Five years in Bosnia

storyhdr.gif (5510 bytes)

Five years in Bosnia

Timeline of Bosnia
peacekeeping mission

By Eric Pilgrim and Ron Jensen
Stars and Stripes

(Click on date to jump to timeline from: 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000)

1995

Ken George / Stars and Stripes file photo
Mud was a problem in the early days of the Bosnia deployment. Here Seabee Doug Wagner, a builder with Navy Mobile Construction Battalion 133, reveals a good sense of humor after falling face-down in the thick, knee-deep mud, while erecting a tent at a base camp north of Tuzla.

Nov. 21 — A peace accord is signed in Dayton, Ohio, ending three weeks of arduous talks between the presidents of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia, and 43 months of war in Bosnia. About 250,000 people are believed dead or missing in that war.

Dec. 4 — About 3,000 Army and Air Force personnel in Europe, part of the "Enabling Force," receive orders to establish a staging base in TaszáR, Hungary, where more than 20,000 American troops will later pass through into Bosnia. A day later, more than 4,500 troops, including military intelligence and signal soldiers, find out they will receive an involuntary three-month extension of current overseas tours.

Dec. 7 — Troops ready the air base in Tuzla, Bosnia, for the Dec. 15 deployment to begin. The same day, President Clinton announces plans to pull troops out of Bosnia in October, nearly a year after the start. Meanwhile, almost half the members of the House of Representatives send a letter to Clinton voicing opposition to the deployment.

Dec. 10 — Marines land in Sarajevo. Bosnians look forward to challenging Americans in basketball.

Dec. 14 — G-Day, short for Go-Day, gets delayed because of U.N. and NATO negotiations and weather. The Balkan Peace Treaty is signed in Paris. Pentagon officials announce a slow, deliberate deployment to Bosnia, taking eight weeks to send the promised 20,000 U.S. troops. Of those, 13,000 will come from 1st Armored Division in Germany, with most of the rest deploying from Germany and Italy.

Dec. 20 — The NATO flag replaces the "failed" U.N. flag that flew for the last 3˝ years in Sarajevo, as control of the Bosnian peacekeeping mission becomes NATO’s responsibility. The U.S.-led force, known as the Implementation Force or IFOR, is told to "get on with it." More than 180 Navy Seabees from Rota, Spain, are tapped to build four huge tent cities in the Balkans.

Dec. 25 — The Bosnian army colonel responsible for the 2 million land mines strewn throughout Bosnia helps IFOR with pinpointing their locations.

Dec. 27 — American officials talk of establishing six to 10 bases along the snaking Zone of Separation, some of which will include more than 2,000 Russian soldiers, once bitter enemies. The Russians begin arriving Jan. 12.

Dec. 30 — Bosnian mines claim the first American casualty when one explodes under a Humvee along Bosnian-Serb front lines, damaging the right lower leg of Spc. Martin John Begosh of the 709th Military Police Battalion of Hanau, Germany. He receives the Purple Heart.

Dec. 31 — The U.S. military bridges the Sava River, allowing troops to roll into Bosnia from Croatia.

1996

Michael Abrams / Stars and Stripes file photo
In February, 1996 at Checkpoint 50 on route Python, American IFOR troops of the 1st Armored Division search persons and cars for weapons on what was once the confrontation line between the warring Bosnian factions.

Jan. 4 — An Italian IFOR soldier becomes the first hostile fire casualty in Bosnia after being shot by an unknown gunman near Sarajevo. The same day, 150 U.S. soldiers from Fort Benning, Ga., are quarantined when a contagious virus, believed to be contracted on a nightmarish five-day train ride to Hungary, is discovered among their ranks. Four days later, a blizzard buries the eastern United States in more than 3 feet of snow, forcing the cancellation of several military flights to Bosnia.

Jan. 10 — News reports say Serbs are using an open-pit mining complex to hide remains of thousands of war crimes victims. A day later, U.S. troops in Hungary get cable-TV and a visit from President Clinton.

Jan. 19 — Forces of the warring Bosnian parties bump up against the deadline for withdrawal from the 600-mile-long Zone of Separation, but comply, marking a success in the first real test of the Dayton Peace Accords. The same day, the Bosnian government caves in to pressure hours before the deadline and agrees to exchange prisoners with Serbian foes. A day later, the U.S. military announces that the number of base camps will more than double, bringing the total to 26.

Jan. 28 — Troops in Hungary and Croatia watch on television as the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XXX, 27-17. A day later, hundreds of women from Srebrenica besiege a Red Cross office in Tuzla demanding to know what happened to their husbands when Serbian forces overwhelmed their city late in the war. They later find out none survived.

Feb. 2 — Adm. Leighton W. Smith Jr., commander of the Implementation Force, says NATO may begin withdrawing troops from Bosnia as soon as late summer. A day later, the U.S. military suffers its first Bosnian death as Sgt. 1st Class Donald Dugan, of Troop A, 1st Squadron of the 1st Cavalry Regiment from Büdingen, Germany, is killed by a land mine while on patrol.

Feb. 8 — Serbs cut ties with NATO after two of their senior officers are arrested for war crimes. Later in the week, they are flown to the Netherlands for trial at the international war crimes tribunal.

Feb. 19 — Balkan leaders get back on board the peace train — except for Radovan Karadzic, an indicted war criminal who accuses the world of forcing Serbs out of Bosnia. Serbs, aided by NATO escorts, flee Sarajevo and its suburbs before then fall under Muslim-Croat control March 12.

March 22 — Mass graves thought to be the work of Serb forces during the civil war are discovered, one in a cave in northwestern Bosnia and another in a field at a collective farm. A General Accounting Office report says that Houston-based Brown & Root, headed by former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, will collect $500 million for contracting services in Bosnia — $308 million more than originally projected. Two days later, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, visits Operation Joint Endeavor troops and their families in Germany and later in Bosnia.

April 2 — Under U.S. military protection by 2nd Brigade of the 1st Armored Division, an international tribunal begins investigating atrocities at Srebrenica, considered Europe’s worst slaughter since World War II. A day later, Commerce Secretary Ron Brown and 34 others — including six Air Force crew members — die when their plane crashes into a hill outside Dubrovnik, Croatia. They had been visiting in Bosnia.

April 15 — The first group of soldiers to return from Bosnia since NATO troops deployed there in December arrive at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, to cheers from families and friends.

April 25 — Pentagon officials announce that many U.S. troops will remain in Bosnia at least one month longer than the December deadline date for troop withdrawal.

May 5 — Military officials announce that those deployed to the former Yugoslavia will receive the Armed Forces Service Medal and nothing more. There had been talk of awarding military personnel with the more prestigious Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal as well. Two days later, a fire at the dining facility at Camp Punxsutawney, the largest U.S. camp in Bosnia, seriously injures two U.S. soldiers and destroys the building.

May 16 — After several unsuccessful attempts by Muslim refugees to visit graves of loved ones buried in Serbian territory, 49 of them visit graves at Brcko without the threat of rocks, angry mobs or snipers.

May 24 — Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic tells Clinton administration he will remove war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic from power. The United States wants Karadzic arrested. A day later, hundreds of Tuzla residents mourn loved ones at the one-year anniversary of a Serb shelling that killed 71 and injured more than 120.

June 4 — Instructions come from the Pentagon for U.S. troops to begin more aggressive, expansive role in patrolling areas of Bosnia. The leaders hint at greater determination to arrest war criminals.

June 12 — Defense Secretary William Perry raises the possibility that the Bosnia deployment could extend into the next year. A day later, U.S. officials announce that Camp Punxsutawney is pulling up stakes and moving to Croatia.

June 15 — Serbs, Croats and Muslims sign a sweeping arms control agreement, considered one of the most important steps to carrying out peace accords. The Bosnian mission is quiet for U.S. soldiers, so quiet they can "hear cuckoo birds."

Aug. 17 — Army military police units replace the heavier guns of departing units of the 1st Armored Division. Army officials applaud the switch to a lighter, faster force on the peacekeeping landscape.

Sept. 14 — IFOR makes its presence known, ensuring Bosnians peacefully elect a three-member presidency and legislators.

Sept. 20 — Muslim refugees move into Serbian-controlled town of Jusici, sparking a standoff with IFOR, which said the action was improperly taken.

Oct. 26 — Members of 1st Infantry Division arrive in Bosnia, taking the helm from 1st AD.

Nov. 9 — Serbian Army leader Gen. Ratko Mladic is relieved of his position by the Bosnian Serb president to the applause of U.S. leaders. The next day, Maj. Gen. William Nash hands control of the U.S.-led IFOR to Maj. Gen. Montgomery C. Meigs, commander of the 1st ID. On the same day, nine Muslim homes are bombed in a Serb-controlled area of the demilitarized zone.

Nov. 15 — President Clinton announces that U.S. forces will stay in Bosnia at least until 1998, although force numbers will decrease to 8,500. A day later, outgoing Defense Secretary Perry congratulates IFOR soldiers for "confounding the skeptics" in the Bosnian peacekeeping mission.

Nov. 28 — Despite protests by more than 100,000 people, Serbian President Milosevic declares hard-line nationalist candidates are winners of the elections. The protests turn violent in December.

1997

Michael Abrams / Stars and Stripes file photo
President Bill Clinton shakes hands with the troops following his speech at Eagle Base in December, 1997. Behind him at left is First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Feb. 14 — Arbitrators postpone their decision on who will control the disputed town of Brcko, leaving it in Serb hands for another year.

April 12 — Anti-tank mines and several other explosives are discovered and removed from a bridge leading into western Sarajevo, just hours before Pope John Paul II was to cross it and deliver a message of peace for Bosnia’s future.

April 24 — The peacekeeping mission in Bosnia gets a $2 billion increase in funding, but U.S. lawmakers don’t look at pulling troops out of Bosnia yet.

July 9 — Maj. Gen. David Grange takes charge of the U.S. forces in Bosnia from Maj. Gen. Meigs. One day later, British NATO troops capture one Bosnian Serb and kill another in their first raid on war-crime suspects. The captured Serb was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.

July 30 — Gen. Eric K. Shinseki — head of U.S. Army Europe — takes charge of all Stabilization Forces.

Aug. 1 — About 400 U.S. and multinational troops vacate Zetra Stadium in downtown Sarajevo, site of the 1984 Winter Olympics, so the International Olympic Committee can rebuild it.

Aug. 28 — U.S. and NATO troops and stone-throwing Serbs clash on the streets of Brcko, leaving one soldier injured. The mob accuses the United States of taking sides in a power struggle between Radovan Karadzic and his chief rival.

Sept. 2 — Bosnians discover the largest mass grave since NATO set foot in the country as more than 300 bodies are carefully removed from a cave near Bihac.

Oct. 22 — The 1st ID hands the mission in Bosnia back to the 1st AD.

Nov. 22-23 — SFOR soldiers patrol quiet streets in the second year of Bosnian elections as voters decide against violence in voting for Republic of Srpska parliament members. Four days later in Kosovo, three Albanians are killed and several others injured in clashes with Serbian police over autonomy from Yugoslavia.

Dec. 21 — President Clinton decides to keep U.S. troops in Bosnia past the withdrawal deadline of June 1998.

1998

Michael Abrams / Stars and Stripes file photo
A patrol of the 1st Armored Division's 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry passes villagers with a wheelbarrow full of water bottles on their way to the village well in February, 1998. The houses in the background were destroyed during the war and have been rebuilt.

Throughout January — SFOR soldiers work with Bosnian soldiers on demining techniques in a program that brings all Bosnian factions together.

Jan. 15 — U.N. peacekeepers pack up and leave the mission in eastern Croatia after peace takes hold much faster than in Bosnia.

Jan. 16 — Serbs cheer after watching two U.S. soldiers crash their reconnaissance helicopter while monitoring a crowd.

Jan. 22 — SFOR troops nab Goran Jelisic, the alleged prison camp commander who was known as the "Serb Adolf" in northeastern Bosnia. U.S. base camps raise security levels in preparation for retaliation by Bosnian Serbs.

Feb. 3 — Army officials announce about 1,700 Germany troops will be part of a swap program in the next few weeks, cutting deployment time to three or four months.

Feb. 20 — NATO officials announce they will extend the Bosnian mission indefinitely and maintain a troop strength level of 34,000.

March 15 — International mediators for the third time avoid deciding which faction will control the strategic town of Brcko until after elections at the end of the year. Congress says the United States will not intervene in Kosovo.

May 12 — War crimes investigators find another tangle of bodies they believe are part of the 8,000 Muslim men hidden in an effort to thwart the prosecution of Bosnian Serb leaders. Life remains relatively quiet and peaceful for U.S. soldiers in Bosnia. U.S. sentiments begin to shift over the crisis in Kosovo.

June 20 — U.S. forces rename the mission Joint Forge, the third name since the mission’s start in December 1995.

July 15 — Growing tensions in Kosovo bring about a quiet addition to the mission for SFOR soldiers in Bosnia. Now they must monitor the border with Yugoslavia as well as their usual escort and presence patrol duties.

Sept. 12-13 — Bosnians go to the national polls for the second time since NATO stepped foot in the country, and one site gets closed after someone runs off with several ballots. NATO forces back off from their strong presence displayed at the first national election, providing only presence patrols. Moderate Serb president Biljana Plavsic loses the re-election to a hard-line nationalist, Nikola Poplasen.

Oct. 7 — The 1st Cavalry Division from Fort Hood, Texas, takes charge of the U.S. sector of SFOR from the 1st Armored Division, making it the first non-Europe based division to command U.S. forces in Bosnia. Three days later, the first civilian international airport opens, sharing runways with U.S. SFOR aircraft on Eagle Base near Tuzla.

Oct. 23 — Gen. Meigs, this time with two more stars on his hat, returns to Bosnia to take command of NATO forces as Gen. Shinseki readies himself for a vice chief of staff position at the Pentagon.

Oct. 31 — Flak vests and helmets came off for U.S. troops in Bosnia as a sign of lessening dangers. Meanwhile in Kosovo, Pentagon officials finalize plans to go into that region if conditions continue to worsen.

Dec. 9 — Hootie and the Blowfish entertain troops. Later in the month, troops get a visit from the Los Angeles Lakers cheerleaders.

Mid-December — Construction companies from Bosnia and Croatia build a permanent Sava River bridge. The U.S. pontoon bridge, which allowed troops to transport supplies and equipment from Croatia to Bosnia, became a symbol of peace and hope when it was built in December 1995.

1999

Carolyn Alston Cerminara/ S&S file photo
It hasn't been all hard work for U.S. troops deployed to Bosnia, as there was also time for fun and games. Here soldiers study new dance moves during a country line dancing class at the Eagle Sports Complex on Eagle Base, in February 1999.

Jan. 9 — Dragan Gagovic, a former Bosnian Serb police chief in Foca accused of raping and torturing Muslim women, is fatally shot by NATO troops after they try to arrest him.

Feb. 2 — A 10,000-square-foot main exchange opens on Eagle Base, more than twice the size of the one it replaces, and adds more variety, including red-hot Beanie Babies.

March 17 — Camp Bedrock closes as the U.S. realigns its troops in theater. One week later, troops in Bosnia go on alert as air strikes begin over Kosovo.

April 1 — Patrols continue despite concerns over news of three American soldiers being captured by Serb forces along the Macedonian border.

May 22 — A U.S. soldier is sentenced to 15 months in prison for aggravated assault after he fires his weapon and wounds a fellow soldier.

July 9 — A 500-seat theater opens on Eagle Base. The first movie shown is Payback.

July 28 — Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera visits Eagle Base and predicts the mission could exceed five years in duration. Two days later, President Clinton and 40 other world leaders meet in Sarajevo to pledge a push for economic and political reforms in the Balkans.

July 31 — Off-base visits to Tuzla resume. They were canceled during the war in Yugoslavia as a security measure.

Aug. 9 — Record heat has troops sweating. "It felt like 150 degrees," says Spc. Michael DeLeon. Two days later, troops get a look at the solar eclipse, which reaches 94 percent in the Balkans.

Aug. 27 — Officials at Eagle Base say the removal of land mines in Bosnia, originally expected to take 3,000 years, will only take 250 years.

Aug. 31 — The 10th Mountain Division troops arrive to take command of U.S. sector before the 1st Cavalry Division troops depart, causing temporary overcrowding on base camps.

Sept. 2 — Gen. Henry H. Shelton, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, visits Bosnia and predicts a "sizable" reduction in the force. Eight days later NATO says it may cut the force by one-third, down to 20,000.

Oct. 10 — Nearly 500 troops take part in the Army Ten-Miler on Eagle Base, the inaugural Balkan version of the annual race run the same day in Washington by thousands of runners.

Oct. 18 — Gen. Meigs passes SFOR command to Lt. Gen. Ronald E. Adams during a ceremony in Sarajevo. Three days later, NATO Secretary-General George Robertson visits Bosnia and promises a troop cut "soon."

Nov. 15 — Fall Harvest ’99, a program for Bosnians to turn in illegal weapons, is in full gear. "Just ridding the country of one weapon, one grenade, it’s clearly worth it," says David Bushey, a Fall Harvest spokesman.

Nov. 25 — Gen. Wesley Clark, NATO’s supreme allied commander, shares Thanksgiving with troops.

Dec. 2 — Camp Demi closes. "The closure signifies we’ve done a good job, our mission is working," says Staff Sgt. Timothy Dailey of Task Force 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry.

Dec. 15 — The Air Force initiates a 90-day deployment schedule, down from the 120-day tours.

Dec. 19 — Rock band the Goo Goo Dolls conclude a European tour with a performance at Eagle Base. Three days later, celebrities including model Christie Brinkley and former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and FOX Sports analyst Terry Bradshaw tour Bosnia on a United Service Organizations Christmas visit. Defense Secretary William Cohen tags along.

Dec. 29 — Eagle Base proves its self-reliance as more than 4 feet of snow falls during the month. Food, water and electricity were in abundant supply despite the bad weather, which brought much of the country to a halt.

Dec. 30 — Bases in Bosnia heighten security prior to the millennium New Year. "This is precautionary," says Maj. Kevin Sandri, a U.S. spokesman. The next evening, soldiers in Bosnia celebrate with the rest of the world as 1999 becomes 2000.

2000

Peter Jaeger / Stars and Stripes file photo
Changing of the Guard in March, 2000, as the 49th Armored Division, Texas Army National Guard, assumes command of Multinational Division North and Task Force Eagle from the 10th Mountain Division. The 49th is the first National Guard Division to head the U.S. mission in Bosnia.

Jan. 18 — The murder of the paramilitary leader and indicted war criminal known as Arkan is considered "poetic justice" on the streets of Sarajevo.

Jan. 31 — Restrictions in the Zone of Separation are relaxed after four years, a sign of cooperation between the two former warring sides.

Feb. 20 — Plans are under way to move the Sarajevo headquarters of SFOR from Ilidza to Butmir. More than 1,000 people will be affected by the move.

March 7 — The Texas National Guard makes history when the 49th Armored Division takes charge of U.S. forces in Bosnia.

March 9 — Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visits Sarajevo and says there is no deadline for keeping troops in Bosnia. Five days later NATO Secretary-General Robertson announces the mission in Kosovo will not affect the one in Bosnia.

April 10 — Early returns show that voters in Bosnia retain their nationalistic bent as Muslims support Muslim parties and Bosnian Serbs support Bosnian Serb parties.

April 21 — Department of Defense civilians in Bosnia are first to receive Armed Forces Civilian Service Medal.

May 2 — Officials announce that the wreckage of an F-16 pulled from the wilderness of Bosnia in April was the same aircraft flown by Air Force Capt. Scott O’Grady, who was shot down over Bosnia in 1995.

May 12 — A group of women from Srebrenica claims SFOR did little to protect them when they returned to their city for the first time in four years.

June 15 — Medical officials at Eagle Base warn that too much water during the heat wave can also be dangerous. It’s called "water intoxication," says Lt. Col. George Dilly.

June 21 — The U.N. Security Council votes to maintain the NATO-led peace mission in Bosnia for another year. Russia abstains.

July 2 — At a briefing on economic development, jobs are said to be the answer to getting refugees back to their prewar homes. "We found towns there were completely habitable. And there was no one there," says Capt. Tim Kohn.

July 6 — Troops enduring a heat wave applaud when commanders relax the rule about wearing flak vests while on guard duty. "It’s a morale booster," says Spc. Vincent Saucedo.

Sept. 18 — Camp Morgan opens in northeastern Bosnia. It will save time for troops patrolling the area by giving them a closer home base.

Oct. 5 — The 49th Armored Division of the Texas National Guard hand control of the mission to the 3rd Infantry Division out of Fort Stewart, Ga.

Oct. 17 — A new Cyber Café opens on Eagle Base giving troops a chance to surf the Internet and e-mail the folks back home.

Oct. 22 — Vojislav Kostunica, the new president of Yugoslavia, makes his first visit to Bosnia, pleasing Bosnian Serbs but making Bosnia’s Muslims and Croats angry.

Nov. 11-12 — As U.S. voters scratch their heads over the outcome of their presidential election, Bosnians peacefully hold their own vote. A strong showing in by hard-liners in Serb-dominated areas erodes hopes that the need for SFOR was nearing its end.

Nov. 21 — Five years after the Dayton Peace Accords were signed, Richard Holbrooke, who brokered the agreement, says allowing the parties to maintain separate armies was the single biggest mistake of the agreement. Hatred among Bosnia’s three main ethnic groups is still evident. The nation remains split.

Dec. 4 — During a visit to Bosnia, Gen. Shelton, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says SFOR’s mission and numbers will remain the same for the near future. He says Americans will be thinking about the troops during the upcoming holidays: "They will be, for sure, in our thoughts and prayers, as they carry out this mission they have done for the last five years and that they continue to do today."

Back to December's stories
Stories from November
Stories from October
Stories from August and September
Stories before August
Home