Tuesday, November 21, 2006

29th ID Soldiers head to Bosnia , Kosovo

Sixteen Soldiers of the Virginia National Guard’s 29th Infantry Division were joined by family, friends, and fellow Soldiers at a departure ceremony Nov. 8 as they prepared for year-long missions in Sarajevo , Bosnia or Pristina, Kosovo.

Ten of the unit’s Soldiers will go to Bosnia and six Soldiers will eventually arrive in Kosovo — two Soldiers will spend time training in Germany before going on to Kosovo.

Lt. Col. Kimberly Knur will be the headquarters commandant at Camp Butmir outside Sarajevo , Bosnia . The mission in Bosnia is to create defense reform and help the Bosnian military to become a modern, unified military force.

“We’ll man the NATO headquarters, but some Soldiers will work as personnel clerks or as a driver for the two-star general. Overall, we’ll advise the Bosnian military — our mission is NATO’s mission,” said Knur.

In Kosovo the mission will be quite similar to the one in Bosnia . However, the Soldiers will also assist with continuing the peacekeeping efforts in the country.

Knur said her Soldiers have the experience to do the job.

“This is my first deployment this year, but some of these Soldiers have already been to Iraq or Afghanistan ,” she said.

29th Infantry Division commander and keynote speaker Maj. Gen. Arthur Wyman added to Knur’s sentiments saying, “The world is a dangerous place right now. But our mission here is to bring you back safely and in one piece. We will be tracking your progress. I wish you all the best of luck.”

Mitch Lango, father of Kosovo-bound 2nd Lt. Mitchell L. Lango, portrayed confidence and faith in the military and their missions.

“I’m not nervous or concerned. Should I be?” Mitch Lango asked jokingly.

The deploying Soldiers departed their Fort Belvoir headquarters Friday for pre-deployment training at Fort Benning , Ga. From there, they will head to Bosnia and Kosovo.