Warriors in Peace Operations - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army
Warriors in Peace Operations - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army
Warriors in Peace Operations - Strategic Studies Institute - U.S. Army
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answer. He quickly made himself and his soldiers<br />
<strong>in</strong>dispensable to the IFOR staff, so they had to f<strong>in</strong>d room for<br />
some of them. Meanwhile Brigadier General Raper faced an<br />
unpleasant situation as Lieutenant General Walker, the<br />
CG of the ARRC, saw Zetra and said that he would not<br />
accept it under any circumstances as his headquarters. He<br />
would wait <strong>in</strong> Kiseljak (approximately 15 miles outside of<br />
Sarajevo) until the Hotel complex <strong>in</strong> Iliadza (Serb section of<br />
Sarajevo) was completed for his command post (CP). Now all<br />
the communications at Zetra were not fulfill<strong>in</strong>g any<br />
functional role except as a signal node. He needed U.S.<br />
communications service <strong>in</strong> Kiseljak. I was the only potential<br />
provider, with two separate Tacsat l<strong>in</strong>ks that were <strong>in</strong> the<br />
process of be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>stalled on the Residency roof. Well, he<br />
must have gotten to Colonel Rodakowski, because the<br />
colonel called me just a few m<strong>in</strong>utes later and directed a<br />
change of plans to put one of the l<strong>in</strong>ks <strong>in</strong> Kiseljak until the<br />
ARRC moved to Iliadza, planned for mid-January. I<br />
WILCOed his request and directly called Brigadier General<br />
Raper, tell<strong>in</strong>g him I could get him communications the next<br />
day so long as my soldiers had a reasonable place to live and<br />
park our equipment. Desperation makes the best of friends.<br />
We made an agreement.<br />
The roof <strong>in</strong>stallation of the first system was progress<strong>in</strong>g<br />
nicely; communications came <strong>in</strong> well with<strong>in</strong> the pre-set<br />
deadl<strong>in</strong>e. We planned to travel to Kiseljak the next day to<br />
<strong>in</strong>stall the other system. Morn<strong>in</strong>g began with blizzard<br />
conditions, which cont<strong>in</strong>ued throughout the day. Travel<strong>in</strong>g<br />
was treacherous on the mounta<strong>in</strong> roads. Aga<strong>in</strong> time was<br />
critical, this time for the ARRC. After another harrow<strong>in</strong>g<br />
journey through the foothills around Sarajevo, we arrived <strong>in</strong><br />
Kiseljak <strong>in</strong> a bl<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g snowstorm. Aga<strong>in</strong>, we had to force our<br />
way and f<strong>in</strong>d a place to set up—noth<strong>in</strong>g was ever easy at the<br />
outset. But with an expert team led by Staff Sergeant<br />
Gomez, the Tacsat shot was <strong>in</strong> with communications run to<br />
the headquarters with<strong>in</strong> approximately 2 hours of our<br />
arrival on site.<br />
26