nato non article 5 medal · medal thousands of people have been awarded and honored with the non...

NATO Non Article 5 Medal

It is a symbol of honor.A sign of respect for a job well done.An emblem of thanks for fulfilling the peacekeeping mission.

A representation of gratitude from the long-suffering Balkan population.It is NATO Non Article 5 Medal.

This medal was created in January 2003 by theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization to reward

personnel who have participated inNATO-led operations in the Balkans.This medal symbolizes theamalgamation of all Balkan oper-ations into one operationalwhole. Every person who participatesin the Balkans peacekeepingoperations for more then 30days can receive this medal.Since the establishment of thismedal thousands of peoplehave been awardedand honoredwith the NonArticle 5 NATOmedal.

2 KFOR Chronicle, October 2006

Commander KFOR:Commander KFOR:Lt. Gen. Roland Kather, DE Army

Chief Public Information:Chief Public Information:Col. Rainer Senger, DE Army

Chief Internal InformationChief Internal Information& Editor in Chief :& Editor in Chief :

Maj. Alexander Unterweger,AUT Army

[email protected]

Journal is tJournal is t1st Lt. Maksym Klunnyk, UKR Army

Photographer & LayoutPhotographer & LayoutMr. Armend Aqifi

The KFOR Chronicle is printed by KOSOVA SOT

Tel: 038 548 402

The KFOR Chronicle is produced and fully funded by HQKFOR. It is published for KFOR

forces in the area of responsibility. The contents are not necessarilythe official views of, or endorsed

by, the coalition governments’defence departments.

Editorial content is edited, preparedand provided by the InternalInformation Section of HQ

KFOR’s Public Information Office(PIO) in Pristina, Kosovo.

PIO HQ KFOR reserves the rightto edit content to conform to styleand space requirements. Articlesrun on a space-available basis.

HQ KFORCanada EstoniaHungaryNetherlandsNorwayPortugalUnited Kingdom

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Nations within KFOR:

Special thanks to OR-7 Renee Kirkland, U.S. AFfor her invaluable support

KFOR CHRONICLE

Cover photo by OR-9 VincenteLópez-Brea, Spanish Army

Contact KFOR Chronicle:Phone Int: +389 2268 2897Kos.: (038) 503 603 2897

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[Commentary]

Symbol of HonorSymbol of Honor

3KFOR Chronicle, October 2006

[This Month’s Features]

DANCON March ......................... page 4 - 5

Mass Casualty Exercise ............................... page 10 - 11

Sokolica Monastery ..................... page 18 - 19

Crowd Riot Control Exercise ...... page 20 - 21

Mid Point ....................................................... page 26 - 27

Text by 1st Lt. Maksym Klunnyk, Ukrainian ArmyPhotos by OR-5 Sven Shwarze, Combat Camera Team and

PIO Danish Battalion

Mitrovica/Mitrovicë, MNTF North - The DANCON March is awell-known tradition among Danish units serving outside the

borders of Denmark. It has been a tradition since 1972. Itstarted with the Danish contribution to the UN mission in

Cyprus. In every peacekeeping mission since then, everyDanish contingent has had its own DANCON march. Here in Kosovo the march follows a 25 km route,usually in the terrain close to the Danish Camp OlafRye. The main rules of the march are that you mustcarry at least 10 kg of gear, your personal weapon andto be in good health condition. And, as an unspokenrule, the participants should be in good mood.However, the main purpose for the soldiers attendingthe march, besides the physical aspect, is to meet

their friends, find new ones, have a few laughs,and break the daily routine of work in anatmosphere of camaraderie and respect.As a DANCON March is traditional, so too isthe rainy weather. On this day, October 8, theclouds do their best to provide the rain in orderto not break this tradition. So the preconditionswere good to make the day interesting and exciting.The march started with a pyrotechnic explosion.After this signal, more then 1,000 men andwomen from more than 30 different countriesbegan the hard challenge for their bodies andtheir spirit. I recognized a lot of representativesfrom different nations not only from KFOR butalso from the UNMIK organization.

4

[Inside KFOR]

KFOR Chronicle, October 2006

[Inside KFOR]


Walking 25 kilometers poses no prob-lem for a well-trained soldier. Butcarrying a weight of 10 kg on yourback and climbing up a steep mountainfrom the level of 450 meters up to 770,and down again, within hours, requires

some extra effort. The line of participants spread acrossfive kilometers. It was also really hardfor the soldiers to fight against thewind. Their uniforms were absolutelywet and dirty because of the rain andmud. It impeded their personal movement.I saw some soldiers trying to help theirfriends keep going and finish themarch. By the last five kilometersalmost every soldier was very tired andweak.The most interesting thing for me wasthat nevertheless many participantswere smiling and joking; they didn'tcare about their tiredness. They werejust enjoying the conversation and thegood friendly atmosphere. And as aresult, it was impossible to recognizethe leaders of this march becausepeople crossed the finish line by smallteams, hand in hand. They were tired,but they were still smiling.

6

[Inside KFOR]

KFOR Chronicle, October 2006Photos by Combat Camera Team

Meeting with DSACEUR and PrimeMinister of Kosovo

COMKFOR Lieutenant General RolandKather and DSACUER General Sir John

Reith held a meeting with the Prime Minister ofKosovo, Mr. Agim Ceku, at the governmental buildingin Pristina.

DSACUER General Sir John Reith visited Kosovo

DSACUER General Sir John Reith visited COMKFOR Lieutenant GeneralRoland Kather.

High level meeting inPodgorica

COMKFOR LieutenantGeneral Roland Kather

visited the Chief of the General Staffof the Army of Montenegro,Lieutenant-Colonel General JovanLakcevic.

OCTOCT 2,32,3

OCTOCT 3 3

Visit of Dr. Otto von Habsburg-Lothringen

Dr. Otto von Habsburg-Lothringen, Honor-President of the Paneuropean Union,

visited COMKFOR Lieutenant General Roland Kather.

OCTOCT 77

OCTOCT 1717

7

[Inside KFOR]


Meeting with the Leader of PDK

COMKFOR Lieutenant General RolandKather met the leader of PDK, Mr.

Hashim Thaci, in a line of talks to all political andinformal leaders of Kosovo.

OCTOCT 2424

Visit of Danish Minister of Defense

The Danish MOD Soren Gade visitedCOMKFOR Lieutenant General Roland

Kather and confirmed his country’s commitment tocontinue the good cooperation with KFOR.

OCTOCT 2626

Transfer of Authority atMultinational Task Force

West

The TOA of MNTF Wtook place at Camp

Villaggio Italia. COMKFORLieutenant General Roland Katherhanded over command from Brig.Gen. Vincenco Santo to Brig. Gen.Claudio Borreca.

OCTOCT 23 23

Visit of the NATO Military CommitteeThe most important NATO military institution, the NATO MilitaryCommittee composed of 32 generals and representatives of NATO nations,

visited HQ KFOR. They were briefed by SRSG Dr. Joachim Ruecker, COM JFC NaplesAdmiral Harry G. Ulrich III and COMKFOR Lieutenant General Roland Kather.

OCTOCT 2020

[Inside KFOR]


Text by Lt. Virginie Meynard,French Army

Photos by Combat Camera Team

MNTF North transferred authority from Brigadier General Jean-Jacques Bart to Brigadier General Marc Duquesne in Novo Selo/Novo Sellë

on September 27. The ceremony was presided over by KFOR CommanderLieutenant General Roland Kather.

Battalions were lined up on the parade square, most of them belonging to the 11th AirborneBrigade commanded by Brig. Gen. Duquesne in France. French regiments working under the

new commander, but also Danish, Moroccan, Greek and Belgian battalions, and a platoon fromLuxembourg, attended the ceremony, as well as civilian officials and guards of honour and flags.

The ceremony began with Colonel Grisolle’s, MNTF N Deputy Commander Support, troop presentationto Brig. Gen. Bart. The MNTF N outgoing commander made a speech in which he expressed deep

gratitude for the reactivity and vigilance of his soldiers who performed a very good job in maintaining asafe and secure environment, through daily patrols and close contacts with the population. He also thankedthe whole members of UNMIK, OSCE and of the police for their good cooperation and the friendship theydevelopped in a true team-spirit in order to work for the future of the Mitrovica/Mitrovicë region. He alsothanked the people of Kosovo for their generosity and energy. To General Kather he expressed his thanksfor his trust, the very helpful guidance and advice provided to him, and wished his successor all the bestfor the future and an excellent 23rd mandate.

General Kather reviewed the troops after the playing of the French national anthem and then expressedhis complete satisfaction to the outgoing commander, Brig. Gen. Bart, for the successful work achievedduring the 22nd mandate. He presented his whole trust to Brig. Gen. Duquesne and assured the 23rdmandate would follow the successful work undertaken until now.

After Brig. Gen. Bart was awarded the Non-Article 5 NATO Medal, the official transfer ofauthority was held. Then Brig. Gen. Duquesne concluded the ceremony with his arrival

speech.He asked the officers, NCOs and soldiers of MNTF N "to keep in mind three words:

calm, vigilance and reactivity".He ended his speech saying he was relying on "their

professionalism, straight behavior, impartiality andrespect of the local population, in the

service of peace in Kosovo".

9

[Inside KFOR]


[Inside KFOR]


Text and photos by OR-7Renee Kirkland, U.S. Air Force

Gnjilane/Gjilane - Task Force MedicalFalcon XII and the 353rd Civil AffairsCommand (both from MultinationalTask Force East) held a mass casualtyexercise to test the capabilities of thepolice, fire, ambulance and medicalcommunities of Gnjilane/Gjilane andKamenica/Kamenice on October 16. The exercise tested first respondersand the Gnjilane/Gjilane Regional andKamenica/Kamenice Hospitals' abilityto handle casualties on a mass scale.The exercise began with a call tothe Gnjilane/Gjilane and Kamenica/Kamenice police stating that an"earthquake" had hit the area and thatinjuries had been reported at theGnjilane/Gjilane theater and theKamenice/Kamenica Cultural Center.As first responders rushed to thescene, members of Camp Montieth'sTask Force Houston were posedaround the buildings to simulatevarious injuries to test the skills of theemergency personnel. According toU.S. Army Colonel Jay Griffin, TFMedical Falcon commander, Serbian

and Albanian scripts detailing injurieswere placed on the victims to helpresponders know what they weredealing with.Prior to the exercise, the task forceprovided a four-day combat lifesavercourse/first responder course to theparticipants. The purpose of thisexercise, according to OR-7 JohnCraemer, 353rd Civil AffairsCommand, was to give the firedepartment, KPS and hospital staff achance to further train on the skillsthey learned in the course.According to U.S. Army OR-9 AlbertGarcia, TF Medical Falcon CommandSergeant Major, within 10 minutes ofarrival on scene all the victims hadbeen located and their conditionaccessed. After another 15 minutes thevictims had all been triaged and wereready for transportation to theGnjilane/Gjilane Regional Hospital.

"Our intent was to overwhelm thehospital staff and see how they wouldbe able to handle a large influx ofpatients in a short period of time,"

[Inside KFOR]

KFOR Chronicle, October 2006 11

OR-7 Rodney Glass, TF MedicalFalcon assistant chief ward master andtrainer.Doctor Begush Calk, a specialist inemergency medicine, was on hand toreceive the patients. "The exercisewent good," he said. "Normally wedon't have as many patients to see,especially not those in life-threateningcondition."Chief nurse Sevdije Jashari-Ramadani

said that "everything was perfectand went according to plan. Thereis always a need for this training,so that we can learn a lot ofthings."Gnjilane/Gjilane RegionalHospital executive directorUkshin Ismadli said, "I was alittle nervous about how itwould turn out, but everythingwent fine. We will sit downwith the staff and come up withconclusions to see what wemessed up and hope to do more

training in the future to makeimprovements."Not to be out-done, the exercise alsoprogressed smoothly at Kamenica/Kamenice where U.S. Army MajorScott Byers, TF Medical FalconOperations and Planning Officer, wason hand to observe the exercise. "It was rewarding to seeeveryone workingtogether to includeAlbanian and Serbianfirefighters, whoresponded to thescene," Maj. Byerssaid.Exercises like this arejust one step in makingthe people of Kosovoself-sufficient andenabling with theknowledge and trainingto better serve theirpeople.

Text and photos by OR-5William Smith, U.S. Army

Early in the morning Soldiersrepresenting every Task Force ofMultinational Task Force East took onthe challenging climb to the summit ofMount Ljuboten; also known as "BigDuke"."Big Duke", at a height of8,193 feet towers overeastern Kosovo with viewsof the surrounding country-side and the administrativeboundary line between Kosovoand the Former Yugoslav Republic ofMacedonia. "Big Duke" is a wellknown landmark to almost all MNTFE soldiers and is looked at as a popularphoto backdrop, but to some soldiersof MNTF E the mountain was viewed

in a different way; it was viewed as achallenge. The Ground Command lead by 1stSergeant Rene Barboza, Company B,TF Alamo, was ready and waiting forthe first group of soldiers. After anextensive safety briefing, the firstgroup of soldiers started the longclimb to the summit. As the firstgroup of climbers faded into the roughterrain, more soldiers were inserted,briefed, and sent up the mountain. With no roads or trails to follow, theclimbers picked their way through therough, steep landscape. Conversationquickly turned to heavy breathing asthe effects of the thin air, and higherelevation began to wear down thesoldiers. After an hour of the tough climb, thesoldiers were relieved to see the last

few hundred meters of ridgelineleading to the summit ahead of them.The soldiers pace began to pick upthrough the less elevated terrain, asthey took advantage of the thin trailthat followed the sheer ridgeline to thetop of the mountain.

12

[Inside KFOR]



[Inside KFOR]

As the climbers hit the final, steepupgrade, spirits were high, and therewere sounds of relief as the groupfinally made it to summit of mountain. At the top, soldiers began to break outMeals Ready to Eat and snacks to eatbefore heading back down, while

others got out digital cameras andflags for group photos. "I'm feeling really good," OR-3 PeterRucker, G-1, TF Falcon said as herested on the summit. "Bringingsnacks and Gatorade helped, but I dohave a few hot spots on my feet." The descent down to the staging areatook most soldiers about an hour ormore. "Going down was easier, I onlystopped twice, but the stress on mylower legs was almost unbearable,"Command Sergeant Major JeffreyMerrill, TF Alamo said. Oncethey reached the staging area, thesoldiers were accounted for, andgiven a chance to rest onceagain while waiting on theaircraft to extract them. "This was definitely one ofthe high points of mydeployment", OR-3Rucker, said "I havealways beeninterested inmountains."

14

[Inside KFOR]


Text and photos by OR-6 Jorge Ferreira, Portuguese Army

From October 3 to 6, 1BIPara/KTM/KFOR, performed itsfirst operation after its arrival to Kosovo. 1BIPara wasemployed in this operation under tactical command ofMultinational Task Force South. Regarding the final definitionof Kosovo's political status, this operation had the aim toincrease KFOR presence in Malisevo/Malisheve area showingstrength and determination.

During this operation 58 motorizedpatrols, 17 foot patrols, three check-points, 130 vehicle check-points and 26company cages were performed. Besidesthis 429 vehicles and 723 persons weresearched.It was just another day, we started earlierdriving towards Malisevo/Malisheve areato accomplish another daily patrol. On theway I was admiring the nature, the sky,the mountains and the most incrediblesunrise I had ever seen in my life.Suddenly it came to my mind: What thehell happened at this beautiful place?War? Why? What for?Some kilometres further I saw somechildren crossing the street waving to us

15

[Inside KFOR]


and trying to touch our hands. Our patrolleader ordered us to stop and thechildren approached with smiles on theirfaces. They looked so poor and dirty andI still remember their big shining eyeslooking at us as if they were asking forsomething. I didn't know what to do orto say. One of them asked for food. Itwas then that I took out my pack meal -I gave it all to them. It was nice to seetheir happiness and somehow it mademy day. Starting the patrol again theirfaces were still in my mind and for me itwas hard to imagine how this can bepossible? We live in the 21st Century! Isthis the result of the war? How manyminds do we need to change to avoidsituations like this? It was just anotherday in Kosovo daily routine…


Gruezi

Zdravey

Hallo

Gamarjoba


© A

rmen

d A

qifi,

KFO

RC

hron

icle

Servus

Say Say HELLO HELLO to MNTF S!to MNTF S!

Marhaba

Salam

18

[Cultural Heritage]


Text by OR-7 Renee Kirkland, U.S. Air Force

Photos by Armend Aqifi

One thing about being in Europe is therich culture people can experience ifthey are willing to explore the region inwhich they are stationed.Just outside of Mitrovica/Mitrovicë isthe Sokolitsa Monastery.The monastery's history goes back tothe 14th century, when the facility wasbuilt by the Duke of Zvecan. Thechurch was built before the 1389 battleof Kosovo Field. A long winding andnarrow road leads upto the monastery.

Nestled into the mountains, the gates ofthe monastery are guarded by GreekKFOR soldiers as the site holds aProperties Designated Special Status(PrDSS). The Serbian monastery used to besurrounded by Serbian neighbors butnow its neighbours are Albanian. Thebuildings are surrounded by a waisthigh stone fence and the entrance isthrough large wooden doors attached tostone arch. Passing over the thresholdyou experience a sense of peace. Thepollution from city factories doesn't

reach this high up the mountain. Thesky is blue and clear. The smell offlowers and the chirping of birds bothcontribute to the peaceful feeling of theplace.The monastery consists of severalbuildings set in a picturesque settingamong the clouds. It's a curiousmixture of the old world and the new.On the grounds are a small church,which is currently under construction,a tower, guest facilities, a garden and themain building. The current residents area group of less than 10 nuns. Dressed from head to toe in black, withonly their face and hands visible, thenuns quietly go about their chores.While praying, cooking, cleaning andmanufacturing clothing for each otheris done here, the main work being donehere is painting. The highly educatednuns replicate frescos and their ownrendition of religious icons which theytake on tour around the world and sellin order to raise money to operate themonastery. Their work has been onexhibit in the United States and inFrance. The exhibition entitled the"Captured Beauties of Angels" willhead to Cyprus and Australia in thenear future.The head nun is Dr. MilistaObradovich, or as she is also called,Mother Makarija. Mother Makarija isa professor in Belgrade and holds

AA place fit for angelsplace fit for angels

doctorate degrees in chemistry andtheology. The Serbian nun also speaksEnglish, French, Greek and German. "Our monastery was built in this locationbecause it is peaceful territory, and far fromcivilization" she said. "This is an institution,a house of prayer. We hold meeting here for the Council ofPeace and Tolerance. Our purpose here is to make bridgesamong the people."Mother Makarija led us through the main building to a seating room where sheexplained the purpose of the monastery and the work that goes on there. On thewall are canvases all featuring winged angels. Mother Makarija tells us that she isthe artist. She uses her degree in chemistry to help mix the correct shades of paintneeded for the sisters’ paintings.The paintings are of angels, the Virgin Mary and the Trinity. The vibrant colors ofthe paintings reach out to observers and grab them witha sense of realness. The nuns are currently working on aputting a book together featuring renditions of theirpaintings. They even have artists that come to themonastery to learn the art of icon paintingfrom them. The gardens are ripe withbright red, yellow and pink blossoms.The entire facility with its benchesstrategically placed throughout thegrounds projects a feeling of calmness.The monastery was untouched by theviolence of 1999 and remains a place ofwelcome to both Albanians and Serbs. It is aplace fit for angels. Angels of peace.

19

[Cultural Heritage]


Text and photos by Lt. Massimiliano David, Italian Army

The importance of drilling soldiers incrowd and riot control procedures, whileperforming mainly operational tasks

such as patrols, vehicle check pointsand observation posts, has been

deeply increasing duringthese last years, with

regards to the ultimateconcept of the

[Inside KFOR]


[Inside KFOR]


ongoing operation. For example sincethe G8 meeting in Genoa and the streetfightings in Paris of the last year, itbecame crystal clear that the traininglevel of the units, made in order to facerather large numbers of people rioting,wasn't sufficient. It became more andmore relevant to employ troops wellequipped and well aware of thecapacities of assets other than thoseusing lethal force, which are still

necessary but used only as last chanceeffort.The 1st Regiment "Granatieri diSardegna" stationed in Rome, hasexperience achieved while acting withthe mission to defend the capital. Herein Kosovo it is named ManoeuvreGroup Aquila and it agrees with thenowadays purpose of KFOR to workwith Coys Crowd Riot Control fullyequipped, stressing units on the level ofpreparation, training every squad andplatoon to be deployed everywherepossible even by helicopter and onshort notice.To increase this performance, combinedactivities are also conducted as well asspecial training courses at commanderlevel in order to exchange techniquesbetween different units of differentnations. An example of this could bethe operation "Podujevo Plus" that tookplace in Istok, which involved theItalian 3rd Coy Palermo of theManoeuvre Group Aquila and a

platoon of the Spanish BrigadeCastillejos, both under the command ofthe MNTF W. All of these means andequipment are evolving and betterconstructed, thanks to the increasingexperience on the ground and of thenew material used to produce helmets,visors, sticks, shields, elbow pads,knees and body protection items.Important objectives have beenachieved and above all the safety of thecivilians to be protected in areas whereviolent demonstrations are takingplace. Basically, the defence of aPrDSS (Properties Designated SpecialStatus) which is one of the main tasksof KFOR here in Kosovo is of greatimportance. Those defence efforts canlead to an evacuation of importantpeople from a building in a restrictedarea. In this particularly occasion ourunits could be tasked to realise a safetyarea, to be interposed between therioters and to protect and to evacuatethe people.

[Inside KFOR]


Text by 1st Lt. Maksym Klunnyk,Ukrainian Army

Photos by Combat Camera Team

The transfer of authority ceremonytook place at Multinational TaskForce West, October 23 in CampVilaggio Italia, Pec/Peje. During theceremony Brigadier General AttilioClaudio Borreca replaced BrigadierGeneral Vincenzo Santo as MNTF Wcommander.This day started very tough. Becauseof the dense fog, the KFOR Chronicleteam took more then two hours toreach Camp Vilaggio Italia. Its lookslike the weather would do everythingto disturb the ceremony. When wereached the Camp, the fog becameeven stronger. All felt that the ceremonycould be postponed because of theawful weather conditions.The interesting thing is that the foghelped to make a perfect show.

When the music started to play, wesaw the accurate formations of thesoldiers, who sprung up before oureyes like from nowhere. In fiveminutes the ceremony was supposedto start and all guests were ready forceremony.After the troops occupied the fixed

positions on the parade square, wesaw different armored vehicles, thatmoved to their positions after thetroops with a lot of noise. In fiveminutes the ceremony started. Thelocal and Italian photographers paid alot of attention to this event. Werecognized more then 15 representatives;there was no empty space in theparade square because of the largenumber of photographers present.Every second was a photo opportunity,as the photographers stood amongstthe troop formations as they foughtfor the perfect shot.COMKFOR Lieutenant General

Roland Kather headed the ceremony.During the ceremony General Katherthanked Brig. Gen. Santo and hissoldiers for the work well done andwelcomed Brig. Gen. Borreca.A lot of different distinguished guestsvisited this event. I recognized theItalian Deputy Minister of Defense,Mr. Marco Verzaschi, representativesfrom UNMIK, Kosovo governmentand local religious authorities.Outgoing TF commander, Brig. Gen.Santo, was awarded with differentmedals as a sign of respect fromdifferent countries for the work welldone, during the TOA ceremony. Toward the end of the ceremony theweather became better and BrigadePinerolo changed to Brigade Aosta.We wish them to be an example ofsupport for the Kosovo environmentand peace as were their predecessors.


[Inside KFOR]

24

[Inside KFOR]


Text by Capt. Adam Folcker, Swedish Army

Photos by Military Officer Mirva Brola, Finnish Army

The children watch the soldiers withsmiles and big eyes. The atmosphere isplayful, but the subject of the lesson isdeadly serious.It is an ordinary October Wednesday inan Emin Duraku School classroom inStimlje/Shtime. But today both thesubject and the teacher are anything butordinary. The teacher is from KFORand the subject is injury and death - orrather how to avoid it."What should you do if you see one ofthese objects"? asks OR-5 Ossi Haarusfrom the Finnish EOD of MNTF C ashe shows pictures of mines and UXOson the blackboard. Lots of hands raisedin the air indicate that the pupils knowthe answer. "We should tell our parents and thepolice or KFOR" says one girl. OR-5Haarus looks pleased but not quitesatisfied. "And we should never touchit" adds the girl.OR-5 Haarus smiles. That additionsums up the most important part of thelesson and is the reason he and hiscolleagues from KFOR are in theclassroom this autumn day."It is very important work, because kidscan pick up whatever they may find onthe ground", explains OR-5 Haarus.

Saving lives in Saving lives in

[Inside KFOR]


Finnish, Irish and Czech EOD unitsfrom MNTF C do regular lessons in allschools in MNTF C AOR in the autumn- to raise awareness when the kids go toand from school - and also in late springto prepare them for what they could findwhen they are out and about during thesummer holidays."The older ones, the teenagers, are a bitharder to get the attention of, butespecially the younger kids are veryinterested in the information" OR-5Haarus says.And the questions are many. "Who putsout the mines"? asks one pupil. OR-5Haarus thinks a bit before he answers:"Bad people".Thankfully there are good people likeOR-5 Haarus and his collegues there toremove them."If by holding all these lessons we canstop even one child from getting hurt, itis more than worth it", he says as thechildren noisily file out of the classroom. Outside the next class is alreadywaiting for their lesson.

the classroomthe classroom


[Inside KFOR]

Text by Capt. Jose Luis Cristóbal Barcón, Spanish ArmyPhotos by OR-9 Vincente López-Brea, Spanish Army

The Spanish units, KSPFOR XVI and ALOG S/K, both fromZaragoza (Aragon) have gained a lot of operationalexperience in the Balkans, and are definitely headingtoward the end of their mission in Kosovo. ALOG opened the mission under very differentcircumstances, when all international logistic units were

located in Petrovec, Macedonia. The two units have crossedthe mid-point of their mission, and have received abackground and great experience in operations and exercises.This puts them in a very good position to face the next twomonths and gives an excellent example to the contingent that

will replace them. Apart from engaging in routine tasks such as patrols,

check-points, escorts, guards, equipment and installationsmaintenance, the units took part in several joint operations. In the

course of their duties they work side-by-side with Germans,Italians, Danish, French, in conducting; helicopter exercises,medical aid simulations, spots' isolation, evacuations, riot control,heavy transportation to Tesalonica, recovery of vehicles, shootingexercises, logistic support to other contingents, reconnaissance

and deactivation of explosives, synchronized patrols withSerbian Army, meetings in HQ, Fragos, route reconnaissanceand other missions. We also want to mention the visit of the German unit to ourcamp for a few days. We did joint patrols to check the illegalwood-cutting on Mokra Gora and drove through muddytracks in Osojane/Osojan Valley and conducted check-pointson the roads of our AOR.

We also did many joint activities with the Italians to includeexercises of embarking and desembarking from helicopters

during daylight as well as at night in the Italian airfield inDjakovica/Gjakova. With the Italians we also defended

ourselves from the"violent rioters" in a

Once the first half of the mission is over, the Spa

CRC exercises. Meanwhile, we are inconstant touch with the Danish sincewe do joint patrols almost every week. All these activities are an excellentoccasion to prove our capacity, to shapeoperations and to guarantee a completeintegration of our units within amultinational context. This range of exercises and activities has set the vital rhythm in theSpanish Camp, as well as life of its inhabitants too. At this point thecontingent is ready to face the rest of the mission, with the sameenthusiasm as they did the first day. We shall always keep a watchfuleye and be on guard, and therefore make continuous procedural

revisions, carry out our plans and make constantbriefings for their improvement. The mid-point of the mission hasbeen achieved and Castillejos andALOG are fit and ready for the rest.

[Inside KFOR]


nish Contingent makes review

Text by Capt. Jose Luis Cristóbal Barcón,Spanish Army

Photos by OR-9 Vincente López-Brea,Spanish Army

On October 12, Spain and all theHispanic world celebrated ColumbusDay, in memory of the same day in1492, when the American continent wasdiscovered, and in this way came to bepart of the western civilization and ofSpanish culture. On this day severalinternational and national ceremonies areheld in Spain, but the most significantone is the Military Forces parade,presided over by the King of Spain, in thepresence of the highest Spanishauthorities and several international guests.Of course, in camp Base España, theSpanish National Day was celebratedas well. Representatives from all theKFOR countries, as well as localauthorities and representatives of allthe ethnic groups were invited to themilitary parade. The ceremony waspresided over by the Italian BrigadierGeneral Vicenzo Santo, commander ofMNTF W, who was accorded thehonors befitting his position. TheMNTF W Deputy Commander,

Colonel Pruñonosa Gil, took the floorand reminded people of the importanceof the events which took place on thisday in history, highlighting the fact thatover 300 million people speak Spanishand that Spain and Latin America arejoined by great ties. During his speech,the colonel suggested this transatlantictie is an example of a harmonic andpeaceful coexistence between folksdespite cultural, linguistic, ethnic orideological differences. There was also

a special mention for the Peruviansoldier, who died on active service asmember of the Spanish contingent inAfghanistan last July.After the colonel's intervention, a verymoving tribute was paid to those whogave their lives for Spain. As last, thedifferent units marched past before theguests. Once the military parade wasover, all the guests were invited tococktails.


[Inside KFOR]

The Spanish National Day was celebrated in camp BaseEspaña in the presence of delegations from several KFOR

countries and local authorities.


Find six differences!Find six differences!

Original

Modified

Send your solutions to [email protected]

A winner will be chosen at random and featured in the “Peace Keeper’s Profile” in the next issue of KFOR Chronicle.

[Puzzle]

[Just For Laughs]

His military EtiquetteOfficer: Soldier, do you have change for a dollar?

Soldier: Sure, buddy. Officer: That's no way to address an officer! Now let's try it again.

Do you have change for a dollar? Soldier: No, SIR!

The ugly BabyA woman gets on a bus with her baby. The bus driver says: "That's the ugliest baby that I've ever seen.

Ugh!" The woman goes to the rear of the bus and sits down, fuming. She says to a man next to her: "The driver just insulted me!"

The man says: "You go right up there and tell him off - go ahead, I'll hold your monkey for you."

Discharge from the ArmyA general noticed one of his soldiers behaving oddly. The soldier would pick up any piece of paper he

found, frown and say: "That's not it" and put it down again. This went on for some time, until the generalarranged to have the soldier psychologically tested. The psychologist concluded that the soldier was

deranged, and wrote out his discharge from the army.The soldier picked it up, smiled and said: "That's it."

Redneck Wins the LotteryA Redneck buys a ticket and wins the lottery. He goes to the lottery office,

where the man verifies his ticket number.The Redneck says, "I want my $20 million."

To which the man replied, "No sir. It doesn't work that way. We give you a million today, and then you'llget the rest spread out for the next 19 years.

The Redneck said, "I want all my money RIGHT now! I won it, and I want it."Again the man patiently explains that he would only get a million that day and

the rest during the next 19 years.The Redneck, furious with the man, screams out: "Look, I want my money!! If you're not going to give me

my $20 million right now, then I want my dollar back!"


31

[Peacekeepers’ Profiles]


Name: Stanislav GalovRank: LieutenantNationality: BulgarianHome Unit: 15th Regiment ES Gorna OrjahovitcaUnit in KFOR: J2X HQ KFORAbout the mission: This is my first mission. It is an honor and privilege forme to take part in it and given the opportunity to give my fare share ofcontribution to J2X HQ KFOR. Although my assignment here is a littledifferent from my previous one, I willingly accepted the new challenge, fromwhich I have gained great experience. This mission gave me not only theopportunity to improve my language skills and meet people from othercountries, but it granted me additional professional knowledge and a betterappreciation of the Kosovo environments as well.Family reaction: My family always gives me support in whatever decision Iever take. Six months ago they were, though, somewhat concerned about myparticipation in missions abroad. It is a fact, however, that they have alwaysbeen proud of me and the way I deal with every issue I am confronted with.Plans after the mission: As it is natural, after day comes night and after a sunny day comes a cloudy one, the first thing Iam going to give my attention to after half a year abroad is to spend a good amount of time with the people who havealways been next to me, no matter if in good or bad days. Along with that I will continue my service for the safety of mycountry and the welfare of our society.

Name: Fátima Pereira Rank: PrivateNationality: PortugueseHome Unit: 1st Paratrooper Infantry Battalion in TomarUnit in KFOR: Tactical Reserve Manoeuvre Battalion (KTM) About the mission: This is my second mission; the first one was in Bosnia in2004. I began this mission in Kosovo on September 21 in KTM at CampJubilee Barracks in Pristina as the KTM Commander's driver. This work isvery interesting because I have the opportunity to travel a lot in Kosovo andtherefore I have the opportunity to see different places and meet differentpeople almost every day. Here I have also the opportunity to improve myEnglish and meet a lot of soldiers from other nations.Family reaction: My family is very proud of my being here because theybelieve that I'll give my small contribute to develop the peace in Kosovo.Nevertheless they miss me a lot.Plans after the mission: I will start getting ready to face a new step in my lifebecause my contract in the army is over and the civilian life is waiting for me.

Name: Antonino GarozzoRank: 2nd LieutenantAge: 29Nationality: ItalianHome Unit: Military Geographic Institute, FlorenceUnit in KFOR: HQ MNTF W/G2 Chief Geographic OfficerAbout the mission: This is my first mission and I think this experience inKosovo will be very fruitful for me. My responsibility as Chief GeographicOfficer is to maintain geographic support for MNTF W. My Geo Cell, withSergeants Rizzi G. and Loria P., elaborates geo-products in order to satisfyspecific geo-requests and we warrant map supply.Family reaction: My parents, Sebastiano and Lina, my brother Luca and mysister Sara always support me because they know that I'm proud of my job. Aspecial thank goes to my sweet girlfriend Francesca because she gives melove and serenity.Plans for the future: In January 2007, at the end of my mission, I will go fora vacation in my wonderful Sicily and I will look for buy a house because Iwould like to marry Francesca next year.

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