On Sunday, 11 Nov01 several B Co. soldiers and I drove out to the refugee camp to pay a friendly visit and drop off some clothing and miscellaneous supplies that were collected from our predecessors, the Redhawks. When our four-vehicle convoy first pulled up, not many people were in sight, but the few children present quickly scattered to inform the others of our arrival. As expected, we were greeted warmly by everyone. The women were all smiling and waving, while the children giggled and pointed. Like Darel mentioned from the first trip, the children became even friendlier after a few bags of candy emerged.

After the initial greetings, we began to unload the boxes of clothing from our vehicles and carried them inside. Once that task was complete Lou, Warren, D P, and Chris wasted no time in returning to the children with more goodies from their bags. They were obviously the main attraction. I had also brought some goodies for the adults that I picked up from the PX (coffee and cigarettes). At first, I had some reservations about bringing them cigarettes, however with all that these ladies have been through in their lives they aren’t very concerned with the health risks so I shouldn’t be either. It paid off, because their faces lit up and they were soon passing around the smokes. One of the women went into the house and brought out some Bosnian coffee for everyone. From what I hear (I am not a coffee drinker) it was delicious.

As many people know, and Darel explained from his first visit, these people have been through some horrific experiences. Not wanting to dwell on that I decided, prior to going on the visit, that I would talk with as many of the ladies as possible and try to get a clear understanding of where they are now and where they are hoping to go. I will preface this by stating that what I heard was sobering and somewhat depressing.

I went upstairs and sat down with my interpreter and three Bosnia widows and asked numerous questions about the living conditions. As previously explained by Darel, there are twelve families living in one house that I would estimate to be approximately 2000 sq. ft. The two-story house is extremely basic and has twelve separate rooms (one per family). As you can imagine by the dimensions of the house, the rooms are very small and not very suitable for the typical family size of 4-5 people. The government provided the house rent-free. The government also provides them with heat (coal-burning stove) for each year. It is unfortunate that this coming year, the government will not be providing them any coal so they are expecting to be without heat for the winter. It will cost approximately $450-$500 to purchase the necessary amount of coal to last them the year. Of course, as she told me the amount I looked at the camera in my hands that I had just purchased that would have nearly paid for two years worth of heat for 12 families.

When I asked about the job situation, one of the women explained that there are none available for anyone in the house. All of the women and the boys that are now in their late teens have all applied for jobs with Brown & Root (the US contractor for SFOR) but there aren’t anymore available. Apparently, Brown & Root is the largest employer around and the only place any of these people currently have a chance at finding employment with. As one of the ladies so soberly put it, “without a job, we will always be dependent on the soldiers or someone else.” The interpreter explained that a job with Brown & Root would bring in approximately $400-$500 per month working 6 days a week, 10-12 hours a day. With that amount of pay, just one person in the entire house would earn enough to support everyone. Another one of the women spoke of her son, the oldest male in the household at 19. She explained, with a helpless look on her face, that her son wants desperately to find a girlfriend, get married, and have a family but is unable to because of his current situation. He is stuck in this house without a job, completely dependent on others to survive, there are no women his age around, he has no means of going anywhere to meet any women, nor could he support a family if he started one. Again, another example of how easy it is to take for granted all that we, as Americans, have.

I changed the subject slightly and asked about the items we had brought and what items they needed. They explained how grateful they were for what past rotations and we have done. Obviously, the things they need are seasonal clothing items such as boots, sweaters, coats, gloves, etc. They did not have a list of sizes for clothing and footwear but said they would work on generating such a list to better help us in helping them. One of the women had mentioned that although they appreciate all we are able to do, they are frustrated because the one thing they desperately need is a way to support and to help themselves. I explained to them that we are frustrated as well because that seems to be the one thing we are currently unable to provide them. I further explained that all the soldiers and all our families back home want to help but we are limited in what we can do over 6 months. They all understood and we ended the conversation with everyone feeling the same frustration.

As I came downstairs, I saw our chaplain , the First Sergeant, and Chris playing basketball on a makeshift court with the few boys in the camp. It was apparent that the boys were thoroughly enjoying whipping the pants off our soldiers and even more than that, cherishing some time spent with adult males. It seems as though, these boys have certainly missed having a father around and the bond they would have shared. Several soldiers, including Paul, Warren, D P, and Chris spent plenty of time just talking and joking around with the boys.

After the basketball game, everyone stood around by the front door and reviewed all the pictures taken from the digital cameras of Boris and myself. All the women young and old giggled at the photos and how they appeared and the children were completely fascinated. It was obvious at this point that Boris was their favorite! During all this excitement, one of the women brought out a wool sweater she had knitted. It was a beautiful garment and we all admired it. She then explained that it was for sale and that they knit many things that they would like to sell. Our interpreter explained that they would rather make something and sell it than just take a handout. They are definitely trying to regain some dignity and self-respect and were excited when we happily purchased some of their garments for Christmas gifts for loved ones back home. They also stated that they would take any type of request for any garments, doilies, blankets, rugs, etc. The prices are absolutely unbeatable and the workmanship is outstanding. I personally purchased a sweater for my grandmother and very likely vaulted myself to the top of her favorite grandchild list!

After the purchases were made, we spent a short while saying goodbye and spoke of our trips to come. The interpreter explained that they love having us visit, if for nothing else, just the simple fact that they get the chance to make new friends and see new faces. They do not have transportation and are unable to make new friends elsewhere. As we loaded into our vehicles and drove away, I quickly realized how happy I was with the new friends I had just made and how important my job here as a peacekeeper really is.

Jeff