kosovoDominion of tribal alliances. Territory in the Roman, Byzantine andBulgarian Empires. Contested between regional powers. Conquered bythe Ottoman Empire. Center of the Albanian national awakening andrevolts of the 19th and 20th centuries. Divided between Montenegroand Serbia, then absorbed into Yugoslavia. Occupation by Italy and NaziGermany. An autonomous province of Serbia. A declaration ofindependence. The history of Kosovo is one of conflict and struggle foridentity. Can <strong>Wisconsin</strong> <strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> Soldiers help the new nationstand on its own?@easeExpress20 <strong>November</strong> <strong>2011</strong>-<strong>January</strong> <strong>2012</strong>
@easeExpressKFOR timeline1999: First elements of theNATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR)entered Kosovo on June 12, twodays after UN Security CouncilResolution 1244 was adopted.By June 20, all Serbian forceshad withdrawn. KFOR was initiallycomposed of some 50,000NATO troops, with a mandateto deter renewed hostility fromYugoslav and Serb forces,establish security, demilitarize theKosovo Liberation Army, supportinternational humanitarian effortsand support the international civilpresence.2002: KFOR reduced to around39,000 troops.2003: KFOR further reducedtroop levels to 26,000 in June,and to 17,500 by year’s end.2004: Renewed ethnic violenceerupted between Albanians andSerbs. KFOR troops came underattack, and 2,500 additionaltroops were deployed to reinforcethe existing KFOR strength. At theIstanbul Summit, NATO leaderscondemned the renewed violenceand reaffirmed their commitmentto a secure, stable and multiethnicKosovo.2007: Despite acomprehensive proposal and aspecial committee from the UN,no agreement was reached onKosovo’s status. KFOR helpedmaintain safety and stabilityduring negotiations. In December,Continued on Page 22Spc. Michelle Weissinger squintedher eyes as wind and cold rain pelted herface. The weather is typical of Indianain late fall and early winter — but morethan that, it’s typical of where she andapproximately 180 other members of the157th Maneuver Enhancement Brigadewill be deploying, right down to the hillyand wooded terrain: Kosovo.Following sendoff ceremonies inSeptember, the members of the 157thMEB headed to Camp Atterbury, Ind.,for several weeks of training with other<strong>National</strong> <strong>Guard</strong> units as part of KosovoForce (KFOR) 15, a NATO-led peacesupport mission. The 157th will serve asthe brigade headquarters unit for Multi-<strong>National</strong> Battle Group East, also referredto as Task Force Falcon. There it willoversee operations for the entire Multi-<strong>National</strong> Battle Group-East, which alsoincludes units from Armenia, Greece,Poland, Turkey, Romania and the Ukraine.“It’s a three-pronged mission,” saidCol. Jeffrey J. Liethen, an Onalaska, Wis.,native and KFOR 15 commander. “Wemonitor the pulse of the populace, so tospeak, keeping track of the feelings andPreparingfor apeacesupportmissionin Kosovoopinions of the people. We also act asthird responders to demonstrations andriots, and maintain freedom of movementfor other KFOR forces.”According to Sgt. Angie J. Gross —a Bismarck, N.D., native and humanresources specialist with the aviationelement of KFOR 15 — one of the biggestbenefits of coming to train together atCamp Atterbury is that everyone haslearned how to work as one team.“When we all first got here, everyoneContinued on Page 2221 <strong>November</strong> <strong>2011</strong>-<strong>January</strong> <strong>2012</strong>
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