lead into a small town; our objective was not far now. As we passed by some of the homes and small businesses no larger than the homes, people were staring at us. I attributed it to the fact that they rarely saw the types of vehicles that we were in driving by.

The convoy began to slow and all of us were getting our first look at the building which was at the center of our mission. This is the building that houses the Bokavici school. The off-road parking was tricky and it was a small feat getting out of the left side of the vehicle without falling into a ditch. This became the moment we had been waiting for. I noticed two small children watching our movements from a nearby yard. One of the soldiers from our group was already walking over to them with a small offering of candy. It seemed as if the young boy was quite a bit shy but with the persuasion of his sister, not to mention the sweets, he allowed his picture to be taken. Now it was time to get on with the mission at hand.

We walked as a group to what looked like the entrance to the building. We entered a small unheated hallway and began hearing voices. They were the voices of young children, and they seemed to be happy. I poked my head into the first door that I came to and saw a classroom full of children listening intently to their teacher. I was instantly struck by the warmth provided by a single coal burning stove next to one wall. We are not the first SFOR rotation to come to this school and as soon as the children saw a soldier at the door the class was put on hold. I am sure that this was a small annoyance to the teacher, but the kids seemed happy. We tried to keep the pupils in the classroom while the teachers, the principal and some of our group gathered in the principal’s office for a meeting. Of course we all know that it is about as easy to contain excited kids as it is to herd cats and they were all soon either out in the hall or on the front stoop.

After about 20 or 30 minutes the teachers gathered their classes and headed back into the classrooms. I presume this was done so that they could finish their lectures or maybe to warn the kids that they should not try to take any soldiers home as pets. I managed to sneak into one of the classrooms before the door closed and take a picture of the kids as they tried to figure out who the new student was. I was only caught when I was called upon to answer to answer a simple math problem. I had a few options. 1. Answer the question, which would be difficult since I can’t speak the language. 2. Find one of the translators. 3. Raise my hand and ask to use the bathroom. 4. Run.
I am glad that I was wearing comfortable boots.

Shortly after that the students were allowed out of class. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t speak much Bosnian, nor did it matter that they could not speak much English. They were just children and wanted to act that way, and we understood. The kids gathered outside and some members of our group started asking them questions through the translators. We found out that they went to school in the morning, and the older students came for classes in the afternoon. They were learning English and Biology and learning to use some computers donated by the SFOR 9 rotation.

When asked what they would like to have for the school they replied that they would like some soccer balls and new nets for the goals. When one of the soldiers mentioned a swing set there was a loud affirmative answer. As part of the SFOR 10 rotation we would like to provide the students with some or all of these things as well as a phone line into the school for internet access. The crowd began to spread out with some students and soldiers going back into the classrooms and others staying outside.

Inside the classrooms were very sparse. I saw one blackboard per room along with some tables and chairs, of which probably half were in disrepair. The walls were almost empty except for the few very nice posters which had been made by the students themselves. The students showed me the posters that they had put together displaying different topics such as the works of Shakespeare, the English alphabet and the inner workings of a computer. We spent some time there trading words written in a notebook and then pointing at that object or trying to explain through an unofficial “sign language” what the meaning was. I went along with some of the students to look at other classrooms which I found to be pretty much the same. There was one classroom in the back which had been divided into two different rooms and the newly formed room was without a stove for heating. These are some of the problems that we would like to correct before our rotation heads back to the US next year. Before long it was time to leave but we still had one more group to visit.

The second floor of this school housed a small kindergarten and the students were just arriving. We went up the narrow stairway that lead to the classrooms and were greeted by the students’ artwork at the top. We went inside the first room and found a long table with about 20 little chairs. In the next room we found the kids sitting on the floor in a playroom which actually had some toys. They were putting the toys in their mouths. This is not unusual because we all know that kids will put anything into their mouths. Of course if it is something that is nutritious it will immediately be processed in the brain by the “food-toy” lobe, be identified as food, and disposed of properly.

This visit was short due to our schedule, but we will certainly be back. We hope that these kids grow up not knowing the horrors of war and not being forced to live in a society divided by religious beliefs. We also hope that we can bring some happiness and fun into their lives. The soldiers of SFOR 10 are proud to be part of the Multi-National Division peacekeeping force.

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