U.S. Troops in Balkans Watch Bush

By Fisnik Abrashi
Associated Press Writer
Saturday, Jan. 20, 2001; 7:09 p.m. EST

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Yugoslavia -- Spc. Torrey A. Wise is one of
9,000 U.S. soldiers in the Balkans that President Bush has said he would
prefer to see at home. The 24-year-old wants to stay in Kosovo, where
he said he and his buddies are making a difference.

"We're doing some good here," said Wise, who was dividing his attention
between his plate of pork cutlets and mashed potatoes and a wide-screen
television bringing Bush's inauguration to the mess hall at the U.S. main
base in eastern Kosovo.

During the presidential campaign, Bush and key foreign policy advisers
suggested Europe wasn't shouldering enough of the peacekeeping burden
in Kosovo and Bosnia, where Yugoslavia's violent collapse has left behind
powerful ethnic tension. Already most of the Balkan peacekeepers are
Europeans.

In October, Bush said he would "very much like to get our troops out" of
the Balkans, a prospect opposed both by America's NATO allies and
those the peacekeepers were sent to protect: Kosovo's ethnic Albanians
and Bosnia's Muslims.

In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Bush sought to allay
European fears of a swift U.S. exit.

"I have never said upon swearing in, we'll pull out of the Balkans," he said.
"I've always said we will work in consultation with our European allies to
convince them that they need to carry more of the peacekeeping role. I
intend to start that process."

As they watched the inauguration ceremony, some U.S. soldiers in
Kosovo and Bosnia complained about separation from relatives and other
hardships connected to their tours. But the overwhelming sentiment among
those questioned was that they were better soldiers for being in the
Balkans - and that the Balkans was a better place because of them.

"I work with the local population on a daily basis," said Spc. Shawn
Carter, 28, of Green Bay, Wis. "We help them rebuild schools, we help
out ... try with people to restore their life as it was before.

"I think that this mission has helped me out," he said. "I have already
gained some experience."

Others expressed similar opinions about the U.S. presence in Kosovo,
which began with the entry of NATO troops in mid-1999.

"I think that being here has opened the eyes of a lot of the soldiers" about
life in a part of the world much less privileged than back home, said Wise,
a radar specialist from Westmoreland, Va.

In Bosnia, the scene and the sentiments were similar.

Soldiers at the main U.S. base in Tuzla kept one eye on their dinners and
the other on the inauguration ceremonies.

Despite the statements about the U.S. presence, Maj. John Minto, of St.
Petersburg, Fla., said he doubts a new administration will mean major
changes.

"A sign of a democratic nation is that you can change presidents without
seeing tremendous amounts of changes," he said.

© Copyright 2001 The Associated Press