Warriors in Peace Operations - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army

promptly chambered a round in his pistol. Well, there was
no turning back now. We followed suit, climbed in the rear of
the vehicle, and began a wild trip through the Serb corridor
and down the snow-covered mountain passes to Mostar and
Ploce. After one major rest stop, we arrived back in Zagreb
the next morning at approximately 0400. After thanking
our German comrades, we quickly reported in and hit the
sack for a couple hours of sleep. The next day would begin
very quickly, with much planning for the return trip to
Sarajevo with convoys of equipment.
The first thing the next morning was an operational
situation report (SITREP) from the battalion headquarters.
Everything was progressing extremely well under the able
leadership of my Executive Officer, Major Phil Minor, and
my S3, Major Gordon Johnson. Major Minor had developed
a very effective administrative and logistics operation using
the ALOC. And Major Johnson was handling the reins of the
Battalion Control (BATCON) with uncommon savvy.
During an early visit to the CJCCC, Colonel Rodakowski
verified the need for urgency for the Sarajevo IFOR
communications mission. “Need you to lead the convoy to
Sarajevo ASAP and ensure the communications installation
for the CINC. The communications need to be in by the 28th
of December,” he explained. I told him there were lots of
moving parts to this operation. If everything went according
to schedule and the planets were aligned perfectly, we had a
good shot. The plan: CSM Spence, my Battalion Command
Sergeant Major, and I, along with CW2 Banner and some
able NCOs, would set out early the next day (Christmas
Eve) in a four-vehicle convoy filled with lumber and supplies
to Split. At Split we were to join up with Captain Muller,
help organize their convoy on Christmas Day, and lead
them to Sarajevo early the next day. That would give us
about 2 days to build a roof support, coordinate crane
support to lift the shelters and antennas, and get the
satellite shot in—certainly a daunting task, to say the least.
Meanwhile in Zagreb, Major Johnson had his hands full
working military/commercial interfaces so that anyone
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