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APPEALDEMOCRATSunday, June 16,1996MILITARYSummer in Bosnia, but danger remainsTom PhilpoftFor the Appeat-DemocratiiL.T., that guy in the wagon just covered something with his coat I think he’s got a weapon under there.”The comment from a sharp-eyed soldier on mechanized patrol in northeastern Bosnia June 5 sends a jolt of excitement through the convoy of Bradley fighting vehicles.Cpl. Joseph Mitchell, 28, commands the lead vehicle in a three-unit patrol. He watched closely as a Bosnian on an old tractor, with hay wagon in tow, left a narrow mountain road to allow the convoy to pass. Another man, in para-military garb, sits on the wagon’s edge, a coat at his : feetMitchell believes the second man tossed his coat over an assault weapon, which civilians can not have under terms of the Dayton peace accord. Mitchell’s warning is directed to his platoon officer, 1st Lt Brian C. Dudley, who is peering from a second Bradley not 50 yards away.It is early afternoon and the convoy is deep into mountainousSerb-held territory, west of theriverside town of Zvornik, at least a dozen miles from a U.S. outpost, nicknamed Camp Alcatraz, where the patrol originated.Six month’s into this peace enforcement mission, the prospect of finding unauthorized weapons on patrol is down. Dudley, three years out of West Point, hasn’t confiscated a weapon since taking command of the platoon in late spring.His boss, Maj. Bryan Roberts, operations officer of the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, explained the mission to me earlier that day in the command center at Camp Alicia, 15 miles east of Tuzla.“You aren’t going to a weapons storage site today,” Roberts said. “You’reMILITARYgoing downRoute UPDATEMontana ____________and backup through Zvornik. These are all secondary roads back here that have previously been cleared (ofmines).”Secondary roads indeed.Early in the patrol, the powerful tracked-vehicles seldom touched asphalt Dudley, standing in the top hatch, map in hand, dodged wave after wave of tree limbs while barking directions to his crew. The lead Bradley disappeared so often in heavy vegetation I expressed concern into my tape recorder over whether the route truly has been swept for mines. My headset, however, was on. “Keep your concerns to yourself,” Dudley said.In encampments throughout Bosnia, summer heat has turned mud into fine dirt which can lay inches deep. But the countryside is strikingly beautiful. Valleys aregreen and lush.Yet up close, the same scenes show the grim toll of civil war. Every second village, it seems, has been destroyed and abandoned. Artillery shells punched gaping holes in walls and roofs. Cars were burned in garages. Children’s shoes decay on front porches. The human exodus clearly was involuntary.At one farm, a Bosnian Serb says the property he stands onhas belonged to his family for generations. Behind him, however, are the headstones of a Muslim family cemetery. Children still smile and wave as U.S. convoys pass but some use the three-finger salute representing a Bosnian Serb victory. Many U.S. soldiers here believe the fighting will resume if and when NATO forces pull outFor now, however, there’s a job to do.At Mitchell’s warning, Dudley, 24, stops the convoy, calls to his interpreter and jumps down. His soldiers take up positions on the Bradley and the ground, M-16s rifles at the ready. The Bosnian in the wagon pretends not to understand, before reluctantly lifting his jacket to reveal an AK-47 assault rifle. Pulling the weapon toward him, he shakes his head at Dudley. Then has a change ofheartDudley removes the magazine, clears the chamber. Another soldier counts the 29 rounds. Dudley tags the weapon, but because the Bosnian declines to provide his name, he will never get it back. Mitchell, circling the tractor, finds a holstered handgun onthe driver’s hip. Dudley asks for that weapon too, but the excitable driver insists it is registered.“He says you can kill him but he don’t want to give the pistol,” the interpreter says.Unsure of the latest policy regarding civilians with handguns, D»udley orders the lead Bradley to higher ground to communicate with base camp. Then he turns to the tractor driver.“Tell him,” Dudley says to the interpreter, “if my commander says I take it, I will take it.”Minutes later the answer is in: handguns can be worn if registered. The convoy moves on.Crossing Checkpoint Charlie, the center of the zone of separation operated by U.S. forces, Dudley holds the AK-47 aloft for an instant in mock triumph. But the day’s excitment soon passes. And the platoon, in the end, is only a day closer to going home.Military Update runs Sundays. Items can be sent to Tom Philpott in care of Appeal-Democrat, P.O. Box 431, Marysville, Calif. 95901, faxed to 741-0140 or e-mailed toappeal@syix.com.r.ifDelicious Desserts♦Created with the Finest Ingredientst^•Speciality Cakes^Luscious Cheesecakes Pies• a
Newspaper Details
Marysville Yuba City Appeal Democrat
Marysville, California, US
Sun, Jun 16, 1996
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Barry M.
USA 16 Dec 2020
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