"We are going to be a little more stern with them than the police," Weaver said.
Oh, yes. They remember how that policy works:
Posted on 06/14/2002 1:23:02 PM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
VUCKOVCI, Bosnia and Herzegovina — In a scene that could have come from a post-apocalyptic war movie, Stabilization Force soldiers went door-to-door around the country Monday asking people to hand over illegal weapons.
Even more surreal, people responded by rummaging through furniture, basements and barns, and then turning in handfuls and boxes of small arms rounds, grenades, explosive items and a couple of guns.
Monday was the first day of phase two of Operation Active Harvest. In the operation, SFOR is going to the people, making it easier for them to turn in weapons, according to Lt. Drew Weaver, 1st Platoon leader from Company C, 1st Battalion, 151st Infantry Regiment of the Indiana National Guard.
Active Harvest began May 27 and ends June 30. During phase one, SFOR concentrated on rural areas. Next week in phase three, soldiers will comb the larger cities, like Brcko in the McGovern area of responsibility, Weaver said.
SFOR soldiers began their collection accompanied by interpreters, but not the Bosnian police who normally go along.
"We want to see if we get more weapons," said Sgt. Jeff Newkirk, a platoon team leader.
People seem to hesitate more when the police are around, thinking they may get into trouble, Newkirk said. Plus, the police are not thorough, he added. They ask people if they have weapons and then simply leave if told no.
Instead of just asking for the weapons, SFOR troops explained there is an amnesty period right now, but officials will prosecute people with illegal weapons when the program is over.
"We are going to be a little more stern with them than the police," Weaver said.
As soon as the soldiers arrived in the town of Vuckovci, a young man approached the parked Humvees and pulled an ax out of a nearby tree. When the man walked within swinging distance of the soldiers, Weaver instructed an interpreter to tell the man to put the ax back into the tree.
The man returned the ax and stood nearby, staring.
Vuckovci is a nicer town than most the platoon has visited because it is Muslim-dominated, Spc. Justin Antle, a 1st Platoon gunner, said later. People would be surprised at how unfriendly residents of many of the towns, mainly Serbian, are to SFOR, he said.
Soon, a man came out of his house yelling, "I don’t have any weapons, and if I did, I wouldn’t turn them in. We got [cheated] during the war."
Then he laughed. "No, I’m just kidding," he said. "I don’t have any weapons."
Most of the townspeople were friendly. "They almost always invite us in for coffee or rakija," said Sgt. Walter Butt, a 1st Platoon team leader. "Especially after they turn in some weapons. It’s like they are grateful to us for taking them off their hands."
Rakija is Bosnian moonshine made from plums, an interpreter explained. The soldiers are allowed to enjoy the coffee, but the liquor is off-limits because General Order No. 1 prohibits SFOR soldiers from drinking alcoholic beverages.
The soldiers walked up to each house, keeping track of the number of houses visited and in how many they were able to contact people.
Soldiers took weapons or ammunition, but homes with grenades and other explosives were marked by global positioning systems for explosive ordnance teams to pick up.
Many of the townspeople seemed to understand the time has come to get rid of dangerous armament around their homes.
"This is super," Sekedin Mehic, a local farmer, said to the soldiers. "I have four grandchildren and I don’t want them hurt. Whoever has these things should give them away.
"I thank you for coming here and asking."
Mehic has another reason for wanting people to turn in their weapons. "I don’t want someone to plant a mine in my field because they don’t like me," he said.
SFOR officials timed the operation for spring to protect kids, Weaver said. "These kids are getting out of school soon and will be home all day," he said.
The potential for children to find and play with the weapons and munitions becomes much higher in the summer, Weaver said.
By midday, the small arms rounds, grenades and explosive items have piled up. "People are a little hesitant at first, but then they give them up," said Sgt. 1st Class Shannon Brown, a platoon sergeant.
But with only one weapon turned in by 1 p.m., the soldiers believed people are not turning in their guns.
In fact, Weaver said, the Bosnian police estimate only about 20 percent of the weapons in Bosnia are being turned in.
Still, at the end of the day, the troops exceeded their expectations. Visiting 358 homes instead of the projected 300, the platoon gathered 1,811 small arms rounds, 54 explosive items such as mines, claymores and grenades, one AK-47 and a Czechoslovakian M-91 Tommy gun.
The 1st Platoon soldiers wished they had gotten more weapons.
"You remember that day we got 10 guns?" Spc. Brandon Goller asked his partner, Antle on the way back from checking the last house of the day.
"Man, that was a good day."
I wonder if the locals laugh as they shuttle their weapons caches back and forth to houses which have already been searched. Luckily the soldiers are getting coffee and biscuits.
European Stars and Stripes, winning hearts and minds... Strictly for domestic consumption.
Any of them who come to a bad end doing this will die without honor.
"We are going to be a little more stern with them than the police," Weaver said.
Oh, yes. They remember how that policy works:
Hey, you ought to REALLY like the name of the magazine they're putting out for the SFOR/KFOR troops:
Gee, kind of like the CAGE Unit in Chicago, except the CAGE Unit doesn't bother to ask...
That's less than 6 rounds per home; that's barely pocket lint. Clearly, these people didn't BLOAT. Or at least, the ones turning in ammo didn't; who knows how many sealed metal cases of 7.62x39 are wrapped in plastic and buried out back, with the SKS/AK? Quite a few, if the populace has any sense.
But it will be useful for getting our troops used to doing house to house searches for those eeee-vil guns back in the USA when they are so ordered in the future, either as soldiers, national guardsmen, local police or federal agents.
God I hope these people aren't as dumb as this article makes them out to be. Take my guns, please? Blech.
Ugh! They're still using terrible translators from before. FYI, Rakija is made from grapes. Slivovitz is made from plums. If you don't want to drink it, you can use it as de-icer, paint-stripper, stain remover, toothpaste alternative, and my favourite, making one feel cool - (instructions: 1: have a fever; 2: lie on back; 3: have cloth soaked in the stuff put on top; 4: enjoy the freshness).
VRN P.S. It is also good to take to parties in the West as you will probably be the only one drinking it!
Uhhh, if some foreign country reigned bombs down on me to force me to live under a muslim government I'd be pretty pissed too.
As I haven't heard of the locals trying to shoot these guys in the back as they go through town, I'd say they're restraining themselves rather well, actually.
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