the TalonVolume 2, No 14 Friday, April 19, 1996

Serving the soldiers of Task Force Eagle

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Operation Joint Endeavor, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Insid

e COMMENTARY............2JMC UPDATE............4COMANCHE COOKS......5PHOTO FEATURE.........6HUNGARY PASS INFO....9GERMANY NEWS........10PERSONALITY PAGE.....11

COMANCHE BASE — Theymake the muddiest stretchespassable. They build paths andhelicopter fueling pads, bypassroads and drainage ditches inwar-torn stretches of Bosniansoil. And, they make livable ar-eas out of water-soaked fields.In short, they move the earth.

They’re the 94th EngineerBattalion’s Earth Moving Pla-toon.

“We can do just about what-ever anybody wants us to do,”said Spc. Brete Prewitt, a heavyequipment operator with theplatoon.

The platoon uses dozers,bucket loaders, cranes andscrapers to coax roads and mo-tor pool areas out of theswampy mud. They flatten themire with their dozers and laywhite, geotech-style fabricacross the ground so they havea solid base for the rocks theypour on top.

“Engineers provide mobility,”said 2nd Lt. Lars BerentOstervold Jr., platoon leader.

One way these engineershave provided crucial mobilityat Comanche Base is by build-ing an access road, allowingcrash and rescue teams access tothe flight line in an emergency.

The platoon members haveto consider many aspects whenthey plan a road, Ostervold said.

The most important of these isdrainage. They ensure gooddrainage by giving rain watersome place to go other than theroad.

“We dig a ditch along theroad and lay cement culvertsinside so rain water can go awayfrom the road,” Ostervold said.If a road does not have enoughdrainage, the water can shootout of the culverts and makethings quite messy. “You canbuild the worst road possible,but if you have good drainage,it’ll last,” he said.

Proper drainage of a road isonly one of the challenges theplatoon faced when they builtComanche Base’s first accessroad. The road is designed tokeep civilian traffic away fromthe base’s perimeter.

“The soil here is very differ-ent from Germany,” Ostervoldsaid. There is more water here,and because it’s a new place,nobody was quite sure how tobuild in Bosnia, but Ostervoldsaid they quickly adapted.

Because they have adaptedwell, their skills are often indemand.

“We work a lot of long hours,”he said. “It’s not always astrenuous job because we haveall the heavy equipment, but thejob can be hard.”

The EM platoon has a num-ber of missions to complete be-cause the Tuzla area is con-stantly being improved, he said.

“We cater to a lot of differentpeople,” Prewitt said, “and itmeans we’re always on the go.”

The missions they are as-signed in Bosnia are in contrastto those they have done in otherplaces such as Germany. There,they provided support to thetraining area called “the box” at

Hohenfels, Germany.“We would dig ditches for the

tanks or do range upgrades,”Prewitt said. “But here we makeroads and parking lots. It’s a lotdifferent.”

The platoon has also beenhelping Comanche Base withforce protection.

Earth moving platoon forms roads out of mudBy Spc. ROB BISHOP29th MPAD

Spc. Rob Bishop

Spc. Brete Prewitt, a heavy equipment operator, works tocomplete a water drainage ditch at Comanche Base.

EOD ‘surgeons’ dispose of dangersBy 1st Lt. ALBERT SWEPSON358th MPAD

ORASJE — Their instruments aretheir hands, and, although they maynot perform surgery, they delicatelyhandle ammunition with an attentionto detail like the finest surgeons.

The 41st Explosive Ordnance Dis-posal (EOD) Company from Fort Bliss,

Texas, has responded to more than 100calls to dispose of munitions rangingfrom small, rocket-propelled grenaderounds to 500-kilogram bombs.

“We are kind of like the brain sur-geons of the disposal field,” said StaffSgt. Tracy L. Oliver, 30, EOD teamleader.

see EOD, page 12

Friday, April 19, 1996Page 2 The Talon

From the topRegularly clean weapon system, ammo

Command Sgt.Maj. Jack L. Tilley

1st ArmoredDivision

THE TALON is produced in the interest of the servicemembers of TaskForce Eagle, headquartered at Eagle Base, Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina. THETALON is an Army-funded, field expedient newspaper authorized for mem-bers of the U.S. Army overseas, under the provision of AR 360-81. Contents ofTHE TALON are not necessarily the official views of, nor endorsed by, the U.S.Government, Department of Defense, Department of the Army or Task Force Eagle,commanded by Maj. Gen. William L. Nash. THE TALON is published weekly forthe 1st Armored Division (Task Force Eagle) Public Affairs Office, Eagle Base,Tuzla, Bosnia-Herzegovina APO AE 09789, Telephone MSE 551-3351. E-mail:thetalon@tfmain.1ad.army.mil. Printed Circulation: 6,000.

Bradley Driver ...........................................................Spc. Julian MartinezPublic Affairs Officer ...........................................................Maj. John E. SuttleProduction Staff ................................29th Mobile Public Affairs DetachmentCommander ......................................................................Maj. Robert L. GouldOfficer in Charge ...............................................................Capt. John GoheenNCO in Charge ..................................................Sgt. 1st Class Bettina E. TilsonLayout Editor/Journalist ..............................................Spc. Cesar G. SorianoPhoto Editor ......................................................................... Spc. Bryan DriverJournalists ..............................................Sgt. Ed Rollins, Spc. George RoacheSignificant contributors .....203rd, 358th Mobile Public Affairs Detachments

THE TALON

Now that springhas arrived, rain,dust, mud and plainold dirt are everydayannoyances. So, asyou struggle to keepyourself and yourequipment clean,don’t forget to per-form PMCS on yourvehicle, and remem-ber to take care ofyour weapon.

Every soldier should give hisweapon a thorough cleaning atleast once a week. It’s up to non-commissioned officers to makesure this happens. NCOs shouldcheck their soldiers’ weaponsdaily or when necessary.

Rather than use a muzzlecover, some soldiers have been

wrapping blackplastic tapearound their weap-ons’ muzzles. Thisis a dangerouspractice. Alwaysremember to trainthe way you are go-ing to fight.

Never tape anypart of your weap-on system. It could

cause a malfuction of yourweapon. Having said that, thebasic load for an M16A2 is sev-en, 30-round magazines for atotal of 210 rounds. It’s up tononcommissioned officers tohave their troops inventoryammunition on a regular basisto make sure no rounds havebeen lost or unaccounted for.

Many soldiers regularlyclean their weapons, but fewremember to clean their ammu-nition. Instruct your soldiers towipe off each round with a cloth— and clean each magazine —to prevent dust and dirt frombuilding up. Dirty ammunitionor magazines can easily causea weapon to jam.

The other day I checked 30weapons. Five would not havefired and 15 were dirty. AsNCOs, don’t assume that yoursoldiers are taking care of theirweapons. Check it out.

On a long deployment, it’seasy to get complacent aboutroutine tasks such as cleaningweapons. That’s where theNCO Corps comes in. Ser-geants are responsible for the

accountability and mainte-nance of ALL sensitive items.

Here’s a brief reminder toall staff sergeants who are eli-gible for promotion to sergeantfirst class. A promotion boardteam will soon convene and youneed to doublecheck yourrecords.

For the last few weeks, wehave touched on a number ofsubjects, including weaponsafety, fighting complacency,R&R, equal opportunity, safeconvoy practices, NCOERs,NCOES, reenlistment andkeeping in touch with familymembers during deployment.As our time in Bosnia-Herzegovina goes on, keep thesepriorities and others in mind.

Sergeants, safety, sergeants.

ViewpointTax breaks prove big morale booster for TFE soldiers

Spc. GeorgeRoache

29th MPAD

President BillClinton and the U.S.Congress deserve abig “hooah” for thetax break recentlygranted to troopsserving in the Bal-kans peacekeepingoperation.

Tax relief boostsmorale by allowingservicemembers to keep moreof what they earn. That is thebenefit nearest and dearest tothe hearts of those deployedto or flying over Bosnia andHerzegovina, Croatia andMacedonia, the areas towhich the law applies.

But the new law meansmore than being able to savea few extra dollars to take avacation, pay off old debts orpurchase a needed applianceafter the deployment is over.

Since 1966, onlythe first $500 permonth of an offic-er’s pay had beenexc luded undernormal wart imetax relief. That wasa sore point duringthe Pers ian Gul fWar.

The new exclu-sion limit for officers is equalto the monthly salary of eachservice’s senior enlistedmember plus $150 for immi-nent danger pay. This meansthere is more equity amongthe ranks.

Tax relief was granted totroops in the Vietnam andGulf wars, but this marks thefirst time such legislation hasbeen signed for those who arenot serving in a designatedcombat zone.

During a deployment, dutydays are longer, living condi-tions less pleasant, days offare few and far between,equipment needed for the jobless available and privacynonexistent.

The MWR theater, libraryand fitness center are valu-able in giving troops some re-lease from the daily routine,but they can only do so muchwhen the need for force pro-tection precludes socializingoff post.

More money makes operat-ing under those conditionsmore tolerable.

Most important, approvinga tax break for a peacetimemission acknowledges it canbe as dangerous as combat.

As Defense Secretary Wil-liam Perry said when an-nouncing his support for tax

relief, “We must not forgetthe continuing danger thatwe face.”

Troops must be ever mind-ful of mines, terrorists andother dangers.

And in the post-Cold Warworld, the military may becalled upon for more peaceenforcement missions likethis one.

Granting the same bene-fits for troops deployed forpeace says their role is justas critical as though theywere at war.

It gives us the feeling thatwe truly are contributingsomething worthwhile, andaren’t here just marking daysoff the calendar.

Thank you, Mr. Presidentand Congress. You gave us abreak when we really neededone, and we appreciate it.

Friday, April 19, 1996 Page 3The Talon

News briefs

NATO to rebuild roadsThe Regional Contracting Office

in Tuzla recently signed a contractwith local Bosnian contractor,Tuzla-Putevi.

The contract that commencedApril 15 will result in the repairmore than 30 kilometers of war-and weather-ravaged Route Ari-zona, a major north-south militarysupply route. Construction will befunded by NATO and representsmore than 2,000,000 DM being in-jected into the local Tuzla Valleyeconomy.

RCO Tuzla Chief , Navy Lt.Cmdr. Larry Coleman, SupplyCorps, said “utilizing local con-tractors in a country such as Bos-nia-Herzegovina has an extensivetrickle-down effect as local sup-plies, manpower and resourcesare all tapped to help revive astagnant or nearly non-existenteconomy.”

After repairs, the roads will bebetter able to handle IFOR trafficincluding tanks and Humvees.

In addition, contract negotiationsfor repair of Route Texas are near-ing completion, and six other routesare under consideration for repairs.

Health classesA lecture and short video on

hypertension will be given Friday,April 26 at 8 p.m. at the Tuzla MainAcute Care Clinic, Building No. 30.No sign-up needed. For more infor-mation, call MSE 558-5024.

When to call the IGWhen should soldiers call or

visit the Inspector General’s of-fice? Whenever a soldier has aproblem that the chain of com-mand has not acted on or cor-rected, he or she should give theIG a call.

The first question the soldierwill be asked is, “Have you talkedto your chain of command?”

If not, the IG’s office will referthe soldier back to his first ser-geant or company commander.However, if the soldier has beenthrough the chain of command —and no action has been taken — theIG’s office will do its best to get thesoldier the right answer.

Request lineThe radio request line for Ameri-

can Forces Network in Bosnia isMSE 555-5556.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounceof prevention is worth a pound of cure.”This statement could never be more truethan the current deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina in support of OperationJOINT ENDEAVOR.

The physical and mental strain of thedeployment, along with the field environ-ment sets the stage for potential healthproblems. There are, however,preventive measures that youas a member of Task ForceEagle can take to decrease thehealth risks for yourself andyour fellow soldiers.

1. Maintain physical fitness. Re-maining physically fit keeps your bodystrong, reduces stress and makes youmore mentally alert. At many largerbase camps, fitness centers have beenconstructed. These facilities provide op-portunities for weight lifting and aerobicexercise, such as lifecycles andstairmasters. Running tracks also are be-ing identified. If you are located in a re-mote area, exercises such as jumping rope,situps and pushups can be done in a lim-ited space. Remember to alternate aerobictraining with strength training for overallfitness.

2. Eating balanced diets. Your dietprovides the fuel for your body to functionand contributes to your ability to fight in-fection and limit stress. Eat meals regu-larly and attempt to balance these mealswith a combination of fruits, vegetables,meats and starches. Avoid substitutingsnacks for meals and consume plenty offluids to prevent dehydration. An average-sized adult requires approximately 2.5 li-ters of fluid daily, which increases withphysical exertion. Remember to eat anddrink only from approved sources.

3. Regular sleep. An adult usually re-quires 6 to 8 hours of sleep daily. Erraticschedules and the demands of the missionoften make this impossible. Try establish-ing a routine sleep pattern and try to re-lax prior to bedtime, as this will make yourrest more productive and allow your bodytime to recuperate.

4. Minimize stress. Family separa-tion, isolation and the mission require-ments can contribute to stress. Stressweakens the body’s defenses and makes

you more susceptible to infec-tion, such as colds and theflu. Set aside personal time

for yourself to read, listen tomusic, play games or watch TV

to take your mind off the day-to-daystress. Exercising and avoiding stimu-lants like coffee and nicotine also re-duce stress. Sharing feelings withfriends or chaplains may help as well.Stress management classes and counse-

lors are available at various base camps.5. Proper hygiene. Personal and

area hygiene are key to proper wellness.Work and living areas should be sweptwith a wet broom to minimize dust andspreading of germs. Food should be keptin proper containers to avoid rodentsthat carry contagious viruses and bac-teria. Wash your hands prior to mealsand after using the latrines to avoidspreading germs.

Also, opening tents daily to air themout prevents spreading illnesses betweenindividuals. Unit field sanitation teamsshould work closely with unit command-ers to ensure these measures are beingfollowed.

General medical wellness is a force pro-tection issue that maintains the fightingstrength and prevents unnecessary ill-ness. If you have any questions, do nothesitate to contact your local medicaltreatment facility.

With preventive measures,health risks decreaseBy Capt. (Dr.) JAMES HARRISHHC, 1st Armored Division

Poetry corner

A New EraA New EraA New EraA New EraA New EraThe Knights of old have come to ride.Chivalry is back and has never died.Iron horses with rolling tracks,Knights of green ride upon their backs.A hollow lance with flaming balls,Plundering down the enemies walls.Guidons ablaze with Red, White and Blue,Representing Knights whose hearts are true.The skies are filled with shields of white,Red Crosses gleaming in a field of flight.

Swords of steel crossed and sway,Like Paladins coming to save the day.Iron horses and Birds in flight,Chivalry is back on this Cold Balkan night.“In Cruce Mea Fides”

— Sgt. Charles Y. TroglenHHD, 421st Medical Evacuation Battalion

30th Medical BrigadeCamp Rumbaugh

From the hard chargers of the 30th Medical Brigade.

Friday, April 19, 1996Page 4 The Talon

At the 1st ArmoredDivision’s 1st Brigade, some ser-vices may be slow and unpre-dictable, but when it comes tomoving information within thebrigade, the battalion liaisonofficers make it happen. Eachand every day, the LNO run pro-vides a dependable, same-daydelivery service.

“I think we work faster thanUPS,” said Sgt. 1st Class An-drew Walden, 36, the LNO rep-resentative for 4th Battalion,67th Armored Regiment. “Weare on time, and we move. Rain,snow and sun — you name it —we are moving.”

The three liaison officersfrom 4-67 Armor; 3rd Battalion,5th Cavalry Regiment; and 1stSquadron, 1st Cavalry Regi-ment, along with an militarypolice escort, travel Mondaythrough Saturday, at least 80

kilometers, along the sometimestreacherous roads of the 1st Bri-gade area.

2nd Lt. Alonzo A. Gray, 27,1-1 Cav liaison officer and LNOconvoy commander from WestMemphis, Ark., oversees vehiclemaintenance and safety issues.Gray said the biggest safety con-cern is making sure the convoyadheres to proper rules of theroad, including speed limits.“There are a lot of children andreckless drivers to watch out foron the road,” he said.

The roads themselves can behazardous. Walden said hisdriver, Pfc. Adam T. Houchins,20, from Little Rock, Ark.,knows every pot hole in theroad.

“They really aren’t pot holes,”Houchins said. “They’re mortarholes, and it is really hard tomiss hitting them.”

The LNO travels to at leastfive base camps, delivering suchitems as messages, newspapers

and fragmentary orders to thebattalions.

They are carriers, “but we’renot just paper pushers,” saidSgt. 1st Class Roy A. Collins, 37,3-5 Cav LNO from Georgetown,Miss. They relay verbal infor-mation to their units as well.“We are given specifics aboutwhat the brigade wants the bat-talion to do. They explain it tous and so we explain, face-to-face, to our battalion what ex-actly they want done and howto do it.”

Soldiers who need to travelto the different base campswithin the brigade area of op-eration often take advantageof the LNO convoy, as well.Though it can slow down themission at times, the LNO of-ficers will often accommodatethe extra personnel and ve-hicles. But the courtesy can beoverextended. Collins remem-bers one time when the LNOhad 10 vehicles with four of the

LNO representatives ensure timely delivery serviceBy Sgt. KELLY C. FISCHER358th MPAD

Separation of warring factions ‘on track’Ever since the highly-publicized

crossing of the Sava River fromon Dec. 31, Task Force Eagle has

focused on separating Bosnia’s threeformer warring factions, and implement-ing the military provisions of the PeaceAgreement.

By their presence, combat-ready IFORsoldiers from 11 nations are compellingthe factions to comply — giving peace achance in war-shattered Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“The soldier is our most importantweapon,” said Maj. Gen. William L.Nash, commanding general of the 25,000soldiers in the multi-national task force.

The step-by-step process for separat-ing Bosnia’s Serb, Croat and Muslimcombatants was spelled out in the PeaceAgreement signed last November, andsubsequent IFOR directives.

The first step was to create a zone ofseparation, two kilometers wide on bothsides of the confrontation line. Movingthe armies out of their World War I-styletrenches and bunkers was a monumen-tal task, superbly executed by disci-plined, well-trained Task Force Eaglesoldiers.

Demilitarization of the ZOS was com-pleted by Jan. 19 (D+30), and subse-quent destruction of fighting positionsremoved the temptation for soldiers toreturn.

With confidence growing that IFORwould provide military security, factionsbegan a gradual process of withdrawing

their forces to barracks, and their heavyweapons to peacetime storage sites.

March 19 was the deadline for anti-air-craft weapons to be consolidated in IFOR-approved sites. IFOR’s verification thatall faction air defense systems are securedwill allow civil aviation to return to thecountry — yet another important step to-ward restoring normal commercialism inBosnia-Herzegovina.

The final phase in separation of forceswas marked on April 18 (D+120). On thatdate, faction armies were to move weap-ons steadily towards storage sites and de-

mobilize excess soldiers — much like a“drawdown” in U.S. Army jargon.

Until demobilization is fully completed,Task Force Eagle will continue to applypressure on the factions to achieve a non-threatening force posture.

As summer approaches, Task ForceEagle operations will focus on verificationof weapon system inventories, surveil-lance of storage sites, enhancing civilianfreedom of movement, force protection,gunnery training and well-deserved restand recuperation.

Humvees carrying trailers andthree without radios.

The liaison officers are proudof their work and they do whatthey can to add some sophisti-cation to what may seem like anunglamorous job.

“We used to carry our docu-ments in a trash bag, but itdidn’t look professional,”Walden said. “So, in our sparetime, we made a brief case outof a Mattehorn boot box.” Theythen built three sizes of thebriefcase and labeled them inthe Army style: class A, for thelargest, Class B for the mediumand Class C for the smallest.The brigade chaplain came inand saw their briefcases andsaid, “you know we’re going tocall you guys the boot-box ban-dits,” he said.

Walden sees another use forthe briefcases after the deploy-ment. “I’ll put them out on themarket when I return,” hesaid.

Source: Joint Military Commission

Maj. Kevin Govern

Friday, April 19, 1996 Page 5The Talon

TACSATs serve as crucial communication linkBy Pfc. JODY JOHNSTON358th MPAD

The 440th Signal Battal-ion based in Darms-tadt, Germany, is the

main backbone of all commu-nications here in Bosnia.

Soldiers in D Company,440th Signal Battalion are re-sponsible for all tactical sat-ellites in Bosnia. They are thecritical link for all communi-cation throughout the theater.

“The satellites that wetransmit to are 23,000 milesin space over the Indian

Ocean,” said Staff Sgt. Mat-thew L. Amacker, a platoonsergeant in D Company.

“The TACSATs are the pri-mary means of communica-tion here,” Amacker said.

There are several tactical sat-ellites in the theater. Each onebeams to the satellite in space,and then is picked up again byanother TACSAT, he said.

For example, if a soldier isusing a Mobile SubscriberEquipment (MSE) phone tocall back to the States, the callgoes through the MSE linesand is then beamed up to the

COMANCHE BASE — Sgt. DarrylHamilton stirred corn starch into thelarge pan of pork loin and ham gravysteaming on an open gas flame in theComanche Base dining facility kitchen.

A few feet away, six ovens were roast-ing the night’s main course. A local civil-ian was pouring a six-bottle pack of wa-ter into a 15-gallon pot to make Kool Aid,while another ladled an already preparedbatch into a beverage dispenser.

At a table near the kitchen’s center,Specialists Motavia Alston, 19, ofGreenville, N.C., and Boyce Ward, 27, ofPittsburgh, sliced the pork and stackedit an insulated container to keep it warm.

Spc. Edward Merkel, 23, of CocoaBeach, Fla., scurried back and forth toprepare more corn starch for Hamilton touse while other cooks tended to theirchores in a flurry of movement.

Hamilton, although taking care not tostep in anyone’s way, concentrated onpouring pride into his product.

“Gravy is the best part,” said the 31-year-old native of Oakland, Calif. “Itmakes the rest of the meal taste good.This is going to be some good gravy.”

Ward is assigned to Headquarters andHeadquarters Company, 2nd Battalion,227th Aviation; Merkel to A Company,94th Engineer Battalion and Hamiltonand Alston to 630th Military Police Com-pany, 18th MP Brigade.

But behind the flaps of the diningfacility’s kitchen tent, they team up withother cooks who toil long hours in an over-heated environment to feed ComancheBase’s 1,700 soldiers, airmen and civilians.

The cooks work in shifts from 3 a.m. to 1p.m. and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Two of them dothe baking from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. daily.

Each of the 32 cooks is trained tohandle every job from cracking eggs torolling dough to frying chicken or basting

turkey. Handling one responsibilityor another, they industriously followa well-organized plan to get the fooddone on time for dining hours.

“We operate on a productionschedule with people put into slotsthat tell who’s to prepare what prod-uct, how much and the time they’reto start preparing it,” said Staff Sgt.Janet Evans, 44, of Lexington, Ky.,a dining facility administrator withHHC, 4th Air Cavalry Brigade.

“With so many people we’ve gotto feed and the type of equipmentwe have, it’s an all-day process todo dinner,” she said.

It’s a hectic enterprise.“There’s no time to talk or

lollygag around,” said Sgt. DannyChatman, 29, a baker from Jackson,Tenn. “It’s a full eight to nine hoursof just being on your feet working.”

Their biggest challenge is prepar-ing for the correct number of people,Merkel said.

“There’s an inconsistent number ofpeople coming through. You preparefor 1,400 and only 800 show. You pre-pare for 1,100 and 1,200 show,” he said.

“You feed them when they all comethrough, then 100 people show up just be-fore closing,” he said.

Despite the frenzy, cooks carryingsteaming pots of food must keep one eyeout to keep from slipping on a floor wetfrom constantly being mopped; everyonemust be obsessed with cleanliness; andthey must be careful when using the gasburners or moving near hot stoves.

“Burns are part of the job,” Merkelsaid. They are mostly minor, coming fromsplashing grease or hot pans, but it’s “aneveryday thing.”

Although recipe cards and can labelsspecify ingredients and quantities, cooksalso use their own judgment to turn outfood their diners will want to eat.

They add a little water here if the tex-

ture of the biscuit dough doesn’t feel rightand enhance the spaghetti sauce with justthe proper touch of extra seasoning.

The key ingredient is pride.“The best part of the job is watching

people out there eat and lick their fingersand come back and tell the cooks they’redoing a good job,” Hamilton said. “Itmakes the cooks feel good.”

Chatman, of 212th MP Company, 18thMP Brigade, and Spc. Latocha Dalmida,24, of Jacksonville, Fla., a baker withHHC, 7-227th, must prepare their battersby hand, using a wire wipe because thekitchen does not have a mixer.

But if their diners are happy, they’rehappy.

“If we come in and there’s no pastriesleft, then we know they like our work,”Dalmida said.

Pride key ingredient in Comanche cuisineBy Spc. GEORGE ROACHE29th MPAD

Sgt. Darryl Hamilton prepares anothermeal at the Comanche Base dining facility.

Spc. George Roache

satellite in space by a TAC-SAT, which is positioned onthe ground.

The call goes through a se-ries of transmissions where asignal is beamed back andforth between TACSATs onthe ground and in space.

From there, another beamis sent down to Germany.

After reaching Germany, itis beamed back up to anotherspace satellite, then to anoth-er ground satellite in the Unit-ed States, where it is pro-cessed through phone lines toreach who you are calling.

So, while a soldier is talk-ing to people on the other side,his call is being beamedthrough three different satel-lite connections, said Sgt Rob-ert M. Skinner, team chief ofthe 32nd Signal Battalion.

TACSATs are spreadthroughout the former Yugo-slavia.

“Even though there are anumber of TACSATs to main-tain, we haven’t had verymany problems with them,”Skinner said. “The only realproblem that we have facedwith them is the weather.”

Friday, April 19, 1996Page 6 The Talon

Supporting thecommunicationsneeds of the mul-

tinational sector in Bos-nia, signal units havetied the peace enforce-ment elements here to-gether through voice anddata commu-nications.

The 22ndSignal Bri-gade, com-prised of the440th SignalB a t t a l i o n ,and teamsfrom the32nd and17th SignalBattalions,along with 1st ArmoredDivision’s own 141stSignal Battalion, arespread throughout TaskForce Eagle creating arobust network.

Signal units beganarriving here in Novem-ber and have since

22nd Signal Brigade

The voice ofthe EagleBy Sgt. RICK ROTH29th MPAD

spread out to basecamps and remote hill-tops.

Working in conjunc-tion with the Nordic,Russian and TurkishBrigades, signal ele-ments also have man-

aged tobridge thei n t e r n a -tional com-m u n i c a -tions gaporiginal lycreated bythis uniqueoperation.

W i t hmore than1,100 sig-

nal soldiers currentlyon the ground, the sig-nal mission keeps pacewith the demand forclear communicationsand will continue to doso until the end of Op-eration JOINT EN-DEAVOR.

Two 17th Signal Battalion troops raise a line of sight antenna on Hill 852.

A 17th Signal Battalion soldier unloadscommunications gear at Hill 852.

Cpl. Terence Buttram, tactical satellite crew chief with 440th SignalBattalion, pauses to glance at the snow-covered hills in the Turkish area.

Photos bySgt. Rick Roth,29th MPAD

Friday, April 19, 1996 The Talon Page 7

Pfc. Charles Smith, a line of sight radio operatorwith 17th Signal Battalion, carries cables on Hill 852.

Cammo netting is raised at brigade headquaters.

Spc. Ojohnis Morton carries an antenna pole to aninstallation site on Hill 852.

Force protection is still a priority for signal soldiers.

Spc. Troy Sullivan, a mobile subscriber equipmentoperator with the 440th Signal Battalion, works insidea small extension node van. Antennas are silhouetted by a sunset on Hill 722.

Friday, April 19, 1996Page 8 The Talon

The Turkish Brigade, located primarily in the vicinity ofZenica, is executing the IFOR mission. However, the Turk-ish soldiers are participating in humanitarian efforts aswell.

Repairs of war-damaged schools and restoration of religiousand historical buildings are just a couple of examples of thebrigade’s work.

The restoration of the Orthodox Church in Zenica is but oneof the brigade’s accomplishments. The church, which serves morethan 5,000 residents, was severely damaged by mortar and rocketfire.

The walls were pockmarked and the gate leading to the churchwas destroyed. The wall surrounding the church was collapsedand windows in the church were covered with simple nylon sheets.

In spite of all this damage, the church has continued to serveits congregation during the years of war.

Turk Brigade commander Col. Ahmet Berberoglu received therequest for assistance in the restoration of the church during avisit with priest Miroslav Drincic. Although Drincic’s requestwas only for the replacement of the windows and structural re-pair of the church walls, Berberoglu felt such a historic and reli-gious building should be preserved. He suggested, much toDrincic’s delight, that the Turk Brigade restore and refurbishthe entire church.

The project began on March 4. Ten soldiers worked for hun-

dreds of hours. The total material cost for the renovation wasabout $5,000 and was funded by the Turk Brigade.

The Turkish engineers did their best to be faithful to the origi-nal structure of the building. Special paint was produced by achemical factory for the walls. Steel-supported glass was usedfor durability.

Turkish soldiers paint a new coat on the Zenica church.

Turkish soldiers renovate Zenica Orthodox church

Before the U.S. Army’s deploymentto Bosnia, the process of requisi-tioning parts and materials from

the field was anything but user-friendly,and the majority of parts were pushed for-ward from the rear in accordance withwhat others thought field units needed.

Through hard work of their own andsupport from the 5th Signal CommandHeadquarters in Worms, Germany, sol-diers of the 22nd Signal Brigade were ableto merge the Army into the fast lane ofthe information highway.

Using equipment designed for the cor-porate world, the signal brigade was ableto link the Mobile Subscriber Equipmentnetwork here with the world-wide DefenseData Network, creating a communicationsweb capable of handling classified and un-classified data.

“It allows us to bring the internet toBosnia,” said Maj. Brian P. Hamilton,22nd Signal Brigade’s network engineer.

A Network Encryption System — com-puter hardware that separated classifiedand unclassified data — moves informa-tion through separate pipelines, prevent-ing secure computer terminals from inter-facing with unsecure terminals. The NESalso bridges the gap between the secureMSE network and the insecure DDN, al-lowing unclassified terminals the abilityto access the outside world.

“We dreamt this thing up in October,”said Hamilton, a native of El Paso, Texas.From that point signal engineers devel-oped plans, purchased hardware and had

the equipment on the ground in Bosniabefore the new year.

The new network allows units here toplace orders directly with the objectivesupply center in St. Louis, through a ser-vice much like e-mail, creating a systemof supply on demand.

“It gets the things the soldiers needright where they need it, the fastest waythey can get it,” Hamilton said.

At the 1st Armored Division class ninesupply depot in Lukavac, the new processhas helped to keep materials moving outto units, cutting down on the amount ofstock left to stagnate.

Cpl. Alberto P. Peraza, of C Company,123rd Main Support Battalion, from

Baumholder, Germany, is in charge of themajor assembly section at the depot. Deal-ing with replacement Abrams engines andtransmissions doesn’t leave Peraza muchroom for excess inventory.

“When shipments come in we don’t evenlet them hit the ground,” said Peraza, anative of Miami. Items are dispersed, andon their way to units within 24 to 48 hoursof their arrival at the depot, he said.

At unit level, clerks enter their supplyrequests using the Unit Level LogisticsSystem computer software that can patchinto the network. The system allows clerksto order supplies faster while giving themthe ability to monitor the status of theirrequisitions.

Computer network produces speedy ordersBy Sgt. RICK ROTH29th MPAD

Cpl. Alberto P. Peraza of Baumholder, Germany is surrounded by boxescontaining Abrams tank engines at the 123rd MSB’s supply depot.

Sgt. Rick Roth

Friday, April 19, 1996 Page 9The Talon

LUKAVAC — “From thetown of Bedrock — it’s a placeright out of history.” Are wetalking about a modern stone-age family here? No, we’re talk-ing about the soldiers stationedat Camp Bedrock, home to the212th Mobile Army SurgicalHospital, 16th Engineer Bat-talion, 55th Engineer Compa-ny and the 38th Engineer Com-pany.

Fans of Saturday morningcartoons will recognize thename, contrived from the cityby that same name in the pop-ular animated feature “TheFlintstones.” The moniker de-veloped from Camp Bedrock’slocation by a stone quarry.

What of the other namesthat camps here in Bosnia haveadopted?

Some are named after sol-diers, others are named forwomen and one was evennamed for a mythical city ofHollywood fame. Emerald City,a work site near the townOdzak, was named after thecity by the same name in themovie “The Wizard of Oz.”

Camp Dallas and CampTampa were named after pro-fessional football teams; theDallas Cowboys and the Tam-

pa Bay Bucca-neers. CampDallas housestroops fromthe 16thCorps SupportGroup. Tam-pa serves as aworksite.

C a m pKime wasnamed afterCapt. JosephG. Kime III, alogistics offic-er with the 1stBattalion, 3rdArmored Divi-sion, when hewas killed inthe PersianGulf. Kimewas fatally injured March 13,1991, while leading a convoywhen his Humvee detonated alandmine. Camp Kime is homefor the Ready First CombatTeam Headquarters; the 501stMilitary Intelligence Battal-ion; the 2nd Battalion, 3rdField Artillery; 23rd EngineerBattalion; and elements of theAir Force 717th Air SupportOperations Squadron.

Camp Burke is also namedfor a soldier. 1st Lt. Lloyd L.Burke, 5th Calvary, became arecipient of the Medal of Hon-or for heroic actions Oct. 28,

1951, duringthe KoreanWar. CampBurke housesTroop B, 3rdS q u a d r o n ,5th Calvary.

S o m enames comesimpler thanothers. EagleBase derivesits name be-cause it ishome for theheadquartersof Task ForceEagle. SteelC a s t l eachieved itsmoniker fromthe combina-

tion of the branch symbols ofengineers and artillery — thecastle from the engineers, andthe steel from the artilleryshell.

Steel Castle holds thetroops of the 1st Armored Di-vision Engineers and the 1stArmored Division Artillery.

Camp Demi houses the sol-diers of A and C Companies,4th Battalion, 12th InfantryRegiment, and B Company,40th Engineer Battalion. Demiwas named for the popularmoviestar Demi Moore.

Other camps that adopted

A camp by any other name is still a campSpc. WILLIAM HALL203rd MPAD

the names of women includeCamps Molly, Angela, Pat, Ali-cia, Lisa, Linda, Diane andCourtney.

Some camps have taken onnames that evolved from acreative twist. Camp Punx-sutawney, located near thetown of Lukavac, adopted themoniker from a city of thesame name in Pennsylvania,where the annual GroundHog Day celebration is held.Punxsutawney was taken onafter the Bill Murray movie“Ground Hog Day,” in whichthe same day was repeatedover and over again. Somesoldiers here claim that, likein the movie, the days allseem the same.

Camp Punxsutawney alsotook on the nickname of GothamCity, also taken from a movie.

The adandoned coke plantthat looms over the camp issimilar to the Gotham City of“Batman” movie fame. Punx-sutawney houses troops fromthe Division Support Com-mand, 440th Signal Battalion,165th Military IntelligenceBattalion, 92nd Military PoliceCompany and the 16th CorpsSupport Group.

So what’s in a name? Some-times more than you know.But would a rose by any othername smell as sweet?

Homemade signs point theway home on a post atCamp Punxsutawney.

Spc. Cesar G. Soriano

TASZAR, HUNGARY — A local passprogram that will take troops to Hungarywill start this weekend, with the firsttroops to officially participate in the passprogram going to Budapest.

This weekend, soldiers from theTaborfalva Training Area will overnightin the “Paris of the East” following theirweek-long crew and gunnery training. Sol-diers from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Hun-gary will travel to Budapest on April 21for three days of relaxation, sleeping late,civilian clothes, restaurant food, shoppingand sightseeing.

There are three destination optionsunder the pass program: Budapest, LakeBalaton and the Life Support Area at the

Intermediate Staging Base in Taszar. TheBudapest and LSA options start April 18while the Lake Balaton option will startMay 15.

Transportation to these sites is at gov-ernment expense; however, soldiers canexpect to pay for their food, lodging andtours while on pass in Budapest orBalaton. Expect a single occupancy roomin Budapest to cost $65, while a doublewill cost $40 per night. At Balaton, adouble room will cost $25 and includesbreakfast and lunch.

In Budapest, soldiers will stay in a rea-sonably-priced hotel that includes anAmerican-style breakfast and will have theopportunity to experience the culture of thecapital city. Soldiers can also make ar-rangements for their families to join themwhile in Budapest.

The Lake Balaton option provides sol-diers an opportunity for outdoor recreationactivities, as well as day trips to Budapestfor shopping and sightseeing, but no fam-ily visits.

Finally, the third and cheapest option,

will be the LSA in Taszar for an enhancedMorale, Welfare and Recreation program.This will include tour and service coordi-nation for day trips, an arcade and billiardcenter, food court operations and musicalentertainment. Soldiers will receive lodg-ing and meals at no cost.

All personnel deployed on TCS/TDYorders or unit movement orders for morethan 30 days are eligible to participate.Since spaces are limited, commanders areencouraged to offer this program to per-sonnel serving in the theater for less than180 days since they are not eligible for theR&R program.

For soldiers participating in the passprogram, General Order One will be waivedand soldiers may consume alcohol while onleave. AAFES is also establishing an en-larged facility at the LSA to provide civil-ian clothing and other leisure items.

See your chain of command for moreinformation and slot availability.

Meanwhile, the Rest and Recuperationprogram for Task Force Eagle kicked offApril 15.

By Capt. L.J. DAWSON-HAMMContributing writer

Pass program to Hungary offers variety of optionsAlcohol policy will bewaived for Hungarypass participants

Friday, April 19, 1996Page 10 The Talon

NEWS FROM GERMANY

MANNHEIM — One would be hardpressed to find a tangible benefit for theMannheim military community for hav-ing nearly half of its community’s soldiersdeployed. Such a benefit has been found,however.

Mannheim is the recipient of morethan $7.3 million as part of USAREUR’sDeployed Unit Facilities ImprovementPlan.

The community that had sent 49.8 per-cent of its soldiers downrange to take partin the international peace enforcementefforts in the Balkans is one of a few inUSAREUR to receive such funds, ear-marked for installations from which ma-jor troop deployments occurred.

Priority will be given to projects thataffect troop living space and services. InMannheim, the focus is being placed onArmy family housing areas and soldier liv-ing quarters.

“Mannheim was very fortunate to re-ceive money from this program,” saidLarry Scavone, facility engineer in the293rd Base Support Battalion’s Director-ate of Engineering and Housing.

Interior stairwell painting will be donein 66 buildings in Benjamin Franklin Vil-lage at a cost of $500,000. More than $1.8million will be expended to paint the exte-rior of 26 buildings in the housing area.Another $400,000 will go to repair a park-ing lot on Jackson St.

An additional $4.5 million will beused to renovate soldier quality-of-life

facilities. Selected single soldiers’ quar-ters will receive suspended ceilings, car-peting and painting.

Quarters on Sullivan Barracks includeBuildings 201 and 205, housing 44th Sig-nal Battalion and 7th Signal Brigade sol-diers; Buildings 341 and 342, occupied by72nd Signal Battalion soldiers; and 334,with 95th Military Police Battalion onTaylor Barracks; Building 1574, with 51stMaintenance Battalion soldiers onSpinelli; and Buildings 481, 482 and 476,occupied by 181st Transportation Battal-ion on Turley Barracks.

“We’re on the verge of awarding con-tracts,” Scavone said. “We will start alot of the work in May. The plannedprojects will definitely improve the ap-pearance of BFV and add to the qualityof the living quarters for soldiers andfamilies.

“We’ve only been waiting for moneyand now we can get things moving. Ev-erything is ready and the program is‘green’ on this end,” Scavone said.

During some phases of the renova-tions, a small percentage of soldiers andfamilies will be temporarily inconve-nienced by having to move, or having tolive or work around the construction.

“Every effort will be made to ensurethis time period will be as short as pos-sible and have the least impact oneveryone’s quality of life,” said Lt. Col.Raymond Youngs, 411th BSB commander.

“The final outcome will be well worththe inconvenience, with the bottom linebeing after all is done, those affected willhave nicer quarters,” Youngs said.

HEIDELBERG — The Women inMilitary Service for America Memo-rial will be the United States’s firstmajor national memorial to honorall women who have defendedAmerica.

The memorial was discussed byretired Air Force Brig. Gen. WilmaL. Vaught, one of the most deco-rated women in military history,during a speech to officers andNCOs April 1 in Patrick Henry Vil-lage theater. Vaught is the presidentof the board of directors of theWomen in Military Service forAmerica Memorial Foundation Inc.

The memorial will be located atthe gateway to Arlington NationalCemetery, located adjacent to thePentagon in Virginia. The structurewill include a reflecting pool, aneducational center, a theater and anarc of glass tablets on the upperterrace. The tablets will serve as askylight to the inner gallery andbear quotations by and aboutwomen who have served in ournation’s military forces. As the sunpasses overhead, these historicwords will be gently reflected on thewall of the center below.

Inside the education center willbe a computer registry of femaleveterans. The database will containthe name, photograph and indi-vidual story of each woman’s ser-vice.

“The memorial will be a shrinefor all women who have served,”Vaught said.

Groundbreaking for the memo-rial was held June 22, 1995. Dedi-cation is set for Oct. 18, 1997.

The Women in military Servicefor America Memorial Foundationis a non-profit organization that de-pends on donations to build, equipand furnish the memorial.

“Only money builds memorials,”Vaught told her mostly military au-dience. Her own organization staysbusy, she said, selling things suchas commemorative coins, neck-laces and calendars.

Donations can be made throughthe Combined Federal Campaign orsent to: WIMSA, Dept. 560, Wash-ington D.C., 20042-0560.

Mannheim barracks andbuildings to get faceliftBy MICHAEL BOWERSHerald-Post

By DAVE HAMILTONHerald-Post

Donationssought for U.S.monument

The freedom flight

Homebound soldiers board a chartered plane at Eagle Base, TuzlaWednesday on one of the first R&R flights to Germany and Philadelphia.

Spc. Bryan Driver

Friday, April 19, 1996 Page 11The Talon

PERSONALITY OF THE WEEK

Female mechanic breaks new ground

COLT BASE — When hermaintenance support team ar-rived to support the 4th Bat-talion, 67th Armor, headquar-tered here, Pfc. Deanna L.Yruegas, 25, from Laferia,Texas, earned the distinctionas the first female in the “landof the tankers.”

A tank turret mechanicwith the 4-67 MST, Yruegas,of B Company, 501st ForwardSupport Battalion, found her-self in a strange element inthis traditionally all-male ar-mored terrain.

“I felt like there was a bigarrow pointing down on top ofmy head everywhere I went,”said Yruegas about her firstencounter with the armor bat-talion. “I walked into the 4-67chow hall and everything gotquiet; everyone literallyturned and looked. One of theguys on my team finally said,‘Haven’t you ever seen a (45)kilo (tank turret mechanic)before?’ and everyone startedlaughing and went about theirbusiness.”

The strangeness of beingthe sole woman in the unitmeant there were some biasesto overcome.

But opposition has beensomething she has dealt withfrom the beginning. Her Armyrecruiter told her, “No, no, youdon’t want be a tank mechanic.You’ll have a hard time, espe-cially being a woman. You’llend up being with an armor

battalion, because that’s wherethe tanks are.”

“The more he talked, themore I wanted to do it. I prac-tically had to beg him beforehe said all right,” Yruegassaid.

Through hard work and de-termination, she proved her-self. “The more tanks I workedon, the more I got to talk to themaintenance guys and thetankers,” Yruegas said. “Theystarted to know me, and theysaw that I was here for noother reason than to be a sol-dier and work on tanks.

“It was hard in the begin-ning. They used to say,‘Yruegas, you’re not going tochange this unit over night.One small female is not go-ing to change their minds.’But the big tanker god let mein here, and while I’m here,I’ll change as much as I can,”she said.

Spc. Linda K. Parrish, 22,from Hood River, Ore., andPvt. Christina M. Camarena,21, from Santa Barbara, Calif.,are track mechanics and servewith Yruegas’ maintenancesupport team. They joined theunit after her and benefittedfrom her experience.

“Yruegas went through a lotwhen she got here, and shekind of broke the ice for bothme and Parrish,” Camarenasaid. She kept asking them toput her on jobs and told themshe wanted to work as muchas anyone else. “She had toreally prove herself. So, whenI got here they expected me to

do everything that they knewhow to do. I liked that a lot,because they gave me a chanceto work, and not just sit thereand watch them do every-thing.”

Pfc. Dusty A. Smith, 20, awheeled vehicle mechanic withthe 4-67 MST said that whenYruegas joined the team it wassomewhat of a shock.

“It was called a boys clubbefore because we didn’t haveany females on our team forabout five years,” Smith said.“We are out in the field a lot,sleeping in the same tent or inour trucks, and we were think-ing how different it was goingto be.

“But when she got to theunit, we all just started talk-ing and hanging out, and wejust became real close. It

By Sgt. KELLY C. FISCHER358th MPAD

seems like she brought ourteam closer together. She’sopen and that kind of openedus up,” he said.

Being the first female in“the land of the tankers” wasnothing compared to the diffi-culty of being away from hertwo sons while in Bosnia.

“It’s hard to explain to afive- and seven-year-old whywe are out here. All theyknow is that their mom isgoing to be gone a year, andthey don’t like that,” Yruegassaid.

To get through the year,Yruegas relies on the supportfrom her team and the loveof her job. “I don’t need themoney and I hate to travel,but I like being a soldier andI like being a mechanic,” shesaid.

Sgt. Kelly C. Fischer

Pfc. Deanna L. Yruegas enjoys the challenges of beingone of the few women working as a tank mechanic.

LUKAVAC — Anywhere, anytime,even in Bosnia there is reason enoughto throw a fiesta.

That is the idea of several Hispanicsoldiers who gather several times aweek to converse in Spanish, play domi-nos, listen to Latin music and eat home-made food.

On a recent Saturday night, 12 sol-diers from 12st Armored Division Sup-port Command and other units met atone of the dining tents.

The specialty was baked chickenand arroz con guandules (rice with

pigeon peas), a Puerto Rican favorite.Diced Goya-brand ham was the appe-tizer. As the evening progressed, thelouder and more festive the party be-came.

Spc. Hamilton Batista, Headquartersand Headquarters Company, 1st Ar-mored Division Support Command sol-dier and Puerto Rican native, began or-ganizing the get-togethers in mid-Janu-ary.

These friends gather several times aweek or more.

They don’t always prepare food;sometimes they just play dominoes andlisten to music. All pitch in from timeto time to help cook, but Batista usu-

ally oversees the cooking. His wife mailssome food to him from Germany; othersin the group have food mailed also, whilethe group often buys meat and otherproducts locally.

“In the beginning, we didn’t havereal food that we liked,” Batista said.“We started with rice and beans. Mostof the specialt ies we f ix are fromPuerto Rico and other parts of the Car-ibbean.”

Other than Puerto Rico, some soldiersin the group are from the Dominican Re-public, Mexico, Columbia and El Salva-dor. Invitations are informal.

“If you know someone in the group,you can come,” Batista said.

Latino soldiers celebrate heritage with lively fiestasBy Sgt. CHRISTINA STEINER203rd MPAD

Friday, April 19, 1996Page 12 The Talon

The Benson, N.C. native was part of anEOD team that recently responded to whatthey thought was a routine incident. “Apatrol along a main supply route noticedwhat they thought were sea mines lyingin front of a local residents yard,” Bensonsaid. “When we responded, we found foursea mines designed to detonate upon im-pact with a ship in order to break the shipin half. We also found four 500-kilogrambombs along with a cache of anti-tankmines, anti-personnel mines and otherhigh explosive ordnance at a storage site.”

The storage site turned out to be thelocal residents’ house.

Capt. Dean A. Meinert, 29, companycommander, 41st EOD, said the bombswere vintage, Soviet-styled bombs. “A lo-cal HVO (Bosnian Croat) representativetold me the bombs were not used in theconventional sense, but they were used todestroy roads and bridges so they couldcommand-detonate the bombs by primingthem and filling a fuse well with additionalexplosives,” said the Pittsburgh native.

The factions, in accordance with thePeace Agreement, are required to transportall their ordnance to a safe disposal areawhere they will be disposed of by IFOR.

“We are in the process of inventoryingand cataloging all the ammunition — boththe ordnance that has never been utilized,as well as some of the unexploded ordnancewhich is really the biggest hazard at thispoint,” Meinert said.

Meinert said most of the ammunitionthey have found has been rocket-propelledgrenade rounds and ordnance that hasbeen found while clearing bunkers. Mem-bers of the local population also bring handgrenades and unexploded ordnance to thecheckpoints. He said that his company iseducating the soldiers at the checkpointson how to deal with these situations.

“We have given them guidance on con-structing a safe bunker area where theycan direct the civilians to place the ord-nance until we can respond,” Meinert said.“That will minimize the danger at thecheckpoint to the soldiers working thereuntil we arrive to dispose of the ordnance,by blowing it up in a safe area.”

EOD, from page 1

Sgt. Kelly C. Fischer

Staff Sgt. Tracy L. Oliver carefullyhandles a piece of ordnance found byEOD soldiers. The ordnance wasdestroyed at a safe disposal site.

Reporting on a complexmission such as Opera-tion JOINT EN-

DEAVOR can be challenging —even for veteran televisionbroadcaster David Martin.

Martin, national securitycorrespondent for CBS News,recently spent several days inthe former Yugoslavia.

“Bosnia is incomprehen-sible to most Americans,” Mar-tin said.

Even Martin’s well-readfriends who live in Washing-ton D.C. “still don’t know whatthe heck Bosnia is all about,”he said. Many Americans viewthe conflict as “just insane ha-tred.”

Here, the language is diffi-cult and place names are ob-scure. But perhaps the biggestobstacle for reporters is thatBosnia does not affect the dailylives of most U.S. citizens.

Martin recalled the wordsof one soldier during HillaryClinton’s recent visit: “I’m notprotecting America here.”

“He’s got a point,” he said.Martin, 52, spent three

years in the Navy after beingdrafted during Vietnam.

When he got off active duty,he wanted to work in New

York and landed a job as a re-searcher with CBS in 1969.

“I worked there for about ayear before I realized that be-ing a researcher was not howyou got to be a reporter,” hesaid. “So I left CBS and wentto the Associated Press andthen to Newsweek.”

He returned to CBS in1983, becoming the network’sPentagon correspondent, andlater national security corre-spondent.

“There’s really no differenceexcept for the title,” he said.“I’m (now) also responsible forcovering the State Depart-ment, but the fact is I spend90 to 95 percent of my timestill just covering the Pentagonbecause that’s where the ac-tion is.”

Martin has covered everymajor military operation sinceGrenada, and he has seen therelationship between the mili-tary and the media improveover the years.

Military leaders here, hesaid, want reporters to find outwhat is going on and report it.“You can compare that withGrenada where they physicallyprevented reporters fromreaching the island,” he said.

The key to covering the mili-tary is to look past the uniformand see the people, he said.

Over the years, Martin has

broken his share of stories.But, the most memorable waswhen CBS interrupted pro-gramming to announce theUnited States was sendingtroops to Saudi Arabia as a pre-lude to the Gulf War — whilethose troops were still in the air.

“This all happened within amatter of hours,” Martin said.“But when something that bigis going on at the Pentagon,there’s a body language ... Youjust see it, feel it and smell it.And then, of course, you’ve gotto make sure you’ve got itright.”

CBS then had the added di-lemma of trying to decidewhether to report the story,fearing that Saddam Husseinmight take action if he knew

U.S. troops were on the way.“It was a very close call,”

Martin said. Fortunately, thetroops landed safely and en-countered no immediate resis-tance. Eventually, the U.S.-ledcoalition defeated the Iraqi presi-dent and his million-man army.

Inevitably, Martin — likeall reporters — makes mis-takes, but he tries to takethem in stride. “You have tocount on the balance of yourwork being accurate and fair,”he said.

Martin obviously loves hisjob and his role as an “eyewit-ness to history.”

“It’s really a spectator sportand sometimes you envy thepeople who are really makingthe history,” he said.

CBS broadcaster: eyewitness to historyBy Sgt. 1st ClassBETTINA E. TILSON29th MPAD

CBS’s David Martin interviews Lt. Col. Michael D. Clay,G5 Civil Affairs Officer, for a CBS Evening News story.

Sgt. Ed Rollins