[Wraith]

So of all the handles on FR you need to know more about me? Well my background is military i.e. Light Armored Recon., I moved from Rhodesia when I was very young and have lived in various other countries after that. I served in the UNFICYP mission in 1981, then on the UNPROFOR Mission in 1992 and worked in the surrounding area of a Serbian village called Okucani, then in 1999 I participated in the UNMIK/KFOR mission in Kosovo for about a year or so (non NGO) and I like beer. Are you a blond?

[wonders]

So of all the handles on FR you need to know more about me?

I didn't mean to pick on you, Wraith. I just thought I could reply to you better if I understood where you were coming from. I've had to be away from FR quite a bit lately (broken arm, sick mother) and didn't get to meet you properly. Everyone who has been to former Yugoslavia comes away with a different perspective, depending on where they were, how much they moved around, how long they were there, what type of work they were doing, etc. Have you met tonycavanagh? He and I used to talk about that some here on FR. (Tony was in BiH -- great fellow, if you haven't met him already, look him up!) Also, I welcome the opportunity to learn from others who were there at different times or in different places than I was.

You've certainly lived an interesting life, Wraith. Rhodesia! Wow! The head of the Electoral Component in the UNTAC Mission (Cambodia) was Prof. Reginald Austin, who wrote the Electoral Law for Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). Quite a gentleman! Have you heard of him?

I've heard Cyprus is a great post, and wished that Mission was open to us non-military females. I corresponded for awhile with an older couple on Cyprus (Greek) who absolutely loved the Blue Helmets. The physician husband said how grateful he was to them that his children could grow up in peace, and his wife baked sweets to take to the ones garrisoned near their home every Sunday.

I'd love to hear more about your time in Western Slavonija. I had close contact with colleagues who were there in 1995 ("Op Flash" and its aftermath) and worked with DPs from Flash who came through former Sector North. I'm sure all was quite different when you were there in 1992.

Of course, I read your posts on Kosovo with interest and look forward to more!

and I like beer. Are you a blond?

I like beer, too. (Learned to like it in Cambodia -- much safer than water there!) Did you have a favourite pivo in former Yugoslavia? I liked Karlovacko and Apatinsko.

Are you asking whether I'm blonde as an insult (blonde=stupid) or for some other reason? Yes, I'm blonde (unfortunately). I used to dye my hair dark before I went to Cambodia where there's no sunscreen, much less proper hair dye, so I went natural there, and stayed natural since. And I LOVE blonde jokes!