the TalonVolume 2, No 12 Friday, April 5, 1996

Serving the soldiers of Task Force Eagle

SOLDIERS IN SARAJEVO

Insid

e COMMENTARY..........2SOLDIER REMEMBERED..3ARTILLERY..........4212TH MASH.........6MECH INFANTRY.......9PERSONALITY PAGE....11AFN ON THE JOB......12

Operation Joint Endeavor, Bosnia-Herzegovina

Sava River bridge opensEngineers rebuildpermanent structuredamaged by warBy Spc. CESAR G.SORIANO29th MPAD

Spc. Cesar G. Soriano

BRCKO — Traffic once again rollsacross the Fortuna Bridge over theSava River here, thanks to repairs tothe structure by U.S. and HungarianEngineers.

“The mission was an absolute com-plete success,” said Maj. Peter Tabacchiof the 130th Engineer Brigade duringa ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicatethe restored bridge March 28.

The structure connects the cities ofBrcko, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Gunja,Croatia. The original bridge sufferedheavy damage during the war.

The repair effort was a combinedconstruction venture between the130th Engineer Brigade and Hungar-ian Army engineers. The bridge wascompleted in only 24 days — two daysahead of schedule.

Initially, only IFOR vehicles willbe allowed to cross the span.

In dedicating the Fortuna Bridge,Brig. Gen. James P. O’Neal, assistant1st Armored Division commander for

support, commended the people ofBrcko and Gunja for their support.

“We must also recognize the chil-dren who in years to come will ben-efit from our efforts for peace,” O’Nealsaid.

The mission was not without chal-lenges.

“We recognize that because of thepolitical situation in Brcko, we bringsome risk by rebuilding this bridge,”Tabacchi said.

(Brcko is currently claimed by boththe Bosnian Federation and the SerbRepublic. The parties to the PeaceAgreement could not agree on whoshould control the strategic town,which is located in the narrowPosavina corridor that links the twomasses of Serb territory in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Arbitration of the mat-ter will begin in June.)

The three-phase restoration projectfor the bridge began on March 4 witha mine sweep of the area. On March6, engineers demolished the damagedspans of the bridge using 305 poundsof C4 plastic explosives.

The second phase involved recon-struction of bridge piers by Brown &Root Service Corp. Two sections ofBaily-type bridges were then put to-

By Sgt. 1st ClassGARY YOUNGER358th MPAD

Unit begins ARRCsecurity mission

see Sarajevo ,page 12

see Bridge , page 12

Staff Sgt. Chauncey L. Bryant and Spc. Victor R. Wise, both of the127th MP Company, guard the south side of the Fortuna Bridge.

SARAJEVO —Sgt. 1st Class RickCampbel l some-times lies awake atnight listening. Notto the chirping ofcrickets, but to theoccasional crack-ing of undisciplinedfire.

Despite the trans-fer of the suburbanhigh ground to Fed-eration authority andIFOR’s visible pres-ence, the sights andsounds of war re-main in this city theviewed as groundzero of the nearlyfour-year Bosnianconflict.

This is the firstthing Campbell andabout two dozenother members of BCompany, 4th Bat-talion, 12th Infantryhave discoveredduring their tempo-rary security dutyhere.

The unit is part of

multinational forceguarding the AlliedRapid React ionCorps headquar-ters. The securityteam is comprisedof soldiers fromeach of IFOR’sthree multinationaldivisions.

Task Force Eagleprovides its contri-bution on a rotatingbasis. The soldiersfrom the 2nd Bri-gade Combat Teamreplaced a similar-sized unit from theTurkish brigade onMarch 23. Their dutyis expected to lastabout 30 days.

The physical tollof war surrounds thesoldiers. On oneside of the formerOlympic stadium —the site of the open-ing ceremonies forthe 1984 WinterOlympics — arebombed and burnedbuildings. On theother is a huge cem-

Friday, April 5, 1996Page 2 The Talon

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. Printed Circulation: 6,000.

Telecommunications specialist ..............................Spc. Melissa A. SanchezPublic Affairs Officer ...........................................................Maj. John E. SuttleProduction Staff ................................29th Mobile Public Affairs DetachmentCommander ......................................................................Maj. Robert L. GouldOIC.......................................................................................Capt. John GoheenNCOIC................................................................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

From the topMilitary families are our unsung heroes

Command Sgt.Maj. Jack L. Tilley

1st ArmoredDivision

Watching achange-of-commandceremony, one canlearn volumes aboutthe supporting castof players who makethe Army so suc-cessful.

The event is anorchestrated marvelof disciplined troopsfollowing commands to ex-ecute precise and coordinatedmovements.

Outgoing commanderssometimes betray their emo-tions in farewell speechespraising their soldiers’ highachievements.

Often, an incoming com-mander will make remarksgiving credit to the selflesscorps of dedicated leaderswho justly deserve it — thenoncommissioned officers.

Within their realm, theyare the ones who insist thatstandards be met, policies beenforced and soldiers perform

their duties. Theyassist with teach-ing, coaching, coun-seling and giving di-rection.

It can be a lonelyjob, one that de-mands good intu-ition and moralcourage. Unpopulardecisions can iso-

late those at the top.They must keep in mind

that it is always a great dayto be a soldier, for no matterwhat the situation, it couldbe worse. They are paid to bepositive, because a leader’sattitude will trickle down tohis or her unit. And a firstsergeant having a bad daycan cause everyone in thecompany to have one also.

The responsibility of beingleaders for today and tomor-row falls on their shouldersas teachers of soldiers andyoung officers. Today’s stu-dents are tomorrow’s leaders,

and if the NCO today doesnot show caring, those whofol low tomorrow wil l notcare either.

It can be as simple as asergeant telling a troop howto properly wear the uniform.Or a first sergeant putting to-gether a study guide for sol-diers preparing for a promo-tion board.

It can be as subtle as be-ing part of the commandteam making decisions onsoldier issues, tactfully tell-ing an officer when he or sheis wrong, or offering consid-erations that might other-wise be overlooked but ulti-mately abiding by the finaldecision.

By leading soldiers to com-pete not against each otherbut against a standard, theNCO does a great service. Bysharing their many years ofexperience with officers andyounger enlisted personnel,NCOs make this a better

Army.Prior to the change of com-

mand ceremony recently heldby 2nd Battalion, 227th Avia-tion, the incoming com-mander, Lt. Col. ThomasBurnett requested the chap-lain include in the invocationa prayer for Army Sgt. Maj.Gene McKinney, whose sonwas killed from injuries sus-tained in an automobile acci-dent.

That was Burnett’s way ofhonoring the lessons helearned when he first joinedthe 2-227th as an enlistedman 26 years ago in Vietnamand McKinney was his firstsergeant and teacher.

Having 2 -227th Com-mand Sgt . Maj . ThomasWatanabe join him in cut-ting the cake was a symbolicgesture of unity, loyalty andteamwork.

After a l l , th is i s oneArmy, and the NCO is itsbackbone.

Spc. GeorgeRoache

29th MPAD

NCOs selflessly making it happen today and tomorrow

I often talk abouthow proud I am ofour servicemem-bers, but the unsungheroes of OperationJOINT ENDEAVORtruly are our familymembers andfriends who are sup-porting us backhome.

Through theirletters and care packages, theyshow us how much they arethinking about us, and howmuch they miss us.

Hillary Rodham Clinton re-minded us of this during her

visit March 25.Before flying toBosnia, shestopped off in Ger-many to visit fam-ily members of 1stArmored Divisionsoldiers.

When she flewto Eagle Base, shebrought many oftheir letters with

her. “They really wait for ev-ery phone call and every let-ter,” she said. “In fact, a cou-ple of (family members) saidthey love your letters, partic-ularly because they can read

them over and over again.”And the first lady is right.

Letters mean so much — tous and to our family mem-bers.

Sometimes when I’m sittingaround by myself feeling a lit-tle lonesome, I open the lettersfrom my wife Gloria and re-read them. Her words bring alot of love into this old soldier’sheart.

During a deployment, it’sthe little things we miss somuch — a hug or a kiss, or justspending time with the personwe love.

I don’t want to get too

mushy, but this week I’d liketo remind you to make time towrite or call your family mem-bers and tell them how muchyou appreciate them. Whenwas the last time you didsomething special for yourspouse?

To all family members whomay read this column, I’d liketo personally thank you forsupporting our servicemem-bers. And, to the spouses, aspecial thanks. Without yoursupport, we simply could notaccomplish this very impor-tant peace enforcement mis-sion.

Viewpoint

Page 3The Talon

News briefs

Safety briefingAn army contractor’s truck was

involved in a train accident re-cently. As the truck crossed over aset of railroad tracks during day-light hours, it was broadsided by atrain. The railroad crossing wasmarked only by a sign and not asignal. Two civilian personnel wereseriously injured.

All Task Force Eagle personnelshould follow these procedureswhen approaching railroad cross-ings:

• Slow vehicle when approach-ing railroad crossings.

• Stop vehicle 15 meters fromthe crossing.

• Driver and assistant driver willensure the crossing is clear beforecontinuing.

• Never attempt to “beat” thetrain to the crossing.

In accidents involving vehiclesand trains — the train alwayswins.

Dental servicesDental treatment is available at

various locations throughout TaskForce Eagle.

The dental clinic at CampRumbaugh provides sick call ser-vices, exams, cleanings and emer-gency care. Hours are 7:30 a.m. to5 p.m. daily. For appointments, call558-4959.

Dental sick call and emergencytreatment only are provided at thefollowing locations: Eagle Base,Camp Gentry, Camp Linda, CampAngela and Lukavac.

For additional information, callthe Eagle Base clinic at 558-5024.

College coursesCentral Texas Col lege and

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Uni-versity have announced their col-lege course schedules for EagleBase and Comanche Base Camp.Classes are also offered at otherbase camps.

Registrat ion cont inuesthrough April 14. Classes runApril 15-June 9. For completeschedule information, call theEducation Center at 553-9347 orsee your unit continuing educa-tion NCO.

In addition, the City Colleges ofChicago’s video cassette programcourses are also available.

The University of Marylandschedule will be released soon.

OLOVO — One by one, the soldierssolemnly stood at attention, snappedtheir best salute and mournfully walkedaway.

Many had tears in their eyes.They were remembering their friend,

Spc. Floyd E. Bright, who lost his lifeMarch 22 when the vehicle in which hewas riding slid off a bridge and crashedinto a ravine.

The memorial service, held March 26for the Houston native, brought togethermore than 200 soldiers of 2nd Battal-ion, 68th Armor, to pay respects toBright.

He was a member of B Company, butbecame a member of Headquarters andHeadquarters Company when he volun-teered to come to Bosnia.

Bright, 19, is the only U.S. soldierparticipating in Operation JOINT EN-DEAVOR to die as the result of a ve-hicle accident.

The mishap also injured the driver ofthe fuel tanker, Pvt. Joseph E. Dory.Dory, 22, is recovering from a brokenshoulder blade.

“He was my soldier,” said Sgt. CraigCarrigan, Bright’s squad leader. “He had

a smile on his face 24 hours a day.”Bright, who would have turned 20

Monday, joined the Army on Jan. 5,1995, and was assigned to B Companyin May 1995. He earned an ArmyAchievement Medal for achieving thebattalion’s second-highest tank gunneryscore. In December, he volunteered tojoin the Support Platoon of HHC.

“He died in the service of his coun-try, helping to bring peace to thistroubled land,” said Lt. Col. RandyAnderson, battalion commander.

With a shiny pair of boots, a rifle, akevlar helmet and a wooden cross as aback drop, Pfc. Milton Shelton emotion-ally sang “Amazing Grace” for his fallenfriend.

Following the benediction, Bright wasposthumously promoted and awardedthe Meritorious Service Medal.

Unit 1st Sgt. Gregory Davis then readthrough the traditional roll call.

As their names were called, soldiersanswered, “Here, first sergeant.”

“Pfc. Floyd Bright,” Davis said.Silence.“Pfc. Floyd Bright,” Davis said again.Once again, no response.“Pfc. Floyd Bright,” the first sergeant

called a third time.This time, the mournful melody of

“Taps” could be heard in the room andthroughout the camp.

Bright is survived by his parents,Floyd and Mary Ann Bright.

Top gun visits Bosnia

Secretary of Defense William J. Perry (center), tours Comanche Base withCol. William L. Webb (right), 4th Brigade commander Sunday, followed byseveral reporters. Perry was supposed to take a helicopter tour over partsof the zone of separation and visit troops with the 1st Brigade CombatTeam Command and Russian Brigade. However, inclement weather limitedhis tour to the Tuzla area. It was his second visit to Bosnia. Adm. LeightonW. Smith Jr., IFOR commander, accompanied Perry.

Troops mourn loss of comrade

By Sgt. 1st Class GARY YOUNGER358th MPAD

68th Armor soldiers honorSpc. Floyd E. Bright

Staff Sgt. Randall Yackiel

Friday, April 5, 1996

Friday, April 5, 1996Page 4 The Talon

CAMP ODEN — The memories of Op-eration JOINT ENDEAVOR will last a life-time for 40 volunteers from the Pennsyl-vania Army National Guard’s 28th Infan-try Division who are helping provide fieldartillery fire support to Task Force Eagle’sNord-Pol Brigade.

After arriving in the former Yugosla-via Feb. 21, the soldiers were split upand assigned to various Nord-Pol units,including the Swedish, Danish andPolish battalions.

Ten soldiers support three Swedishcompanies, or coys, explained Sgt. 1stClass Chris A. Laughman, a 37-year-oldfire support NCO from Hanover, Pa.

“We make sure (all weapons) arebeing moved out of the (zone of separa-tion) during the time period set,” saidLaughman, who works in the operationsoffice.

Soldiers on the patrols in and out ofthe ZOS search for all types of weapons,including air defense artillery, heavyartillery and mortars.

“The Swedish have been here for 2 1/2 years,” Laughman said. “They prettymuch know everything that is going on.They have a really good workingrelationship with the different factionsinvolved.”

Although greatly outnumbered by thenearly 400 Swedes living at his basecamp, Laughman said everyone getsalong fine.

“They treat us really well,” he said. Afew U.S. active duty soldiers also workalongside the Guard members andSwedish troops.

The site’s chief signal officer, Capt.

ThomasKristensson, 40,from Lund, Sweden,said the soldiers arelearning from eachother “all the time.”

Most of thepatrols are con-ducted using SISU’s,Finnish-builtarmored personnelcarriers, or withSwedish APCs, hesaid.

The fire supportspecialty is ashortage MOS in theArmy.

“They neededsomebody to fill inbecause they wereshorthanded here,”Laughman said. “Wewere picked becausethey think we’re oneof the better unitsthat could handlethe mission.”

Because they facethe potential ofdanger on patrol,the Guard membersmaintain a highstate of readiness.They make sure theSwedish Battalionhas “the full assetsof the field artillery,

Guardsmen volunteer as artillery spottersBy Sgt. 1st Class BETTINA E. TILSON29th MPAD

attack helicopters and the fast-movers(jets) from the Air Force,” said Staff Sgt.Kevin L. McCreary, 34, of Fayetteville, Pa.

McCreary, a fire support sergeantwho works with A Coy, said the firesupport specialists brought along allthey need to accomplish their mission —everything from binoculars to sophisti-cated equipment such as global laserdesignators “for precision firing.”

“We receive orders from our coycommander,” McCreary said. “He ‘owns’us so we take direction from him. Hegives us missions and we give themwhat support we can.”

Thanks to a high rate of compliance sofar, the troops haven’t had to fully usetheir skills. “It’s calm and it’s boring, andthat’s the way we like it,” he said.

The Guardsmen were visited March31 by their Army National Guardcommanding general, Maj. Gen. JosephF. Perugino, who told the troops theyare doing a “super, commendable job.”Many of their fellow soldiers back homewould like to replace them, he said.

When the Guard members return toPennsylvania, they will serve as train-ers, teaching the skills they havelearned in Bosnia to their fellowsoldiers, Perugino said.

“The rest of the guys in the task forcedo not get to do what you do on a dailybasis,” said Col. Alan W. Thrasher, 1stArmored Division Artillery commander,who accompanied Perugino on the tripto several camps. “No one has anythingbut praise for you.”

Laughman said the Guardsmen havealways trained for combat, so workingin a peace enforcement mission isunique.

“To me, this is a great chance to usewhat I’ve been trained for,” said the 18-year veteran who spent four years inthe Marine Corps.

Sgt. 1st Class Bettina E. TilsonSgt. 1st Class Bettina E. Tilson

Sgt. 1st Class Bettina E. Tilson

Staff Sgt. Scott T. Ryan and Spc. Paul W. Bury, 2-3 FieldArtillery, repair an M109 self-propelled howitzer.

Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Perugino, 28thInfantry Division commander, greetslocal Bosnians during a visit Sunday.

Sgt. 1st Class Chris A. Laughman andSwedish Capt. Thomas Kristenssonconsult a map before a convoy.

Friday, April 5, 1996 Page 5The Talon

Doing the right thing —no matter how toughit might seem. That’s

what Spc. Diovelis V. Ford,29, did on the night of March28. Ford a native of PanamaCity, Panama, was on guardduty in front Eagle Base’sTent City No. 1, when a sol-dier entered without clearinghis weapon.

As instructed in her spe-cial orders, Ford asked thesoldier to clear his weaponbefore entering the tentcity. When the soldiercleared his weapon an ac-cidental discharge oc-curred. Ford immediatelyreported the incident to thesergeant of the guard.

Maj. Gen William. L.Nash, task force com-mander said Ford, “possiblysaved a soldier’s life by in-suring that the weapon wascleared before the soldier

By Spc. BRYAN DRIVERTalon Staff

Doing the right thingearns soldier reward

entered the tent city. “For her actions, Nash

presented her with a ArmyCommendation Medal lessthan two hours after the in-cident occurred.

Ford, assigned to HHC,1st Armored Division, hasbeen in the U.S. Army for 19months. She has a teachingcertificate, and bachelor’sdegree in journalism fromthe University of Panama.She has two children,Deshlee, 1 and Desmond, 2.

2nd BCT to provide securityfor Criminal Tribunal teams

BASE CAMP LISA — TheSecond Brigade CombatTeam soldiers provided sup-port Tuesday to teams fromthe International CriminalTribunal for the former Yu-goslavia that began pre-liminary investigations ofalleged war crimes andmass grave sites in the 2ndBCT area.

“This is not anything wehadn’t expected or plannedfor,” said Col. John R. Ba-tiste, 2nd BCT commander.“We are simply providing asecure environment for theexperts in this area to work.”

Supporting the ICTYdoes not change thebrigade’s mission — to en-force the military aspects ofthe Peace Agreement in itsarea of responsibility.

As part of IFOR, TaskForce Eagle has the respon-sibility to provide a secureenvironment where civilianagencies, as experts in theirvarious fields, can operate

under the Peace Agreement.The 2nd BCT is aiding the

ICTY by providing area se-curity and emergency ve-hicle recovery. They also willfurnish medical care, a liai-son team and life-supportassistance.

IFOR policy calls forcommanders to provide ap-propriate support to civilianagencies at an appropriatetime, on a case-by-case ba-sis and only when it doesnot interfere with the mili-tary mission.

Providing a secure envi-ronment for civilian agen-cies does not indicate anyexpansion of TFE’s mission.

Batiste cautioned peoplenot to make the supportsomething it is not.

“We’ve always known wewould provide security,”Batiste said. “Providing thatlocal security is no differentthan providing security any-where else. We do it all thetime.”

Medicssave

Bosnianboy

By Sgt. 1st Class BETTINA E.TILSON29th MPAD

Sgt. 1st Class Bettina E. Tilson

A Swedish medic works tosave the life of a young boywho stepped on a mine.

EAST OF DOBOJ — Peacehas replaced the brutal warthat raged in the former Yugo-slavia for nearly four years. Buton Sunday the horror of thatcivil war again surfaced as asmall boy fell victim to its cruelinjustice.

A convoy carrying the partyof Maj. Gen. Joseph F.Perugino happened upon theincident about 2:30 p.m. nearCheckpoint A-3-3 in the zone ofseparation.

The convoy screeched to ahalt when soldiers noticed ablood-soaked man runningdown a hillside. In his armswas a boy who had steppedon an anti-personnel mine,which had blown off his leftfoot.

“I looked over to my rightand saw the father clutchingthe son’s leg to stop the bleed-ing,” said Master Sgt. RobertL. Lighty, 33, fromMiddletown, Pa., first sergeantfor Detachment 1, Headquar-ters and Headquarters Bat-tery, 28th Field Artillery, andoperations sergeant at theNord-Pol Brigade.

“You could tell the boy wasin shock,” Lighty said.

Within seconds, combat life-savers, including Sgt. PatrickJ. Grawcock, rushed to theboy’s aid. Grabbing his medicbag, Grawcock appeared to goon autopilot as he instinctivelywrapped a tourniquet aroundthe boy’s severed leg, possiblysaving his life.

“I didn’t even know I hadput the tourniquet on until af-ter I did it,” said Grawcock, a21-year-old multiple launchrocket systems specialist fromGarrett, Ind., who now servesas the operations driver forHHB.

“I’m glad we got there whenwe did,” he added.

Grawcock said the boy was

clearly in shock, even smilingat times.

The Swedish and U.S. med-ics huddled around him, eachdoing his part to save thechild’s life. The father ner-vously smoked a cigarettewhile comforting his son.Meanwhile, other troopsalerted the medical evacuation“dust-off” helicopter, which ar-rived in 11 minutes.

Other U.S. combat lifesav-ers who assisted included Sgt.Robert A. Henderson Jr., Sgt.Joseph J. Sclama and Sgt.Brian Findley.

All four were awarded im-pact Army Achievement Med-als for their efforts.

The boy was flown to theNord Med Coy in Lukavac,where Brig. Gen. Stanley F.Cherrie, assistant divisioncommander for support, latervisited him.

The boy’s orthopedic sur-geon encouraged Cherrie tovisit the child, partly becauseof the general’s own experi-ence with a mine blast in1971 during his second tourin Vietnam.

He lost his right foot andtwo fingers, and his left heelhad to be reconstructed. Hewas hospitalized for 18months.

Cherrie told the boy thathe would play soccer again.“You’ll probably kick with theother foot, you’ll be a little bitslower, but a below-the-kneeamputation is not the end ofthe world,” he said.

Mostly, he wanted to reas-sure the parents that theirson would lead a productivelife and that they should notblame themselves for whathappened.

Spc. Diovells Ford andMaj. Gen. William L. Nash.

Friday, April 5, 1996Page 6 The Talon

When the call for medi-cal help goes out inBosnia the 212th

Mobile Army SurgicalHospital is ready tolend a healing hand.The 212th MASH’s150 soldiers are readyto treat anything from theeveryday sprained ankle orcold to a gunshot wound ormine injury.

Although the MASH is inBosnia-Herzegovina to provideforward resuscitative surgeryand medical treatment to TaskForce Eagle soldiers their caredoes not stop there. They arealso ready to provide treatmentto other IFOR soldiers as wellas local civilians.

Currently the 212th islocated in two locations. TheMASH Main is located

southwest of Tuzla at Bedrock, while the MForward is farther soCamp Linda. The foelement spent the firmonths of Oper

J O IENDEAVOZ u p a nCroatia.The MAS

mobile hospitalmain and forwar

equipped with opeand emergency roowell as intensiveunits. They both also

x-ray and pharsections. The main alluxury of an immecare unit, a CAT scantelemedicine.

With telemedicinMASH doctors are avisually consult colleagues aroundworld.

By Staff Sgt. JEFF TROTH30th MED Brigade PAO

212th Mobile Army Surgical HospM A S H* * *

Capt. Michael Abele (right), an intern, conferns with Capt. (Dr.) Mark Hawkins about a CAT scan.

Lt. Col (Dr.) James Schmitt, 120th Medical Detachement (Dental)commander, treats a patient at the hospital.

Friday, April 5, 1996 The Talon Page 7

at Campe MASH

r south at forward first twoperationI N TAVOR ina n j a ,a.ASH is aital. Bothward areoperatingrooms, asive care

also haveharmacy also hasmediate

scan, and

icine thee able tolt withund the

pital

Clockwise from top left:

• Spc. Dustin Dornfeld, Co. C, 16thEngineer Battalion, waits to have aninjury checked.• Staff Sgt. Elsa Allen, a medicaltechnican, paints a sign to be hungoutside the hospital.• A MEDEVAC helicopter landsoutside the MASH.• The treatment room buzzes withactivity.

Photos byStaff Sgt. Jennifer Teeter203rd MPAD

Friday, April 5, 1996Page 8 The Talon

COMANCHE BASE — The Apache pi-lots of Task Force Eagle have two sets ofeyes and ears — their own and those of“Victory Guardian” air traffic controllers.

“Our bible, which is the (Federal Avia-tion Administration) handbook, statesthat our primary purpose is to avoid thecollision of aircraft,” said Staff Sgt. Rich-ard Cofer, 43, of La Plata, Md.

“Pilots have their mission and their air-craft to worry about,” Cofer said. “So what’simportant is to make sure that when theseaircraft are coming in here, we relieve the

workload on (the pilots who are) lookingaround for other aircraft, and provide thema safe environment to operate. Then theycan operate more freely and not worry aboutsurrounding aircraft.”

The “Victory Guardians” of E Company,3rd Battalion, 58th Aviation Regiment, fromWiesbaden, Germany, provide air trafficcontrol services throughout Germany.

Cofer and his eight-soldier crewbrought their mobile ATC facility to Bos-nia in early February. Initially, theytracked aircraft flying missions out ofEagle Base, Tuzla.

But when 2nd Battalion, 227th Avia-tion, 4th Air Cavalry Brigade, moved its

Apache helicopter fleet to the flightlinehere, the controllers’ responsibilities andworkload grew.

“We are providing terminal services, aswell as the flight-following services wehave been providing up to this point,” saidCofer, ATC tower chief. “While on the mis-sion, the aircraft are dispersed and at dif-ferent flight levels. When they come backto the service area, which used to beknown as a control zone, the tower con-trols entry, exit and operation within thecontrolled airspace.”

Coordination with the Air Force, whichtechnically “owns” the airspace, has becomemore intense, Cofer said. That means mak-ing more calls to have departures approved— especially when bad weather hampersvisibility — keeping the additional aircraftsafely separated and telling the pilots inwhat order they can land.

“At first, it’s kind of scary because youdon’t know what to expect,” said Pfc.Lester Roberts III, 19, of Albemarle, N.C.,a flight data coordinator on his first de-ployment. “But as you work more of theaircraft, you get used to the stress.”

Training NCO Sgt. Paul S. McDonald,of Concord, N.H., and shift supervisor Cpl.Philip C. Adams II, 28, of Camden, N.J.,make sure their soldiers receive the train-ing needed to become qualified and ratedas controllers for specific towers.

Adams sets the example by using thecorrect phraseology when talking to pi-lots. That reinforces good habits for histroops — and earns the trust of pilots.

McDonald realizes the seriousness ofhis job — that he has the lives of pilots inhis hands. “I just hope they have enoughfaith and confidence to know that I knowwhat I’m doing in my job, and they canrely on me in an emergency,” he said.

By Spc. GEORGE ROACHE29th MPAD

Air traffic controllers have eyes on the skies

As spring brings a thaw, a new riskis emerging — disease-carryingticks.

Tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is a dis-ease native to certain regions of Europe.One form of the disease, Central EuropeanEncephalitis, is native to several regionsof Europe, including the Task Force Eagledeployment area. According to V CorpsSurgeon Col. David M. Lam, troops de-ployed to the Balkan region face an in-creased risk of TBE.

Encephalitis is most commonly carriedby ticks, which are usually active Marchthrough September. The disease has an in-cubation period of one to two weeks, andoccurs at a rate of 10 to 60 cases per100,000. Areas where the ticks are mostcommon, Lam said, include river valleys,areas of low scrub and forest edges.

Encephalitis is essentially inflamma-tion and infection of the brain, and its ef-

fects vary from flu-like symptoms lastingweeks, to permanent neurological effectsincluding paralysis, Lam said.

The disease occurs in two stages. Thefirst, lasting four to six days, is markedby fever and flu-like symptoms includingheadache and nausea. The second phasemay include disorientation, tremors, con-vulsions and coma.

“Eighty percent of the people who getit recover in a matter of weeks,” Lam said.“But the rest may suffer prolonged effects,including paralysis, that can last years.”

In rare cases, it can be fatal.USAREUR Forward Surgeon’s Office is

conducing a risk assessment to determinewhich troops have the most exposure to thedisease.

“People who have to go out, because oftheir job, and walk through the brush inareas we know are infected, probably areat a higher risk,” Lam said. “Foot troops on

patrol are primarily the ones we’ll be look-ing at as high risk.”

The best defense against TBE is personalprotection. This includes using DEET lotioninspect repellent on skin and permethrin, acontact insecticide, on BDUs.

Soldiers should also wear their BDUswith the pants bloused and tucked wellinside the boots, and sleeves down andbuttoned at the wrist. Soldiers should alsouse buddy checks for ticks, searching theskin, arms, legs, trunk and scalp.

If ticks are detected, they should be re-moved immediately using forceps or twee-zers, starting close to the skin and gentlypulling the tick off.

Ticks are very small and also carryother diseases including Lyme disease.Any tick bite should be watched carefullyfor signs of lesions, redness or swelling.If these symptoms occur, seek medical at-tention.

Warm weather means increased risk of tick-borne diseases

Spc. George Roache

Staff Sgt. Richard Cofer (left) and Spc. James Loudermilk direct air traffic.

SPRING THAW

Friday, April 5, 1996 Page 9The Talon

Mobility is what Spc.Keith L. Haymonlikes about being a

mechanized infantryman, andhe’s been a part of many tac-tical movements since his de-ployment to Bosnia.

Haymon, a member of ACompany, 4th Battalion, 12thInfantry, recently moved fromthe 2nd Brigade CombatTeam’s operating area. He isnow conducting perimeter se-curity at Eagle Base, Tuzla’ssmall airstrip.

“I liked it out there control-ling the zone of separation,but I really enjoy pulling dutyhere at the airfield,” Haymonsaid. “It’s a different and newexperience.”

“We run an observationpoint, scanning the farm fieldsand a small village just off theair strip,” Haymon said as hemanned his Bradley InfantryFighting Vehicle.

Soldiers like Haymon settheir positions with heavy ar-mored vehicles “mainly as ashow of force and to providesecurity,” he said.

“We also perform foot-pa-trols along the air strip for fur-ther protection that consist ofa great deal of walking,” he

said. “We get to see a lot of thecountry and it’s great exercise,and some times we get to clearout old bunkers. This missionis a great experience — an ex-perience of a lifetime.”

Haymon’s average day con-sists of two hours on duty andsix hours off.

“I like the work pattern,”he said. “We stay alert onguard, don’t get bored andkeep our personal hygiene up,get to write home and enjoyour time off. We run a tight

eight-man section that is veryclose and effective.”

Haymon is set to transferfrom the Old Ironsides to FortHood, Texas. He said he willmiss the soldiers in A Com-pany, but looks forward to themove.

“I’ve always wanted to be sta-tioned in Texas because I wantto go to college there once I getout of the Army in two years.”

The 21-year-old Haymondreams of completing a degreein marketing but has not yet

Mechanized infantryman protect perimetersBy Staff Sgt. JOSEPHGARRISON29th MPAD

Staff Sgt. Joseph Garrison

Spc. Keith L. Haymon scans the perimeter of Eagle Base, Tuzla’s airstrip from his tank.

CAMP ALICIA — A bright red and or-ange flash. A wave of raw power rumblingacross the countryside. The ground be-neath shaking with the force of a smallearthquake. Trees falling to the groundin a splintered mass.

The scene, similar to the force of anadvancing enemy, was A Company, 40thEngineers, recently clearing a sector offire to help protect U.S. personnel andequipment here.

At first light, the engineers placed C-4plastic explosives onto the base of severaltrees.

Prior to positioning of charges, soldiersskinned the bark from the trees, allowingfor a smooth base to place the explosives.

“We had to strip the bark so the chargewould hold to the tree during the otherblasts,” said Pfc. Patrick Brown, a com-bat engineer from Miami.

Several hundred meters of detonationcord ran from the charges to fortified

fighting positions, where the soldierswould escape the force of the blasts.

The thumbs-up sign was given and sol-diers sank beneath the protected walls.

One by one the charges exploded, eachblast shaking the ground and echoingthroughout the valley.

Slowly coming into focus, as the dirt andsmoke cleared, was the devastation causedby the seven successive explosions. Similarto a spilled box of toothpicks, trees and un-derbrush lay in twisted broken masses.

Two tasks remained before job comple-tion: retrieving the serviceable detonationcord used to relay the fire signal to thecharges and clearing the leveled trees.

A Company spearheads the defense ofthis isolated lodgment area. Thecompany’s goal is to have the most defen-sible camp within the U.S. sector, there-fore providing a safe environment for thesoldiers.

After all, force protection will help sol-diers safely complete their mission of en-forcing peace in Operation JOINT EN-DEAVOR.

Combat engineers blast trees for force protection of campBy Staff Sgt. COLIN WARD358th MPAD

made his final college choice. “I just know that I want to

go to school in Texas and usemy Army tuition benefits,” hesaid.

Haymon, a native ofDyersburg, Tenn., has someimportant plans before report-ing to his next unit.

“I want to take my three-year-old daughter to DisneyWorld, the zoo and spend somequality time with her,”Haymon said. “I haven’t beenhome in almost two years.”

Staff Sgt. Colin Ward

Pfc. Patrick Brown prepares a C-4charge around the bark of a tree.

Friday, April 5, 1996Page 10 The Talon

Local barbers keep soldiers looking sharp

STEEL CASTLE — “Relax,”you tell yourself, as you slowlyclimb into the chair. “Theyknow what they’re doing,right?” This may run throughthe mind of a soldier about to

Remzudin Sahanic, who alsoattended a one-year course inhairstyling.

“We’re professionals,”added Fikret Mujcinovic, whohas three years of formal train-ing from a trade school. Thebarbers are contracted forhaircuts only, but have theknowledge of perming and col-oring hair.

Each barber agreed theywere receiving good wages, butbusiness has been somewhatslow. Their wages depend onthe amount of customers.There haven’t been many cus-tomers, and the three menhope this will change, since theshop is only in its first monthof operation.

The three barbers agreedthat life is different for themnow. Not only do they have astable job to come to everyday but there are no gre-nades, no war, no fear ofdeath.

“You can walk anywhere,thanks to the American Armyand President Clinton, too,”said Kopic. He feels theAmericans have done a lot forthe people of Bosnia-Herzegovina, to include giv-ing him a job while he looksforward to the future.

get a haircut — especiallywhen the barber is someonewho knows little English.

However, to many asoldier’s surprise, the SteelCastle barber shop employeesare more than amateurs whomerely claim they can cut hair.The three barbers, employedat Steel Castle, have five years

of combined formal trainingand many more years of expe-rience.

Muhamed Kopic, a refugeeoriginally from the town ofCaparde, has been cuttingmen’s and women’s hair foreight years. He began by at-tending a one-year barberingcourse, where he learned howto cut, perm, color and stylemen’s and women’s hair.

Kopic learned of the barberjob from a friend who over-heard soldiers talking whenthey visited the town ofKalesija, just outside SteelCastle. The friend informedhim of the opportunity, andKopic applied and got the job.

“I don’t have my own busi-ness, and it’s a good chance tocut hair,” Kopic said aboutworking for the base camphere. During the war, it washard to have a steady businessand a job, and he was glad tocome here, he said.

Currently, there are no fe-male stylists available, butthat shouldn’t stop womenfrom getting their hairtrimmed. They need only askfor a “talijanka linija,” or atrim.

“Women shouldn’t beafraid to come (to us),” said

By Spc. WENDY M.FIRESTONE203rd MPAD

55th Signal Company (Combat Camera)

Enforcing the peace in northernBosnia-Herzegovina is no easytask. But scouts from 4th Battal-

ion, 67th Armor, meet that challenge head-on by staying constantly alert for undeclaredweapons or ammunition.

Recently, members of the scout platoonfrom C Company, 4-67, inspected a declaredweapons storage site on the Bosnian-CroatFederation side of the zone of separation.

Staff Sgt. Tracy F. Heap, 35, section ser-geant from Nashville, Tenn., led the survey.

“It’s pretty much a routine mission,”Heap said before the inspection. “We havebeen to this site before, so I don’t thinkthere will be any problems. But we stillplan before the missions to make sure ev-erything runs smoothly, because we don’twant to take that for granted.”

As the scouts travel through the ZOSto the weapons site, they are alert to anypossible violations of the PeaceAgreement’s prohibition against weaponsin the buffer zone.

Sometimes they do find weapons vio-

Sgt. KELLY C. FISCHER358th MPAD

Scouts enforce peace through weapons inspections

Sgt. Kelly C. Fischer

lations.“I don’t think a lot of (violators) have a

good feel for exactly where the ZOS is,”Heap said. “So we get on the ground withthe translator and explain the situationto them, and normally they don’t give usa problem.”

At the storage site, the scouts fannedout to pull security. Sgt. Daniel L. Pin-ion, 23, from Newton, N.J., kept a watch-ful eye on the area while maintaining ra-dio contact with the vehicles.

“My job today as RTO (radio telephoneoperator) is to provide basic security forthe other people who are in the area, andmake sure everybody is safe and gettinga good look at the weapons.

“We never know what we’re going to seeout here,” Pinion said. “Basically, we shouldalways keep our eyes open. I make sure thearea is secure, and I make sure we don’twalk into any mined areas or any other lo-cations that might cause some injuries.”

Heap and his platoon leader inspectedand inventoried the storage facility, whichcontained a variety of neatly organizedweapons. Among them were air-defenseartillery weapons, machine guns, rocketlaunchers, mines, grenades and variousmunitions.

Missions such as this have kept thescout platoon busy since they arrived atColt Base, the 4-67th’s headquarters.Along with reconnaissance missions, theplatoon provides security for convoys.Each week, they run an average of 16missions and travel about 500 miles.

“In two months now, I think we’ve hadone day off, and on that day we performedmaintenance,” Pinion said.

Troops get haircuts from professional Bosnian hairstylists

U.S. and Croatian soldiers work at adeclared weapons storage site.

Friday, April 5, 1996 Page 11The Talon

Being deployed with family means never havingto say you’re lonely.

That’s what keeps threeArmy aviators in Bosnia-Herzegovina flying high.

First Lt. Jon Tussing, 25,with the 2nd Battalion, 227thAviation, 4th Air Cavalry Bri-gade, flies AH-64 Apache at-tack helicopters. His wife, 1stLt. Karen Tussing, 24, fliesUH-60 Black Hawk utility he-licopters for 7th Battalion,227th Aviation.

Capt. Laura Ann Kuppich,Karen Tussing’s 26-year-oldsister and also a Black Hawkpilot, arrived at their duty sta-tion in Hanau, Germany, inJune 1995.

Now the three are servingtogether at Comanche Basenear the headquarters of TaskForce Eagle.

Despite their busy sched-ules, they find the time to dowhat families do: sharingmeals, going to church, hang-ing out, helping each otherpass the time and generallygiving each other support.

“There are not a lot of fe-males in the Army,” saidKuppich, currently the person-nel and administrative officerin her brother-in-law’s battal-ion. “It’s hard to find that fe-male companionship, so it’snice to have my sister here tohave as a good friend.

“I can tell her all my wor-ries and problems — the goodthings and bad things aboutthe job you can’t tell people inthe organization you work for.I can tell Karen and Jon ev-eryth ing .T h e y ’ r eg r e a tpeople —great fam-ily,” shesaid.

T h ethree sharea specialc losenessfrom beingchildren in military familiesthat settled in Williamsburg,Va., after years of duty-relatedtravel.

“We’re all Army brats and

kind of moved around a littlebit,” said Jon Tussing, son ofJames and Martha Tussing.

His father retired a colonelafter 32 years in the Army, be-ginning in the infantry andthen moving to ordnance. Bothof his brothers joined theArmy. He started in the ROTCprogram at Florida State Uni-versity and transferred to theU.S. Military Academy atWest Point, N.Y., after hisfreshman year.

John Tussing’s wife and sis-ter-in-law are the daughters ofJoseph and Janice Kuppich.Their father was commis-sioned in the infantry beforemoving to aviation and flyingHuey gunships in Vietnam andCobras later. They have anolder brother who is an infan-try captain in Korea.

Kuppich became inter-ested in Army Aviation whileat the University of Coloradoat Boulder ROTC program.Karen Tussing was an ROTCcadet at the College of Will-iam and Mary inWilliamsburg, Va.

“My sister is a very big rolemodel for me,” said KarenTussing. “I respect and admireher. Seeing her enjoying ROTCand later Army Aviation —and (seeing her) make out well— made it seem like a possi-bility for me as well. Flying isthe most fun thing I do on ac-tive duty.”

The Tussings met in AirAssault School at CampGruber, Okla., in 1991, andmarried in August 1993,spending four months togetherin different phases of flightschool at Fort Rucker, Ala., be-fore he left for Hanau, Ger-

many. Shef o l l o w e dhim eightm o n t h slater in thejoint mar-r i e dc o u p l e sprogram.

Kuppicharrived inJune 1995

with her optometrist husband,Maj. T.J. Lantz.

Being a year apart in theirmilitary careers meant theTussings spent much of their

courtship and married lifeapart. It also made their de-ployment to Bosnia that muchmore special.

“We’ve been married for 30months and separated for17,” Jon Tussing said, “so Ifigure we deserve to be sta-tioned here together. Separa-tion has been the hardestthing for us. Having my wifehere means there’s a lot lessfor me to miss back home inHanau.”

While at times he wishesshe wasn’t in the tacticalsituation presented by Bos-nia, he said, other times he’sgrateful to be able to look herin the eye and see she’s allright.

“It keeps me from beinglonely,” said Karen Tussing,executive officer for HHC, 7-227th. “I had friends while Iwas deployed to Turkey (twicein 1994 for 2 1/2-monthstretches at a time), but it’s not

the same as being with yourown spouse.”

The eight months the threehave been together havepassed quickly, she said. Theyplay cards and board games,read magazines and talk aboutfamily. She gets advice fromKuppich that she accepts asjust big sister’s way of look-ing out for her.

And Kuppich shares withthem items from the care pack-ages her husband sends regu-larly from Hanau, as well asthe occasional meal andchurch service as their sched-ules permit.

“I love having them close byand working with them,”Kuppich said. “It’s nice to beable to get away from every-body else, be silly and goof offaway from the soldiers andother officers in the battalion.Otherwise, I would work allthe time if I didn’t have thisoutlet.”

Family that flies together stays togetherPERSONALITIES OF THE WEEK

By Spc. GEORGE ROACHE29th MPAD

The family with wings: (left to right) Capt. Laura AnnKuppich, 1st Lt. Karen Tussing and 1st Lt. Jon Tussing.

‘‘It’s hard to find that fe-male companionship, soit’s nice to have my sis-ter here to have as agood friend.’’

— Capt. Laura Ann Kuppich

Spc. Robert W. Bishop

Friday, April 5, 1996Page 12 The Talon

HILL TOP 722 — The small group ofsoldiers who call this remote signal sitehome east of Srebrenik went nearly 100days without watching a ball game on TVor listening to their favorite music on theradio.

Today, the sights and sounds of theAmerican Forces Network can be seen andheard here, thanks to a recent visit by AFNtechnicians.

The small, but mobile group of broad-cast technicians based at Eagle Base,Tuzla, brought plenty of tools, cable, sat-ellite dishes and radio receivers.

“This is very important for morale,” saidSpc. Bob P. Abrams, a television mainte-nance technician with the 209th BroadcastPublic Affairs Detachment, an Army Re-serve unit from Rome, Ga. “Morale is thebackbone in any military mission. It’sgreat at the completion of a job to go andsee soldiers turn on the television or radiofor the first time in months. They are al-most hypnotized, and they seem not so allalone any more.”

Soldiers at this isolated location agree.“We have worked hard to make this

hilltop our home, and these services will

definitely help morale,” said 2nd Lt.Annah Castellini of the 22nd Signal Bri-gade and site commander here.

“These services help soldiers in remotelocations by giving them a small taste ofhome,” Abrams added. “I am very satis-fied with my job here in Bosnia. We get toleave something behind at each locationthat everybody can use and enjoy.”

A new radio transmitter installed thesame day beams AFN’s signal as far northas Camp Kime and as far south as Lukavac.

AFN technicians also maintain televi-sion and radio transmitters and satellitereceivers in the field. Abrams says thathe has adjusted one base camp’s satellitefour times so that soldiers can continueto watch their favorite programs.

About 95 percent of U.S. personnel inBosnia currently have access to AFN ra-dio or television programming, accordingto Capt. Grady J. Goodwin, AFN Bosniastation manager and member of the 209thBPAD from Valdosta, Ga.

In the coming weeks, AFN Bosnia plansto install equipment in Task Force Eagle’sNord-Pol, Russian and Turkish brigadeareas so that U.S. and non-U.S. soldiersthere can receive radio and television pro-gramming, Goodwin said.

For decades, AFN has brought enter-

tainment and news to U.S.servicemembers deployed world-wide.

“Wherever soldiers go, we are out therewith them,” said Sgt. Matthew Beckmanof AFN Germany, serving in Bosnia.

By Staff Sgt. JOSEPH GARRISON29th MPAD

Staff Sgt. Joseph Garrison

AFN techs extend programming to remote sites

Spc. Bob Abrams aligns a satellitedish towards space on Hilltop 722.

Bridge , from page 1

Hungarian engineers forge the Fortuna Bridge.Spc. Cesar G. Soriano

Sarajevo , from page 1

etery with thousands of fresh graves that stretches for acres.“It’s a shame what happened,” Campbell said. “I look around

and I wonder how people can do all this to one another.”The soldiers sleep in an arena where Olympic skaters dazzled

the world. Today, portions of the building are rubble. Wallsstill standing are littered with pock marks, evidence of pitchedbattles where the world once gathered to cheer.

The security force spend their days like most other infantryunits. Weapons maintenance, guard duty and patrols throughthe streets surrounding the ARRC headquarters make up a sig-nificant portion of the soldiers’ activities.

“We handle a screening mission (at the gates) and we checkthe town out in our Bradleys,” said Staff Sgt. Gary Richardsonof Brooklyn, N.Y.

The presence of the heavily armed and armored Americansinitially made some in the city nervous, Campbell said.

“They ask why we look like we are going into battle,” hesaid. “We are being told we are over-prepared.”

The U.S. troops work with soldiers from several other na-tions but have a special bond with their British counterparts.Especially the cooks.

“They took us in like we were one of their own,” said Sgt.Robert Crosbie of Ephrata, Pa. “There is good cohesion and it’sa good working relationship.”

Slowly, the soldiers said, the sights and sounds of peace arebeginning to replace those of war. People are now less afraid tocome out of their homes. Others are moving into formerly aban-doned houses and apartments. Even markets and businessesare now keeping more regular hours.

Spc. Jake Coffman of Marysville, Wash. said that the localpopulation is also becoming more confident of IFOR.

“The people of the city are starting to come out more andmore and they are becoming a little more comfortable,” he said.

Even Campbell is encouraged.“Every night, I see more and more lights,” he said.

gether and laid into place by U.S. and Hungarian engineers.“It was a challenge because of the language barrier ... but

we all came together and it was a big team effort,” said Pvt.Rick E. Gluth, 20, a resident of Roanoke, Va., and memberof the 502nd Engineer Company based in Hanau, Germany.

Pfc. Michael R. Southards, an engineer from Fort Polk,La., attached to the 502nd, said the entire bridge was puttogether by hand.

“We had a crane but it was a lot quicker using sheer man-power,” said the Ashville, N.C., resident. He explained fur-ther that the bridge was pre-fabricated and brought to Brckoin sections. “It was like a big jigsaw puzzle. We just put thepieces together.”

A plaque on the Brcko side of the bridge is engraved withthe words, “IFOR U.S. Army-Hungary Engineers - 1996.”

The 2,000-foot long, bright blue Fortuna Bridge was rebuiltby soldiers from the 502nd, 586th and 535th Engineer Compa-nies, 23rd Engineer Battalion and 130th Engineer Brigade.