Shek

Sir,
Bosnia was sold as peacekeeping, and there was implicit support since Congress funded the "one-year" operation. I was stationed in Europe at the time of Kosovo and was too busy spinning in preparation of backfilling a potential Russian pullout of Bosnia to know how the Kosovo "don't worry Serbs, there'll be no ground troops" Air War was exactly sold to the American public.

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"So little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, accepting readily the first story that comes to hand." Thucydides 1.20.3

Confed999

Hmmm, never looked at it that way. Interesting, something to look up. Thank you too.

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No man is free until all men are free - John Hossack
I agree completely with this Administration’s goal of a regime change in Iraq-John Kerry
even if that enforcement is mostly at the hands of the United States, a right we retain even if the Security Council fails to act-John Kerry
He may even miscalculate and slide these weapons off to terrorist groups to invite them to be a surrogate to use them against the United States. It’s the miscalculation that poses the greatest threat-John Kerry

Officer of Engineers

Even there, the intial entry forces were British, Canadian, and French. The French, noteably were the ones who broke the Sarajevo Seige. The Brits were the relief force to Sarajevo. However, there was absolutely no doubt who was in command and who designated the OPOBJs.

Oh yeah, they were attached to your sector, weren't they? I remember the vodka flowing quite freely ... and then some. And these were their Air Assaults. Didn't exactly gave me a good impression.

I had bits and pieces of how the war was sold also. Alot of us were too busy trying to get our gov'ts to avoid getting involved.

I do remember alot of shock to learn that there was no ground prep work being done by Gen Wesley Clark but alot of individual (most noteably British, French, and Canadian) prep work.

Do give me your impressions.

However, I am going to ask you that did you not think that this was an American war?

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Chimo

Confed999

Will do, but this will probably be the last time for a week or so I'm able to be online. I finish moving to a new, for me, place this week, and no telling how long for internet hook up.
Kosovo was sold to us as this great humanitarian emergency. We were told of the heroics of the KLA who were singlehandedly holding off the Serb scourge. We were shown film of the American civilians flying off to join them in their fight for freedom. We were told of mass graves, and of genocide. It was BS. KLA are terrorists. The attrocities were overhyped, and often misdirected. It was listed as a NATO war, and I honestly had not thought about it in any other way, until you said something. I should have thought the same earlier.

Bosnia, came at a bad time in my life, and all I truly remember of the immediate lead up, is peacekeeping mission.

Officer of Engineers

*** laughing with tears - sad tears *** It was a humanitarian emergency but one we can do absolutely nothing about. Two sets of thugs determined to kill each other. The best thing we could have done was to step out of the way

Yes, alot of civilians were going to get hurt by this kind of action but also alot less than who actually got hurt.

I really don't know if anyone can understand this.

*** continuing laughing with sad tears *** The KLA was getting clobbered. That's why we got involved.

Nobody listened to us either, including the Hero of Sarajevo - MGen Lewis MacKenzie.

Don't get me wrong. The Americans did the right thing. The war ended.

I apologize. I did not mean to get you on the spot.

American ground forces came in when the fighting was over. So, that was technically correct. However, non-American NATO ground forces doing the fighting were doing so under American operational command.

Confed999

The more I learn of it, the more I join you.
No problem. No sorrys needed. We all have gaps where the news of the day, no matter how bad or good, takes a backseat to our personal lives.
Yes, it makes complete sense.

dalem

I think it's time to reference the diagram I used to explain it back on the old General Forum. To whit:

Dreadnought

Or worse yet were will they find the next one.

Shek

Sir,
I wasn't in either Bosnia or Kosovo, which was the exception for a unit stationed in USAREUR. Not sure if you were using your sector to refer to the US sector or the US sector that I would have been in - just didn't want to leave an incorrect impression. My unit (3/325 at the time) was the first US unit into Bosnia in 1995, but they had been back for a over a year when I got there and the guys that had been in Bosnia were right in the middle of transfering or getting out of the Army.