Combat Patch For Bosnia Sfor Rotations
History of Task Force Eagle
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After the historic bridging of the Sava River on 31 December 1995, the 1stArmored 'Old Ironsides' Division, with supporting forces from V (US) Corps,was joined by armed forces of twelve other nations that included Estonia,Latvia, Finland, Poland, Denmark, Lithuania, Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Russia,Turkey and the United States. Together, these nations comprised MultiNationalDivision - North (MND-N), one of three MultiNational Divisions in NATOStabilization FORce (SFOR). TFE represented the Unites States contribution toSFOR.
These patches signify both currently attached units a soldier serves on the left sleeve, as well as the prior unit attached to while serving in a combat zone for a specified period of time on the right. Obviously, not everyone wears a combat patch on their right arm, so these are proud displays of prior service for the soldier. Page 1 of 2 - IFOR (Bosnia) Spoils - posted in SPOILS OF WAR: The Implementation Force (IFOR) was a NATO-led multinational force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one year mandate from 20 December 1995 to 20 December 1996 under the codename Operation Joint Endeavor to implement the military Annexes of The General Framework Agreement for Peace (GFAP) in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This was NATOs.
One of the most powerful UN formations ever fielded, MND-N, enforced thecease-fire, supervised the marking of boundaries, and monitored the zone ofseparation between the former warring factions, Entity Armed Forces (EAF)which consisted of the Bosnian-Croat Entity (the Federation) and the BosnianSerb Entity (the Republika Srpska), enforced the withdrawal of the combatantsand the movement of the heavy weapons to designated storage sites. TFE alsosupported the efforts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation inEurope (OSCE) to administer the country's first ever democratic nationalelections.
On 10 November 1996, the 1st Armored Division transferred authority forcommand and control of TFE to the 1st Infantry Division. The 1st InfantryDivision deployed as a covering force to allow the safe return of the 1stArmored Division units to Germany. Upon completion of the covering forcemission, the 1st Infantry Division continued ensuring that all militaryaspects of the Dayton Peace Accord were accomplished firmly and fairly.
On 20 December 1996, the implementation force mission came to successfulconclusion and the 1st Infantry Division was directed to continue serving inBosnia as part of the new NATO Stabilization FORce (SFOR). This decisionbrought to close the mission of Operation JOINT ENDEAVOR and the beginningfor Operation JOINT GUARD.
On 22 October 1997, the 1st Armored Division conducted a relief in place ofthe 1st Infantry Division, and reassumed command of MND-N. Soldiers fromAmerica's tank division, accustomed to the mission, quickly adjusted to theirfamiliar role and challenges of maintaining a safe and secure and peacefulenvironment in the MND-N sector of SFOR.
Through careful planning and the skillful execution of every mission, thesoldiers of the 1st Armored Division and those of our multi-national allies,continued to monitor the militaries of the former combatants and provide aclimate of stability in the war-torn land of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
1st Cavalry Division Deployment Order
On 17 April 1998, a Pentagon spokesman announced that the 1st CavalryDivision troops from Ft. Hood, Texas, would deploy in late summer to replacethe US peace keeping force in Bosnia, the 1st Armored Division. It was anhistoric move. It was the first time a Continental United States (CONUS) basedcontingency unit would assume the Bosnian peacekeeping mission.
While not obvious to the layman, the challenge of moving a division-size Armytask force from its home station in Texas to a deployment zone far away, wasgreat. The task force of approximately five thousand soldiers required overseven hundred vehicles, aircraft, and shipping containers of supplies. Theshipment had to travel to a far shore across many time zones, mountains, andkilometers of salt water. The route had to be secure and the movement had tobe safe.
Planning for the move began in the spring and early summer of 1998. Theequipment of the 1st Cavalry Division task force would be transported, stagedand concentrated at the shipping terminal of the 596th Transportation Group inBeaumont, Texas, then be moved to its final destination by motor convoy, rail,and air delivery. Additional cargo of the 3rd Battalion, 229th AviationRegiment, 82nd Airborne Division, which was to be attached to the 1st CavalryDivision for the Bosnian Operation, would be staged and loaded at Wilmington,North Carolina.
Spring turned into early summer. Military Traffic Management Command (MTMC) planners began to hear word of a change of plans. The original planed seaportof embarkation was to be Bremerhaven, Germany, but Pentagon planners wereconsidering a port much closer to the destination. Aviators were concernedabout maintenance and safety issues associated with a long air transit acrossthe heart (and mountains) of Europe from northern Germany. Leaders in the 1stCavalry Division wanted to hurry the movement of their heavy equipment tofacilitate the mission transfer. Although a port closer to their destinationsuch as the Adriatic Sea port of Rijeka, Croatia might create infrastructureand security problems, it was finally chosen because its location would speedthe entry of the task force's heavy equipment into the theater.
In May, the 3rd Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment, which has its origin inthe 'WidowMakers', 'C' Company, 229th Aviation Regiment as an organic unit ofthe 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam, received orders to deploy to Bosnia aspeacekeepers in support of Operation JOINT FORGE. In June, in preparationfor deployment, its intensive training criteria included an Aviation TrainingExercise at Ft. Rucker, Alabama; in July, a Mission Readiness Exercise atFort Polk, Louisiana and in August, a Joint Air Attack Team live firecoordination exercise at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.
On 20 June, the mission of the NATO SFOR was restated to deter hostilities and stabilize the peace, contribute to a secureenvironment by providing a continued military presence in the area ofoperations, target and coordinate SFOR support to key areas and primary civilimplementation organizations and progress towards a lasting consolidation ofpeace without further need for NATO-led forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
As a result of the mission restatement, the transition of the current NATO ledSFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina changed over to a slightly smaller follow-on force.The United States agreed to provide a force of approximately 6,900 US militarypersonnel to help maintain a capable military force in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Concurrently, Operation JOINT GUARD ended and Operation JOINT FORGE began.Operation JOINT FORGE continued to build on the successes of OperationsJOINT GUARD and JOINT ENDEAVOR. No timeline for the duration of OperationJOINT FORGE was established from the onset. Rather than establish a deadlinefor the termination of the mission, its accomplishments were assessedperiodically and the level of force commitment adjusted, as circumstancesrequired.
With the deployment to Bosnia inching closer, soldiers from the advanced party,Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Cavalry Division had already packedtheir military vans in preparation for their year-long deployment.
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1st Cavalry Division Deployment
Different sections from the Division Headquarters loaded the military vans forabout four days. The loading went fast because everyone was assigned aspecific task. Once the military vans were packed, they were loaded ontovehicles, weighed and moved to the Deployment Readiness Reaction Field (DRRF)to be marshaled, and taken to the railhead in one group, In addition to theHeadquarters equipment, High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV),five-ton trucks and expando-vans from the Headquarters Company motorpool werebeing loaded on the trains for shipment to Beaumont, Texas.
Long lines of vehicles were concentrated at the Beaumont docks. The cargo wasmostly from Ft. Hood. However, some cargo was from Ft. Carson, Colorado;Ft. Riley, Kansas; Ft. Sam Houston, Texas; and Ft. Polk, Louisiana.Helicopters were flown into the port, some from as far away as a NationalGuard unit in California. Army Reservists from the 1192nd TransportationTerminal Brigade, from New Orleans, Louisiana, began loading on 04 and 05August. In all, the cargo covered 192,000 square feet.
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For the USNS Soderman, the distant port of Rijeka drew closer by thehour. As the ship approached the lands of the former country of Yugoslavia,the personnel of MTMC were joined by some new and valuable partners, militaryand civilian. The military partners included the 21st Theater Area ArmyCommand (TAACOM) of Kaiserslautern, Germany. who were charged with theresponsibility of setting up a small city to speed the transition from shipunloading to onward movement to Bosnia.
On 20 August 1998, it was 'wheels up' for the troopers of the 1st CavalryDivision as it became the first Continental United States (CONUS) baseddivision to support the ongoing peace-keeping mission in Bosnia and assumecommand of Task Force Eagle and MND-N. Members of the division departed RobertGray Army Airfield, Ft. Hood to set the stage for more than six thousandsoldiers of the 1st and 2nd Brigade that would follow.
On the same day, the 3rd Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment alongwith the 301st Attack Squadron, Royal Netherlands Air Force and 'I/K' Company,4th Battalion. 159th Aviation that supplements the Battalion's organicaviation maintenance, was attached to the 1st Cavalry Division as Task ForceANGEL. Concurrently, the first element of Task Force ANGEL (the 3rd Battalion,229th Aviation Regiment) conducted an incident free deployment from FortBragg, North Carolina and arrived at the Camp Comanche airfield. Task ForceAngel immediately assumed the attack aviation mission for the 4th Brigade, 1stCavalry Division as if it were organic to the division. Their defined missionwas to conduct reconnaissance, security and attack helicopter operationsacross the SFOR Area of Responsibility (AOR); to deter EAF hostility andenforce the GFAP; on order, conduct mission handover and safely redeploy toCONUS.
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The operations of the port of Rijeka, a new one for MTMC presented manychallenges. There were civilian contractors to work with as well. MTMCcontracted with Jadroagent, of Rijeka, for port and stevedore services. Thestevedores, with another language and culture, were required to undergoextensive training. American contractors included veteran overseas operatorsBrown & Root Services Corporation and DynCorp. Brown & Root operated a diningfacility and shower point. DynCorp maintenance specialists, many of whom wereArmy veterans, were assigned to assist in the assembly and preparation of thehelicopters for flight. In short order, a complete task force staff, fromcommand sergeant major to public affairs officer, was functioning and readyfor the arrival of the USNS Soderman.
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From 23 to 25 August, stevedores at the Rijeka dockside unloaded 377 wheeledand tracked vehicles, 287 shipping containers, 45 Apache and Black Hawkhelicopters, numerous support vehicles, and assorted unit supplies. The cargowas prepared immediately for onward movement. From 25 to 30 August, sometwelve trains were loaded with vehicles and shipping containers. Somenonstandard pieces of equipment went by road convoy to the Bosnia-Herzegovina1st Cavalry Division area near Tuzla.
The shipment into Croatia was a plus for the aviators and saved hundreds ofhours of helicopter time for the aircraft of the Division. From a hastilyformed dockside aviation compound, helicopters were reassembled, tested, andprepared for liftoff. Almost hourly, another helicopter completed safety andmaintenance checks and lifted off high above the sun-drenched docks and outover the azure waters and blue skies of the Adriatic. Pilots flew thehelicopters directly to the Camp Comanche airfield, deep in Bosnia.
On 24 August the main body of the Division began deploying from Robert GrayArmy Airfield. Flights continued through early October. In preparation for themission, the training soldiers had conducted prior to deploying had been verydemanding and the whole experience had pulled the Division Staff together.Morale was quite high.
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Although units of the 1st Cavalry Division are deployed routinely around theworld, the Division Headquarters had not deployed since DESERT STORM. Theheadquarters command staff of the division would be stationed at Camp Eaglenear Tuzla, Bosnia during the entire year-long deployment. It was planned thatthe 1st Brigade Combat Team would be relieved by the 2nd Brigade Combat Teamin March 1999. In August 1999, the 10th Mountain Division (and other units)would replace the 1st Cavalry Division Headquarters, 4th Brigade, 312thMilitary Intelligence Battalion, and 13th Signal Battalion. The 2nd BrigadeCombat Team would remain in Bosnia under the control of the 10th MountainDivision until October 1999 when, as the last unit of the 1st CavalryDivision to return, it would redeploy to Ft. Hood.
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General Eric M. Shinseki, NATO SFOR Commander was the reviewing officer for the afternoon ceremony. The ceremony began with aninspection of the honor company. After a performance of the Turkish bandplaying the 'Star Spangled Banner' the colors of the 1st Armored Division werecased and the colors of the 1st Cavalry Division were uncased and presented.The ceremony closed with a benediction by the 1st Cavalry Division Chaplainand the band playing 'Hit the Leather', 'Iron Soldier March', and 'The ArmySong'.
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First, working in a coordinated, preplanned effort, each unit of the CombatTeam was assigned tasks or undertook specific missions, that fulfilled theoverall mission of the 1st Cavalry Division. The missions included thefollowing tasks:
Patrolling the 1,400 km Zone of Separation (ZOS)
Monitoring 766 cantonment sites
Conducting site inspections and confiscation of unauthorized weapons
Monitoring Entity Armed Forces (EAF) training and movement activities
Monitoring of de-mining efforts
Enforcing restrictions on EAF training
Removing unauthorized checkpoints
Maintaining a secure environment for civil implementation
Improving local infrastructure of bridges, roads and railroads
Maintaining local airport facilities for civil air traffic
To effectively cover their theater of operations, the 1st Cavalry DivisionUnits were functionally deployed and stationed at base camps in Bosnia asindicated by the green designator labels shown on the map below.
The 1st Cavalry Division Units deployed for the first six months of duty werepositioned in the following camp areas:
| 1st BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM (20 August 1998 to 15 Mar 1999) |
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Following deployment to Bosnia, 1st Cavalry Division troopers underwent a postdeployment training and transition program with the soldiers of 1st ArmoredDivision that was built on the concept of a 'right-seat-ride'. During thistime, leaders, staffs and soldiers trained alongside their counterparts withthe 1st Cavalry Division soldiers accompanying 1st Armored Division soldiersas they accomplished daily missions in Bosnia. Each soldier and officer rode'in the right seat' for a minimum of two weeks. 1st Cavalry Division soldiersassumed more responsibility for missions as 1st Armored Division soldiers wereslowly phased out from daily operations.
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13th Signal Battalion
Units of the 13th Signal Battalion were deployed to Bosnia in support ofOperation JOINT FORGE. They were stationed at various camps sites to upgradeor replace existing networks and make radio, data link, land line and internetcommunication for commanders and service personnel deployed to the area,simple and efficient. The objective of the 13th Signal Battalion was tofacilitate communicating throughout the rough terrain of the MND-N sector aseasy as in the states.
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On 15 October the first of many video teleconferences between the CommandDivision staff and the Family Readiness Group leaders at Ft. Hood occurred.Task Force Eagle updated the leaders about the status of current operationsin Bosnia and the leaders were given the opportunity to provide informationon any critical family issues and ask questions. Following the FamilyReadiness conference, the Task Force Hood staff briefed the Commanding Generalon the situations at Fort Hood.
227th Aviation Regiment
On 24 October an unidentified laser device was directed at a UH-60 helicopterand resulted in minor eye injuries for two crewmembers of 'B' Company, 2ndBattalion, 227th Aviation. The incident occurred near the town of Zenica. Theflight crew completed their mission and returned to base where they were bothimmediately examined and treated. The pilot and a crew member had sustainedminor burns to the outer tissue of their eyes. The optometrist who treated thepilots indicated that the injuries would not be permanent. Subsequentexaminations showed improvement and the crew returned to full flight statuswithin the next few days.
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Immediately following the confirmation of the incident, coalition militaryunits and units from the EAF were notified and a full investigation wasinitiated. This was the first verified laser incident in which medicaltreatment was required. There had been three other reports of suspectedpen-type laser devices being aimed at US aircraft. However, there had been noinjuries in any of these cases.
1st Cavalry Division Band
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At Christmas, the brass players performed a tree lighting ceremony at theMND-N Headquarters, complete with Santa Claus in a HMMWV and a bag full ofgifts. After the ceremony, the band members, trading their battle dressuniforms for 'dress blues', held a concert for Major General Byrnes and thestaff. While serving with Task Force Eagle, throughout the tour and at all theconcerts, the First Team Band helped boost Division morale during the holidayseason, as well as spread goodwill throughout the civilian community and aswell by promoting esprit de corps throughout Bosnia.
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Base security, at all times, was the prime mission for the Division. NewYear's Eve passed much like any winter night of pulling guard duty at EagleBase except for the 15-minute fusillade that was touched off at the stroke ofmidnight by local Bosnians living in the nearby communities, who celebrated(in a somewhat dangerous fashion) by firing pistols, rifles, and machine gunsinto the sky along with several small explosions for good measure.
Engineer Brigade
The most important and dangerous mission performed by units of the engineerbattalions deployed to Bosnia was monitoring demining operations. Theirmission was: 'To collect, manage and provide mine information for theprotection of the force and support the removal, dismantling, and destructionof all mines, unexploded ordnance, explosive devices, and demolitions inaccordance with the Dayton Accords.'
Bosnia and Herzegovina has the most severe landmine problem in Europe, whereit is estimated that one million land mines were emplaced during the threeyear civil war. To prepare themselves for the mission, the engineers conductedan extensive training program that consisted of: 1) deminer refreshertraining; 2) mechanical deminer training; 3) survey training; 4) mineawareness and 5) Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training.
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Significant improvements in demining operations were developed in Bosnia. Thesignificant change was made when the methodology changed from 'mine lifting'to 'mine clearing'. Mine lifting consists of identifying and removing knownmines in accordance with the quantities shown on existing minefield recordsand any additional devices identified during the lifting operation. Thismethod does not account for inaccurate maps or mines that had been added atlater dates. Mine clearing consists in a concentrated clearance of mines froma designated area and physical proofing of the ground. This process resultsin a 99.6% certainty that the area will be safe and can be returned for publicuse.
In addition to the dangerous task of monitoring mine clearing, units of theEngineer Brigade were busy constructing and reshaping the landscape with theirheavy equipment. Among the most critical high priority tasks, was therestoring, remodeling and new construction of the various camps andspecialized training facilities. A major effort was undertaken to improve thelocal infrastructure system of roads and bridges around each of the camps andpatrol areas. Working with the Navy Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB-40)Seabees, the engineers rebuilt the drainage system and added new access roadsand several Forward Area Refueling Points (FARP) pads at the Comancheairfield.
One of the assignments of the Division was to routinely set up checkpoints toexercise the interoperability of various forces during day and nightoperations and to spot check vehicles that might be carrying illegal cargo. Onthe evening of 24 February, troopers of 'A' Company, 2nd Battalion, 5thCavalry, operating out of Camp McGovern, found a large quantity of contrabandmunitions in two trucks during checkpoint operations near Brcko. Acting withintheir mandate, they seized the two trucks and all military weapons andammunition on board.
The seized weapons, hidden behind piles of firewood, were not the types ofweapons that ordinary citizens would have in their possession. They includedmultiple rocket launch systems, SA-7 air defense systems, and othersophisticated and expensive weapons that one would expect to see only in thepossession of military forces.
Following up on the results on their investigation, troopers supported byRussian troops moved to a warehouse suspected of holding illegal weapons inBijeljina. Dil dil pakistan song download. Entering the warehouse, they found hundreds of cases of militaryequipment, plastic explosives, grenades, arms and ammunition. The equipmentwas seized and removed from the site along with paperwork and records.
Subsequent investigations revealed that several personnel assigned to the311th Infantry Brigade, III Corps Bosnian Serb Army Voijska Rep Srpska (VRS)were directly involved in supporting this illegal act. As punishment for themovement of counterband arms, the 311th Infantry Brigade was disbanded in itsentirety. The headquarters, barracks, weapons storage sites, ammunitiondepots, ranges and other facilities associated with the 311th Infantry Brigadewere barred from any militaryfunction.
3rd Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment
The 3rd Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment - designated as Task Force ANGLE,under Operational Control (OPCON) to the 1st Cavalry Division, accomplishedits mission and each of its Mission Essential Tasks (MET), as well asexceeding every standard by which a unit can be measured.
In the Bosnian AOR, TF ANGLE conducted multinational operations with more thanten foreign countries, from NATO and the former Warsaw Pact. In doing so, itexecuted its traditional attack helicopter missions as well as non-traditionalroles such as hostage rescue exercises, border surveillance, weapon storagesite reconnaissance, escort and combined arms operations with infantry andarmor.
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After it arrived in Bosnia, TF ANGEL flew over five hundred hours per month.This Operating Tempo (OPTEMPO) reflected an average of 32.5 hours per monthper aircraft. In carrying out its mission, TF ANGEL surpassed the FieldMission Capability (FMC) standard for both aircraft availability (84% FMC) andvehicle readiness (88% FMC) for each and every month of deployment by 14% and8% respectively.
Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Training
In March, seven countries participated in Nuclear, Biological and Chemical(NBC) training hosted by the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry at Camp McGovern. UStroops participated along with Russian, Danish, Turkish, Swedish, Finish,Polish, and Norwegian chemical soldiers in a joint static display of NBCdefense equipment. The US soldiers also held a decontamination exercisedemonstrated by soldiers from Camp Bedrock.
The multinational forces converged to observe the US soldiers perform anoperational decontamination demonstration. The demonstration consisted of avehicle wash down to simulate cleansing vehicles of contamination. Theexercise also involved a Mission Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) gearexchange, where soldiers traded out simulated contaminated protective suitsfor clean garments.
In early March, the 1st Brigade with its attached units began the process ofdeploying to Ft. Hood and was relieved in place by the 2nd Brigade with itscorresponding attached units. The Division Headquarters, the 4th Brigade, the312th MI and 13th Signal Battalions, scheduled as 'Holdover Units', remaineddeployed in theater until redeployment in August.
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On 24 March 1999, NATO launched a major offensive against Kosovo, aneighboring Balkan province of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Theobjective of the strike was to force the Yugoslavian leader, SlobodanMilosevic to end his 'ethnic' cleansing of Albanians who constitutedapproximately eighty-five percent of the population in the Serb province.
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Although wreckage from the two downed aircraft landed near the US Sector.troopers of the 1st Cavalry Division remained safe and secure as theycontinued with their mission. As always, force protection was the toppriority. Immediately, access to all camps became limited to mission essentialpersonnel only, with normal operations resuming as soon as was practical.Troops were back in flak jackets and helmets and were eating Meals, Ready toEat (MREs) supplemented with fresh fruit, breads and simply prepared foods.Contractor personnel only returned when the potential of any threat to thetroops was eliminated.
On 27 March, a second violation of Bosnia-Herzegovina airspace occurred whentwo FRY helicopters crossed the border south of Bijeljina. The helicopterswere tracked by NATO aircraft and retreated to FRY airspace before they couldbe intercepted.
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The Sentinel radar, a towed, ground-based unit assigned to short range airdefense battalions. It is capable of automatically detecting, tracking,identifying and classifying threat targets in all weather conditions up toforty kilometers away. Its low altitude system is capable of alerting andcueing air defense gunners to aerial targets approaching their engagementarea.
Amid the flurry and background of a war occurring in a neighboring country,the members of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team readied themselves to relieve the1st Brigade Combat Team in Bosnia. Upon deployment for the second round, the2nd Brigade, along with its support units, including the non-divisionalattached units as well as the 'Holdover Units' were stationed at the followingfive camp areas. (Camp Bedrock had been closed in March.)
| 2nd BRIGADE COMBAT TEAM (15 March 1999 to 01 October 1999) |
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On 01 April, the Division initiated the formal implementation of the secondand final mission phase as the 2nd Brigade Combat Team relieved the 1stBrigade Combat Team. On 02 April Major General Byrnes addressed the morale anddedication of all the MND-N troops necessary to keep Bosnia on a peacefultrack. He made arrangements to get the troops back on one hot meal a day, andthey eagerly awaited the day for the return of 'home cooking' provided by thecontractor, Brown and Root.
Division Support Command
The Division Support Command (DISCOM) 'Wagonmasters' provided TFE with the'life line' of 'fuel-fix-arm-move-sustain' spectrum of support for theoperations of the 1st Cavalry Division in Bosnia. Previously, in the firstmission phase, this function was provided by the 115th Forward SupportBattalion (FSB) and the 615th Aviation Support Battalion (ASB). Now the colorsof the 15th FSB provided the focal point of the Logistics Task Force (LTF)which included aviation maintenance elements of the 'A' Company, 404th ASB,4th Infantry Division and higher-echelon maintenance from the 183rdMaintenance Support Team (MST), III Corps from Ft. Carson, Colorado.
The LTF was also home to a platoon of Heavy Equipment Transports (HETs), aswell as a section of Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units (ROWPUs) fromthe division's own 27th Main Support Battalion (MSB), the largest and mostpowerful battalion of its kind in the entire United States Army. The HETs addthe capability for transport armored vehicles quick and efficiently over longdistances, and the ROWPUs provides a standby fresh water 'on call' capability,should the local contracting efforts break down or become overloaded. The27th MSB also provided personnel backfill to the 15th FSB prior to thedeployment to Bosnia in order to fill critical slots in a variety of MilitaryOccupational Specialties (MOS).
Although the 'Gamblers' of the LTF operated mainly from Comanche Base, theyalso had soldiers and equipment spread throughout the MND-N area ofresponsibility, providing support where needed. MSTs were attached to eachbattalion TF to ensure that weapon system repairs are done at the lowestpossible echelon of support, and the HET drivers of the 27th MSB operateconstantly, shifting combat power where needed in the sector.
On 16 April, the Navy ship, USNS Antares (T-AKR-294), a 'Roll On/RollOff' Transport, arrived at the Port of Corpus Christi, Texas. The docks becamea flurry of military activity as Black Hawk helicopters, Humvees and supplieswere loaded onto trains and trucks after their return from Bosnia. Theequipment, coming from Rijeka, Croatia, was moving to the home base of the 1stCavalry Division, Ft. Hood near Killeen. Texas.
The MTMC planned the highly coordinated endeavor. It involved synchronizingseventy rail cars, forty-six trucks and more than two-hundred people,including one-hundred local stevedores, who descended on the cargo dock andbegan unloading the ship. Among the contents of the ship were twenty-fourhelicopters, which were shipped disassembled. The pieces of each of the $14million helicopters would be reassembled on the dock, inspected, refueled andthen flown on to Ft. Hood, Texas.
On 23 July, initiating the 6th rotation of US Troops into Bosnia, an advancedparty of what will eventually be 3,200 soldiers from 10th Mountain Division,Ft. Drum, New York arrived to begin the staffing build up for the Change ofCommand of MND-N. The 10th Mountain Division had been in training for the pastyear, preparing for their mission assignment to Bosnia. The 2nd Brigade, 10thMountain Division began deploying later in the month to fall in on equipmentwhich sailed from the Howland Hook Marine Terminal, Staten Island, New Yorkon 04 August.
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Major General James L. Campbell assumed command of MND-N from Major GeneralKevin P. Byrnes. In carrying out the TA, there was a gradual, incrementallyexecuted operation, that was planned in a manner to ensure that there wouldbe no disruption in the mission of MND-N, which was to provide a safe andsecure environment throughout its area of responsibility. The 1st CavalryDivision soldiers would continue to serve the citizens of Bosnia andHerzegovina as the 2nd Brigade Combat Team remained in place under the commandof the 10th Mountain Division, completing the full mission transition inOctober
In the continuation of its assignment, members of the 2nd Brigade stayedbusy conducting their regular patrolling activities and participating in, andmonitoring the variety of EAF training and movement events throughout thesector. The missions included presence patrols, weapons search andinspections, Operation HARVEST '99, the summer demining campaign, JointAssessment Team investigations and displaced persons and refuges returns.
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This transition represented more than a brigade level transition of authority.It signaled the mission accomplishment of the military provisions set forthby the Dayton Peace Accords and the end of the magnificent tour of the 'FirstTeam' in Bosnia. Following the TA Ceremony, the final efforts of the 2ndBrigade were spent organizing personnel, cleaning, packing and loadingequipment. Upon arrival at Ft. Hood, Texas, a Division Patch Welcome HomeCeremony was held on 18 October, at Cooper Field.
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