Mid-February to Early March

The Totally Unofficial, Absolutely Personal Album of David Rosenthal's Photos and Comments about
The 126th Med Co

Assembled, written, and photographed by David A. Rosenthal

On 13 August 1998, the 126th Med Co got activated to be sent to Bosnia. We're there now and what you see below will continue changing as we move through the 270 days for which we were put on active duty. We've finally made it to what appears to be the home-stretch now, hoping to head back Stateside sometime during the latter part of March.

Mid-February to Early March 1999:

The winter of 1999 grinds on in the Balkans, bringing the persistent fog and stagnant air that likely inspired the images of dark, dank forests in stories of vampires, werewolves, and man-crafted reanimations set in this land.

Industrial aerosol waste products from cities like Lukavac, pictured above and only a few miles from Tuzla, serve to nucleate the fog, worsening the visibility situation.

But this particular winter has been relatively mild, compared to those of other years, allowing more activity during the brief hours of frosty daylight here at the 44th Parallel in Eastern Europe.

For the most part, crews at Camp McGovern have been able to keep up with the snowfall and occasional ice by using brooms to keep the aircraft surfaces clear.

Meanwhile, ground activities continue unimpeded by weather with convoys and patrols perhaps slowed, but very seldom stopped by the snow and ice. Often, it's SFOR troops and equipment helping to keep the public roads open.

Camp McGovern's more open, flat terrain continues to favor both day- and night-time operations with a healthy fraction of flight time and training accomplished there.

But training in Bosnia can be more realistic than you might expect. We regularly practice live hoists and, during this particular operation, supported an Engineer unit with a mission to clear minefields from a residential area.

This day, we instructed troops in emergency MEDEVAC operations where we pulled them out of a simulated minefield. Our exercise culminated in an actual vertical extraction--a genuine first for those who got the ride.

Our operation took place right next to the real minefield planted in the orchard below the ruined houses shown here. Yellow plastic engineer tape defines the boundaries of the field which the ground unit has the mission to clear.

This is only one of several mined areas in the immediate vicinity. Specialized SFOR teams have been helping to clear minefields for years now and that mission will continue. Air Ambulance units deploying here can realistically expect to support them regularly.

Keeping aircrewmembers sharp on all aspects of hoist operations is as important as ensuring you arrive in-theater with good maintenance capabilities to keep rescue hoists operational.

There is no shortage of evidence of war here. The entire plain south of the Sava River (Bosnia and Herzegovina's northern boundary with Croatia) has had well more than 50% of the structures there damaged or destroyed.

This bombed-out factory sits at the edge of one of many entire villages where not even the tiniest sign of life or resettlement exists. Flying at low altitudes in poor weather (something we do a lot) provides a seemingly never-ending display of destruction. It's certain to impress even the most jaded.

The house on the left appears as if it took a hit from a tank round fired from across the shallow valley it faces. The house on the right is being cautiously rebuilt by its former occupants.

But despite the drear and devastation, nature's beautiful wintry brush continues spreading subtle perfection. Missed by many but always there, the display is ever-present, large and small. All you have to do is look.

Back in Tuzla, winter's brittle beauty also exists...
	...but not with the intensity or profusion as in the open countryside.

Here, activities continue but as the time has moved along, thoughts have drifted toward packing up and going home. Our replacement unit will arrive soon and we'll begin training them to assume our responsibilities.

As the first Army National Guard helicopter MEDEVAC unit to be deployed to Bosnia, we might have pioneered the trail and prepared the ground, but much work remains. Getting home safely and with everything intact will be an entirely new challenge.

With the end now in sight, we can all feel a loosening of tension.

The 126th is and always has been a family and our time together here has brought a new awareness of who we are and what we mean to one another. For me, one of the original unit members and a virtual "dinosaur," dating back to Vietnam, I've felt a new closeness; it's something I'll always treasure.

So as the foggy winter days gradually give way to more and more spectacular, 50-mile-plus visibility openings, the likelihood is excellent we'll begin genuinely enjoying the final portion of our time here.

Meanwhile, back at Camp McGovern, the 1st Cavalry Division and other folks are looking to go home too. Living conditions there continue improving with layers of gravel being spread to mitigate the mud which has been a perennial problem ever since the base was established.

The "burn barrel," an old, shell-blasted, cylindrical concrete storage tank, will likely become an unofficial symbol of the place.

But I've been summoned back to Tuzla and it appears that's where I'll remain as the clock runs out. However, nothing here can ever be certain so who knows what might happen?

On a more personal note, the Talon, the official weekly newsmagazine here on Eagle Base, decided to use my snow-shower photo of our unit's first-up Black Hawk on its cover recently. If you've followed my web-pages these last few months, you first saw this shot back in November. I've also used it for my Bosnian amateur radio photo QSL card.

Hopefully, the cards I ordered will arrive soon and I can begin sending them out.

That's about it for this update. I'm hoping to have another ready sometime during the second week of March. This one should focus on our packing up and bringing the 24th Med Co up to speed on our mission.

I'm also extremely grateful for the thoughtful feedback so many have given me over these long months. Please continue because it's a primary driver of what I present here. As those who've written know, I enjoy hearing from you and will surely respond.

Thanks again and take care! If you'd like to drop a line, the address is: n6tst@ridgenet.net.

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