PEACEMAKER IN AN ANGRY LAND; A soldier in Bosnia; FIRST OF A FIVE-PART SERIES

“Shattered by hate. That is Kosovo today. That was Bosnia five years ago.

An Army reservist from the Inland Empire is part of the effort to heal Bosnia’s deep wounds.

For two weeks staff writer Mark Petix” . . . “lived with Sgt. Mike Torres of Riverside and the U.S. Army, recording the efforts to preserve the delicate peace in that country — work that has begun in Kosovo.

They found hope in children who refuse to see differences between Serb, Muslim and Croat. They witnessed the misery of refugees no closer to home than they were seven years ago. They felt the froth and rage of towns where the U.S. Army is the enemy.

Starting today and for the next four days, this newspaper will chronicle their journey for our readers, revealing the light and shadow in a land that could be a blueprint for the difficult and dangerous road toward lasting peace in Kosovo.”

— Mark Petix, The Press-Enterprise (A SECTION; Pg. A01: June 20, 1999)

June 20, 1999

• PEACEMAKER IN AN ANGRY LAND
• Before Kosovo, there was Bosnia
• A soldier in Bosnia; BOTH SIDES HAVE ENOUGH VICTIMS
• The 301st U.S. Army Reserve Psychological Operations Command at Camp Demi

June 21, 1999

• Hostile territory; American soldiers extending the hand of peace find no takers among the implacable Bosnian Serbs of Vlasenica.
• Lamenting lost splendors of Sarajevo
• Muslim village can’t escape sounds of war; An Army demolition team explodes tons of confiscated arms near the small community.