Having loaded the bus with the gear and bottled water the night before and having been issued our helmuts and flack jackets for the remainder of the trip downrange (they went unused, by the way) we met our armed escort at 0800 and headed to Camp McGovern in Bosnia i Herzegovina. Not that we were ever in any danger, folks, but as the old saying goes- you can't be too safe- and the armed escort is designed to draw fire away from the vehicles being escorted. We were also given the safety briefing... "Walk ONLY on a paved surface or board sidewalk. Do not walk on any grass. If you did not set it down- do not pick it up! Souvineer collecting can be deadly". OK, we understand and will act accordingly. Pretty straightforward, really.
We drove south from Taszar, Hungary to the Croatia border, with our escort and our SFOR badges ever ready we had no problem crossing the border. A short hour-long drive thru Croatia brought us to the border of BiH. Likewise, here we had no problem crossing into Bosnia. Only this time, our escorts opened the top of thier Hum -V and mounted thier weaponry. Serious buisiness. Hungary, Croatia and Bosnia i Herzegovina had landscapes not unlike those in Illinois. At least that was the case all the way to McGovern base. Lots of fields with soybeans, corn and sunflowers. Sunflowers follow the sun across the sky turning slowly to face it over the course of the day. My only question is: who goes into those fields over night and faces them all back east before sunrise? (gawd, am i being "terminally cute", or what?)
When Tim and Lisa were at Camp McGovern in '97 they described it as "a tent city built on dust and rocks". They had obviously "dug in" for the long hall and the tents were all replaced with real buildings and con-exes(?) (giant shipping crates that can also double as barracks). The rocks and dust being promenant still, I really wanted to buy a pair of boots. All I had with me was a pair of Converse Hi-tops and every rock made its presence felt. There was a particular boot I wanted called Magnums that felt like walking on clouds no matter where you walked. They were available at the PX for $60 and would have been a great investment as they would have lasted me years, but there were none in my size. The shelves were stocked with sizes 6(?), 7, 8 , 9 and 13... I was looking for 11s... "I'm SURE you can get them at Butmir base" I was told... sure thing.
At Camp McGovern we met up with Dean who escorted us to the SFOR Base outside of Sarajevo. When I described the landscape earlier, I forgot to mention how the houses in the countryside were being rebuilt. Most if not all of the houses are made of cinderblock style bricks but made of a red coloured clay. Over the brick a whitewash is applied. These are single storied houses, mostly, and where white walls were blown out from shelling, red brick patchwork is visible. Tim and Lisa said that what was remarkable about the area was all the renovation going on, compared to the abundant devistation of two years back. And almost all the houses had satelite dishes! That's real progress!! On the last trip UA went to all the Task Force Eagle Bases around the country but not to the city of Sarajevo itself. So the city will be a first for them as well.
But what beautiful country! South of McGovern base the hills, no- the mountains with bluffs and and plush greenery and creeks flowing below the road... Stunning, absolutely stunning! Words would never do this justice, so as soon as I can get 'em, I'll have pictures up for you. The elevation got higher and higher and our ears were popping and the fog- sorry, clouds were making everything misty and shiney... breathtaking!
As a matter of course, we crossed the divide and started the downhill part of the ride. Once again, the ears start acclimating and for the next hour or so, Fritz was riding the brakes... We were not on Fritz's bus, his bus was being used elsewhere and it would meet us further down range. He was bragging to us about his new bus that sleeps seven and Fritz! It has a shower and the bathroom works and it's his baby, his home on wheels. Fritz used to have a production company that did big touring shows in both Europe and the States in the seventies (i think!). After he retired and sold the company, he found himself sitting at home in Hanau, Germany driving himself crazy with nothing to do. So he got back on the road driving busses for the company that does these USO tours. He had been on the road for quite a long run and was slated to take a couple weeks off when he got word that Uncle Albert had requested him as the driver if it was possible. "Uncle Albert? Sure!! Fritz is thier driver, yah!!". Last time around Tim and Lisa were invited to dinner at his house in Hanau where they met his wife and doggie(s). So on to Sarajevo...
Rounding a big bend in the road the skyline of Sarajevo opened itself to us. We arrived there about 1500 and went directly to Butmir Base, south of the city, in the Republic of Serbske. We checked in to the base, getting our blankets and pillows for the bunks and got our room assignments. Because this was an SFOR base and the international laws that apply, the housing was gender specific. Married couples were no exception and were housed apart. Tim, Jonny, Brad and myself got a room in one building and Lisa was in the female barracks next door. So by the time we get settled in and cleaned up from the trip, we all met that evening at the Pizza Place- a covered outdoor beer garden with a full bar and coffee machine. In the backround we could here a rukkas with what sounded like piped in music and female voices singing and saying "Are you having a good time??" and the inevitable sound of a group of guys shouting "Ohh yeah!!!". Guess who this would be? If you said The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders you were correct! We were way too tired from the drive to even be interested in checking out thier act. Not to belittle the job they do (after the show they all go into the audience and talk one-on-one with the troops all personable like and the guys love it), but we were beat ! Dean joined us at our table and with a big grin and a wink said "Hey guys! Don't you wanna go check out The Laker Girls?!". Later that night we met the Sargent Major and First Sargent of the base. Respectively a Brit and a German, both were welcoming and ammiable and great folks.