79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team returns from Kosovo after 9-month peace support mission

Courtesy Photo | Soldiers of Multi-National Battlegroup - East salute during the National Anthem at a transfer of authority ceremony between the 39th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Arkansas National Guard, and the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, California National Guard. (U.S. Army photo by Master Sgt. Warren Lim, 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team)  

CAMP BONDSTEEL, KOSOVO

11.20.2018

Story by Capt. Jason Sweeney 

79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team

CAMP BONDSTEEL, Kosovo — California Army National Guardsmen from the 79th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) completed a nine-month peace support operation in Kosovo on Nov. 17, returning home in time for Thanksgiving.

Kosovo Force (KFOR) is a NATO peacekeeping mission responsible for preserving a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for the people of Kosovo. The mission has been ongoing since 1999 when NATO intervened to stop ethnic violence in Kosovo following the breakup of Yugoslavia.

“I first came to Kosovo with KFOR 12 in 2009,” said Capt. Thomas Touw, who served as the human intelligence and counterintelligence manager for KFOR Multi-National Battle Group – East (MNBG-E). “It’s pretty impressive to see how far Kosovo has come as far as building infrastructure—the new freeway, for instance. Power was an issue before with power outages. Now it seems like the power issues have been solved. From what I’ve experienced, the Kosovo people seem very happy and thankful that the U.S. Army is here to keep the peace and keep them reassured.”

The California Soldiers from the 79th were stationed at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, from March 20 to Nov. 17 as part of KFOR 24. Headquarters Company from the 79th served as the command element for MNBG-E, an air-ground-medical task force. The 79th IBCT Military Intelligence Company (MICO) was responsible for gathering information and atmospherics by engaging with the local population.

“First, I think, as a team, the Battle Group did extremely well,” said 79th IBCT Commander Col. Nick Ducich, who served as the MNBG-E commander for the deployment. “For the 79th, in particular, for a lot of the Soldiers it was their first deployment. They learned a tremendous amount, not just in a deployment environment, but also, being on a brigade staff for the first time, and understanding the immense responsibility that comes with that, and the diverse supporting units, ranging from a cavalry squadron to an aviation battalion. Then you have to add the multinational piece, a Polish company, a Turkish company, a Romanian team.”

Spc. Rashad Evans served as an intelligence analyst for MNBG-E. “I learned a lot about European culture and how much different it is than American culture,” Evans said of his time in Kosovo. “I also learned how to do my job in a more realistic way than just a conventional war fight. I learned a lot about chain of command and how a brigade unit functions as a whole, even when it comes down to sustainment, support elements, just how it’s much bigger than you and your section. We also had the opportunity to play a lot of sports on Camp Bondsteel. I made sure to spend a lot of time in the gym. I feel like out here you need that, if you do have free time, to do anything that relaxes your mind, resets you for the next day. It makes a difference.”

MNBG-E was comprised of more than 800 Soldiers from the U.S., Poland, Turkey and Romania. MNBG-E’s main effort was known as the Forward Command Post (FCP), comprised of the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment from Fort Carson, Colorado, reinforced with a Polish air cavalry troop.

MNBG-E’s largest supporting element was known as the Southern Command Post, a mixed air-ground component, consisting of the Massachusetts National Guard’s 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, that included one lift company with six UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters, one aeromedical evacuation (MEDEVAC) company with three UH-60L Black Hawks, and reinforced with a Turkish rifle company.

Other Battle Group supporting units included the 28th Combat Support Hospital from Fort Bragg, North Carolina; an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) detachment from the 702nd Ordnance Company EOD out of Grafenwoehr, Germany; the 19th Public Affairs Detachment from Fort Riley, Kansas; and a military police (MP) platoon from the 977th MP Company, also from Fort Riley.

“I think our biggest accomplishment, we were successful in keeping the peace for another nine months because this land has been scarred by violence for many years,” Ducich said, “and it’s pivotal that we were able to create an environment where diplomats and civic leaders can continue this dialogue to get toward a final settlement that will allow Kosovo and Serbia to move on.”

During the nine-month deployment, MNBG-E Soldiers executed 1,788 patrols, including 369 integrated patrols with the Serbian Armed Forces and the Kosovo Border Police. On seven occasions during the deployment, MNBG-E stood up to reinforce Kosovo security organizations and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) due to actionable intelligence or significant events that had a potential of breaking the peace.

The Battle Group interacted with the population through key-leader engagements and civil-military outreach events that built relationships between MNBG-E and the Kosovo people, as well as contributed to the local economy.

A unique feature of KFOR 24 was Ducich’s heritage as a second-generation Serbian American. His ethnic background served as a bridge into the Kosovar-Serbian population, which since the 1999 NATO intervention has been wary of the U.S. Army and NATO forces. While in Kosovo, Ducich reached out to the Kosovar-Serbian community by attending Serbian Orthodox church services, through media engagements, and by having U.S. Soldiers attend community events, such as the Festival of St. Basil in the town of Leposavic and a medieval fair in the town of Gracanica.

“I think our rotation brought a little bit more solidity to the relationship between the Kosovar-Albanians and the Kosovar-Serbians due to Col. Ducich’s insight and background,” said Staff Sgt. John Tucker, who was the non-commissioned-officer-in-charge of the MNBG-E battle desk.

In addition, the Battle Group provided several training opportunities for its Soldiers.

“Training-wise, we were able to get courses for Soldiers here to better enhance their overall careers, such as Air Assault, Captains Career Course, Basic Leader Course, and other courses that were needed here for the deployment,” said Staff Sgt. William Bonilla, who served as the MNBG-E operation training NCO.

In August, U.S. Soldiers from MNBG-E conducted a live-fire exercise at the Krivolak Training Area in the Republic of Macedonia to promote interoperability with an impending NATO partner and gain proficiency with medium and heavy weapon systems for which no suitable ranges exist in Kosovo. It was the first time the U.S. KFOR contingent executed mounted and aerial gunnery during a Kosovo deployment.

“Our Soldiers did an outstanding job,” 79th IBCT Command Sgt. Maj. Andrew McKindley said. “I couldn’t be prouder. They completed all the missions assigned to them to the utmost standards. They excelled. They formed relationships. They broke down barriers. They successfully kept a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for the people of Kosovo. And that’s what our mission was to do.”

• Date Taken: 11.20.2018
• Date Posted: 11.20.2018 15:06
• Story ID: 300720
• Location: CAMP BONDSTEEL, ZZ