KOSOVO Diary

Monday 27 November:

'Practice makes perfect' The sections rehearse Casualty Handling Drills during lulls in working hours

Well, what can I say? Monday started at 0000hrs outside the Ops room. Myself, Musn Wilcox and Bug Warmington together with our six bootneck (Marine) partners prepared for a clandestine operation. KFOR (Kosovo Force) were having a spot of bother with some Mafioso type chaps so they decided to send us along with other search teams to swoop upon the unsuspecting town of Obelic to carry out building searches. Now having 300 Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and British troops together with UNMIC (United Nations Mission in Kosovo) you would think that everything would go to plan! Following eight hours of searching not a sniff was to be found! The building that we were searching was supposedly empty so imagine our surprise when we pulled up at 0 crack sparrow (very early!) to find an elderly gentleman standing on his doorstep fully clothed waving at us. The gent and his family had been living there for approx 12 months (Military Intelligence at its best!)

Tuesday 28 November:

Having trudged despondently back to camp, I asked a local Kosovan policeman (who was ex Kosovo Liberation Army) and also part of the search 'how did they know we were coming?' He answered in a surprisingly sheepish voice saying 'Sorry Royal I don't speak English, got a B&H pal?' So off I headed to that great horizontal time accelerator commonly known as my bed. I was rudely awoken a few hours later by BDSGT 'Taff' Ingram. He stood with an evil glint in his eye 'glad you're awake Shuggy - grab your weapon you're on the gate' As he left I bravely chucked up a fair thee well salute at the closed door, my whole body from the top of my head to the end of my toes sighed in collective resignation - 'Oh poo!'

Wednesday 29 November:

Musn Matt 'Voodoo Feet' Harding's boots

0330hrs It's dark, freezing fog covers everything, visibility is about four feet and it is -5 degrees - enough said! I'm passing time thinking up new and colourful swear words about 'volunteers' and listening to Musn 'Smudge' Smith single-handedly trying to shake the guard room to the ground with his Ninja Death Thunder snoring! A disgusting odour permeates the air - it has two possible origins:

(a) The highly polluting power stations, or

(b) Musn Matt 'Foo Foo Voodoo Feet' Harding has taken his boots off!

The thought of entering the guard room has suddenly lost it's appeal! On a more serious note, we were woken by the noise of a terrorist attack on the Serbian Ambassadors house over 3km away, which meant that the guys on the ambulance crews and in the hospital were about to become very busy!!

	Thursday 30 November: 1330hrs "Wake up Shuggy" said BDSGT 'Taff' Davies. I had a glimmer of hope as the two BDSGTs usually work a good Sgt bad Sgt routine. "You've got another search Op tonight" Oh poo poo, Bad Sgt, Bad Sgt!
BdSgt 'Taff' Davies Good Sgt... Bad Sgt		BdSgt 'Taff' Ingram Bad Sgt... Good Sgt

2230hrs

We've just finished a briefing for another search op at the University Sports Gym for the much awaited(!) CSE show (Combined Forces Entertainment). Another all nighter! We start at 2230hrs and carry on through until 0630hrs stopping only for breakfast. 0800hrs we resume the search only to find that the Army decided to have a quick skeg of the place, breaking all the seals in the process, so it's back to square one......Oh poo poo poo!

Friday 1 December:

New Entries Passout day Day off!! Pint of morale at Club Med (bar) - not forgetting the two can rule of course, then back to the time accelerator - my own bed at last!!

Musn 'Daffy' Daff carries out a quick repair to one of the vehicles

Saturday 2 December:

Once again it is cold foggy and damp but hang on - what is this in my hand - a Saxophone! Today is the rugby match between MNB Central (Multi National Brigade Central) and MNB North - England versus France!! We are to supply a full marching band for the pre match build up and of course the National Anthems and half time display to boot! The No 1s get a dusting down having been rescued from the freight container and it's just like riding a bike! Rapturous applause from the assembled throng of servicemen and civilians alike - marvellous! Lets not get too carried away by this momentary release from the 'surreal' world however. We heard later that during the display a local man was shot in a family feud only a couple of hundred metres away from the stadium! Back to the camp and I find myself manning one of the standby ambulances. Fortunately there are no call outs, so off to bed for while.

Sunday 3 December:

Musn Shuggy McGleish the author

0030hrs Knock, Knock - here we go again. An UNMIC Policeman had been injured in an RTA ( Road Traffic Accident) and had to be taken from the local hospital in Pristina to our Field Hospital as he initially refused treatment. Myself, Stu Warmington, Smudge Smith and a naval MA (Medical Assistant) were quickly on the scene and due to the nature of the injuries we attached a neck collar, strapped him into a spinal board and whisked him back to our location in time for tea and medals!

Sunday 0800hrs Crash 30 today (manning an ambulance ready to be deployed at thirty mins notice). No calls today! Feet up, music on, good book!

Musn 'Shuggy' McGleish