by Erik C Petterson on Tuesday, March 29, 2011
When I was in Bosnia for the third time in 1998, (Operation Joint Forge) our LRS company performed active patroling throughout our sector, to include "outside" our area of operation. Freedom of movement was the theme we Multi-National Forces pushed upon the Serbs, croates and Muslims, and also expected to have. Everyone used the IEBL (Inter Entity Boundry Line) and the ZOS (Zone of separation). I found that our NATO Allies in the Multi-National force were the worst cry babies if one of us "Americans" came into their sector conducting patrols without informing them of our business first. Not only did we have "Intelligence gathering issues" with our NATO brothers and sisters, but also from within our own ranks. One particular situation showed me the break down of OPSEC and intelligence discipline within our own military. As I mentioned our company was actively patroling and or in established hide sites overwatching NAI (Named area of Interest) for PIFWC (Personel Indicted for War Crimes). We would leave Eagle Base, Tuzla Main, and depart to Camp Montgomery, where our squads would stage their operations from and could come and go as they pleased in order to conduct the mission better. Well, the American Commander of Camp Montgomery, could close the camp at will, based upon increased THREAT levels in the area. Now basically, our patrols were not supposed to be effected by Camp gates closing, as our Mission was actually performed "outside" the confines of the Camp. The Commander, however, gave orders refusing to allow anyone to leave or enter the Camp once he "locked it down". This created a problem. Our Mission was a classified and sensitive in nature, a "need to know mission" outside the wire, and a Friendly Forces Camp Commander is not privy to what our specific mission is before, during, or after we slip outside "Friendly Forward lines." Our Lieutenant, then Captain, then the Major to include our Brigade Commander tried dialogue with the Camp Commander, to no avail, as the Camp Commander was adamant about not allowing our soldiers on Camp Montgomery to conduct any missions, until he was briefed as to the nature of this classified mission. This opened the loop wider for another "doesn't need to know" person to enter into our business. Speaking purely Text Book (or Ranger Handbook) our patrol was only allowed to share intelligence we gathered while on patrol that specifically pertained to the FFL Cmdr's Area of Operation. (which was directly outside the wire and surrounding area). This exchange of information on the battlefield was performed as a courteousy to the Cmdr in order to help him draw a better picture of what was actually in his Area of operation. This exchange was implied sharing of information. However, our principal mission was still "Classified" and wasn't to be shared with the Cmdr, his cronies, or the Muslim wash women at Camp Montgomery. I was shocked to finally learn however, that my Brigade Commander capitulated and satisfied the Cmdr's curiousity and briefed him on our mission just so this petty invalidated Camp Commander would allow us freedom of movement in and out of Camp. If my Brigade Commander had not shared this Classified information, then our surveillence Teams would not have been welcome to stage missions from this Camp. This demonstrated to me that our Army was changing, changing in a "Bad way". Now anyone with a little power (and a lust for knowledge) could strong arm others to share intelligence they are not privelaged too. This was a horrible demonstration of how a Camp Commander could reduce a Team effort into a petty, divisive, squabble for selfish reasons. Just to demonstrate an abuse of his power, or flex his Muscle. This behavior cut against the grain of Military Doctrine. This was the beginning of the end for our miltiary as I saw it back then. I thought the Gulf War had produced some real issues, but not to the extent the Operation in Bosnia erroded our Military bearing. More over, "common sense" ( the 5th rule of Patroling) was being ignored. Bosnia was a debacle of Officers trying to feather their nests with "weeds" from an exasperating, thankless peace keeping operation. Our doctrine was tweeked. New Acronyms emerged. We joked about Staff Officers changing words and phrase's in order to receive a "Center mass" comment on their OER (Officer Evaluation Report) as befits the "Tactical situation". Someone changed "Happy" to "Glad" in order to receive 15 of minutes fame. The Special Forces Community was also affected by the intrusion of the conventional Army ( and it's Intelligence community) upon their specific areas of operation within the Bosnian Theater. Special forces teams I met could be professional, or a bunch of cowboys, depending on where they were, and of course their leadership. I was told by my SF buddy Captain E, "Don't fuck the help, Erik." We dont fuck the help". Which simply meant that Captian E and his men,( while living in a safe house, with a maid, cook,and laundress) that one should find entertainment elsewhere and not at "home." Captian E related a case in point; one SF team member was screwing a Serbians wife. The Serb got wind of it, and tried to blow up the garage of the safe house. Another Serbian man (whose old lady was servicing a SF guy) attempted an attack on the Team member with a Machetee. Soldiers are human, and can be tainted, become jaded by either having too much, or too little. Special Forces community while deployed is privy to alot. Some of those with too much just dont know how to handle what they got, usually are sloppy keeping a good thing a secret (it is hard to hide limburger cheese from starving people). Conventional soldiers when deployed have little, and those who have little, peck around, searching, digging, uncovering and exposing areas that are best left unexposed looking for a crumb. Basically people who lack luxuries such as knowledge, good food, beer and sex want to fill that void. Those who have it, don't want to share it, and if they do, it is because they are treating a friend, working a deal, or they "screwed up" and have to share it. Such is the way of Military Intelligence, Conventional soldiering and Special Operations. We all wish to validate our exsistence. The Camp Commander felt he should know. He didnt want to be an "ignorant Flunky" to some Military intelligence Unit (who may know where the "treasure is buried") So the Camp Cmdr decides to "Power out", basically strong arms them into breeching security and informing him on a classified mission. Sort of on the same lines as what happened in the Movie "Kelly's Heros"...too many people knew the mission, so the Gold became less valuable to a single persons take as the number of recipients increased. "A secret is something shared with ten other people." I personally felt that the selfish actions taken by some officers in command positions, in the Balkans violated military Doctrine.
My squad/ team was sent to various isolated hilltops, in Bosnia, in 1996, in order to pull security for the RETRANS sites there. One Hilltop Cmdr, a Lientenant "D" (Female) wouldn't allow us to shower or bath in the Camps small portable shower facility. She allowed us to send one "detail soldier" each day to ride down on the LOGPACK to help gather supplies and he could shower at that distant camp. The LOGPACKS mission was to bring fresh food, supplies and WATER (for the Shower which we were forbidden to use) back to the Hilltop, and we sent our soldier to help support that, yet we weren't allowed to use the shower we brought the water for. The LOGPACK convoy was a dirty dusty one both coming and going. So the soldier we sent down to help with the supply detail and allowed to shower, came back covered in dirt and grime again. What a waste! We guarded the Hilltop personel as they slept. We ate with them when they ate. But we were forbidden to shower in their facility. (Separate but equal?...brings to mind "Jim Crow" practices). Eventually SSG "R" pursuaded Lt "D" to allow us to shower. ( unknown to her, we had already been sneaking showers in her facility)! Apparently one of the other teams sergeants had pissed her off and she banned all our people from using the showers! She gave us the excuse that, "we weren't permanent party", just temporary help. (what a snobby bitch). A CSM on Camp Victory in Iraq, in 2003-04, adopted the same policy, and wouldn't allow soldiers who werent in his command (i.e. V Corp) to eat in "his dinning facility". He also disqualified soldiers from eating there if they weren't clean (just returned off a mission) were from another base camp, or were wearing "white socks" instead of the issue green / black socks.
I had never experienced a DFAC that was not universally used by ALL American soldiers and not just by a select few. Peace time Army is not the same as WAR.
Many soldiers who werent assigned to V corp were turned away from eating a meal by this CSM. Most Soldiers who were strangers to the Camp, who came from another camp on miltiary business in time of WAR, wanting and needing food, and shelter. This same type of behavior was also noticed by my Lieutenant and I at 2nd BCT 1st Armor Division headquarters, in Baghdad Iraq. We were shocked to realize how a Unit from our own Division could care less about housing or feeding us when we arrived in their camp for safety over night ( do to several vehicles overheating while on convoy). 2nd BCT just happened to be near, so we pulled in with our Military Police escort. The 2nd BCT CSM was a straight up unfriendly ASSHOLE. We slept on or in our trucks that night, and were bitten by every mosquitoe that wasn't deployed to Taji!!
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