Impressions from Bosnia

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 12, Issue 560, 1 November 1994, Page 8

Impressions from Bosnia

by

Michele

Monaghan

Have you ever wondered what it's really like in Bosnia? Corporal Jack Reedy recently retumed from the war-torn former Yugoslavia and talked to the Bulletin about his impressions of the country. Cpl Reedy is now on his way back to the New Zealand contingent in Santici, now affectionately known as 'Kiwi Company'. Cpl Reedy said that as soon as he crossed the Croatian border you could see the destruction. "Everything's got bullet holes it it. It' s actually quite a nice country apart from the war. There are burntout cars along the road and heaps of trash." Cpl Reedy said there is rubbish everywhere, foreign rubbish which he said probably came from the aid convoys. "We watched a woman empty a bag of rubbish into a stream so it could float in to the next country," he said. When the New Zealand soldiers first arrived in Santici some of the Maori members of the contingent were mistaken for Muslims", said Cpl Reedy. "The locals were a little sceptical at first, they (now) know we are New Zealanders. We greet them in their own language and it gives them a hell of a fright. We' re

friendly, we smile and wave." Cpl Reedy said he thought the New Zealand TURN TO PAGE 12

Impressions from Bosnia

FROMPAGE8 contingent had already made an impact in the valley they were in because of their willingness to speak the language. Also Kiwi soldiers are bigger than most peace-keepers and in Cpl Reedy's words "are pretty intimidating". Once the contingent arrived in Santici it was down to business straight away. Soldiers in APC's (Armoured Personnel Carriers) went out on patrols and manned checkpoints basically as soon as they got there. The Kiwis share a camp with the Belgians and Dutch, but by now should have all their own facilities. When Corporal Reedy returned to New Zealand the Dry Canteen (shop) was being built and was the final building to go up in the camp. The mess had been fmished so all Kiwis could eat together and be fed by Kiwis. Before the mess was built the Kiwi soldiers ate continental breakfasts, cut lunches and travelled by bus into Vitez for their evening meal. "The Brit mess was good

but they don't feed Kiwis enough," said Cpl Reedy. An important link with New Zealand is the mail, which gets to the troops fairly regularly and the quickest mail took six-days. That was the Winfield Cup Final which got watched about six times said Cpl Reedy. Another important factor is the equipment the Kiwis have. Cpl Reedy said "The Brits think Kiwis are spoilt, especially with the quality of their 'Flak Jackets' which weigh 15kg. Brit flak jackets are quite light and a favourite Kiwi pasttime is asking a Brit to pass a Kiwi flak jacket and watch them strain to pick it up. The Kiwi flack jacket has an armour pack or plate about the size of an A4 piece of paper. The British flak jacket' s protection pack is about the size of a cassette tape and just covers their heart", said Cpl Reedy Of course Kiwi patrols come in contact with the local children who ask the soldiers for lollies. Although the soldiers aren't allowed to give out food, they are allowed to give out a Kiwi insignia with New Zealand on it. Cpl Reedy said the children were fully clothed and shod and that aid convoys got through without any problems in their area. He said that the Vitez pocket where the Kiwis are is quiet, averaging a dozen shooting incidents a day. "It's normally soldiers coming back from the cafe. They open up to let their wives know they're coming home." Cafes are drinking places and the local drop 'Slivoich', is 70% proof. Even the local beer is 12% proof. Cpl Reedy said that navi-

gating was interesting as the maps they use are 1:100 000. In Waiouru they use maps that are 1 :50. He related a story of missing a turn-off and ending up near the front line. "I saw the turn and thought it looked like someone's driveway. Even the interpreter said it wasn' t it." Cpl Reedy said the roads are just wide enough to fit an APC on with the biggest having right-of-way. The biggest are normally the Brit Warriors — "they ' re huge". After three months of training Corporal Reedy said he is itching to get back to the contingent. ' "I' ve been sitting around

here too long. I' 11 only have four-months when I get back." Being armoured corps Cpl Reedy said he expected to spend 20-years in Waiouru. "To get in to an operation is really good, especially this size." By the time Cpl Reedy rejoins his comrades winter should be upon them. "The locals reckon in October it rains and in November it's winter -just like that. We had a sprinkling of snow just before I left and it was cold. It was like a really chilly day here, probably about one or two degrees."