Dobie has new friends...

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I can’t believe how busy I have been. After my arrival here it has been just one learning adventure after another. But I tried to meet new soldiers along the way and ask them questions about Camp Bondsteel and what our mission really is here in Kosovo. If you noticed all the pictures with me and my new friends it has been the greatest just to sit and talk with everyone. Davina has been busy doing her own thing. Apparently she has a real job and can’t always break free to take me on tours and just hang out. Hmmm…Hopefully that will change when she gets used to her new responsibilities.

This Camp Bondsteel place is like totally huge. The base sits on 955 acres located by a small town called Ferizai which is in the eastern sector of Kosovo. Originally the engineers constructed it ten years ago and they actually lopped off two hills and then they filled the valley with the dirt and built 8 foot high earthen walls that surround the entire camp. The mountains around here are lightly snowcaps and absolutely beautiful.

Seriously, when I say this camp is big, I mean it. Rumors have it that if you were to walk all the way around it would total nearly seven miles. About all I know so far is that Davina complains every time she has to go do anything outside. She mumbles things like, “Everywhere I walk I swear is uphill!” She’s not a happy camper. I really think she is about ready to give up eating at the messhall, she is convinced that it’s over a quarter mile away and the bazillion stairs she has to walk up may not be worth the effort. This too will pass, or maybe she will be forced to get into better shape.

The way I figure, I’ve got so many people to meet here in our Task Force it may take me months to accomplish my goal to greet and find out a little somethng about eachand every soldier. In total there are more than 1,300 soldiers from the United States. The main headquarters and a maneuver unit is from North Dakota, but we have other units that come from 14 other states and territories to include: Arizona, California, Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, Hawaii, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina, Michigan, Utah, and the Virgin Islands. But the most amazing thing is that these units may be from these particular states, but the soldiers who belong to these units back home actually live in 37 different states. So there is quite a cultural diversity amongst ourselves. It will be so very fun getting to meet everybody!

To make things even more exciting, we have multi-national partners in our Task Force. Greece, Poland, the Ukraine, Armenia and Romania add to the mix around here, which eans that our very own General gets to command almost 2,200 soldiers in total. This will really enhance the team concept and provide all of us opportunities to learn more about many different nations. Plus the mission of peacekeeping is very cool and is focused around maintaining a Safe and Secure Environment and providing Freedom of Movement for the people of Kosovo.

I think what I will do is to start doing tours around Camp Bondsteel for a while just to see what soldiers do and how all their many jobs impact the overall operations of the Task Force. They have jobs that look so interesting. Finance teams, Civil Affairs, Military Police, soldiers who drive tanks, Public Affairs Specialists, soldiers that do patrols and soldiers who are out and about with the communities, just to name a few. So I invite you to stay tuned for the next series of blogs…

Take Dobie to work days!






Hey, I almost forgot. Davina's blog yesterday created alot of questions from the readers on what people should send their soldiers in care packages. I know she' not an expert on these things, so I saw her asking some soldiers what they wanted. Here are just a few ideas. But don't forget that the holidays are just around the corner and if you will be mailing your special soldier anything for Christmas you will have to send it early to ensure it arrives in time.










Air Fresheners
Sheets for twin beds
Coffee (it’s rationed and expensive)
Soft towels
Socks (fluffy for walking in the rooms)
Snuggly-comfort stuff from home
Fun soaps, lotions and body wash
Holiday decorations
Fun pajamas
Pictures for room walls
3M hooks for walls in rooms
Toilet paper (just one really soft roll to have as a treat!)
Movies
Stationary
Books
Soldiers love snail mail (letters and postcards)
Calendars
Soldiers favorite snacks
Favorite magazines

Have a great day everyone and I'll talk to you soon!
Your friend,
Dobie

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