Missouri Guard sending soldiers to Kosovo

Everything Sgt. 1st Class Michael L. Busby of Cape Girardeau knows about Kosovo is information he garnered from news media, he said.

As one of around 1,000 soldiers training with the Missouri National Guard for deployment to Kosovo as part of a peacekeeping mission, Busby will soon have firsthand experience about the region.

Citizen-soldiers from Jackson, Cape Girardeau and Sikeston will join a task force led by the 110th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade of Kansas City.

"We are committed to providing Kosovo an opportunity to have a safe and secure environment," said Brig. Gen. Larry Kay, commander of the task force. "We will ensure the rule of law is followed and there is freedom of movement for the people of Kosovo."

The task force is a support unit for the NATO-led Kosovo Force, first deployed in 1999 to halt and assist in reversing the "humanitarian catastrophe then unfolding" in Kosovo, said Capt. Tamara Spicer, spokeswoman for the Missouri National Guard.

Recently, the province declared its independence from Serbia, which has caused friction between Serbs in the region and its Albanian majority.

NATO has 16,000 troops in the region.

The first stage of training, which began in February for some soldiers, consists of premobilization preparations in Missouri. Then the task force will proceed to Camp Atterbury, Ind., for training in an environment similar to what they'll encounter in Kosovo, according to Spicer.

After that training is completed, the task force will travel to Hohenfels, Germany, to face realistic tactical situations that could arise in Kosovo. Included in the third phase of preparations will be cultural awareness training, Busby said. Task force members will attend some language training, as well as learn local customs so as not to offend anyone, he said. Part of the training will encompass information about gender roles in the culture.

The tense political climate is something they were already cautioned about, he said.

It will be Busby's first trip to Kosovo, though he was previously deployed overseas in Honduras and Guatemala, he said.

He will be going as a chaplain assistant. His duties will include setting up meetings between a clergy member and soldiers wanting to speak with someone, he said.

There may also be some stress-relief training and activities he'll help organize when he gets there, he said.

Busby plans on bringing along Bibles for soldiers stationed in Kosovo and has spent the past month e-mailing units already there to see what other supplies are needed, he said.

In the past, he's found that school supplies for children, such as notepads and pencils, are always in short supply. Packing some to distribute helps in building goodwill, Busby said.

The deployment, which is expected to last until March 2009, is not something his family has been thrilled about, but they remain supportive of his decision, he said.

"They would rather I not be going, but they're OK with it," Busby said.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245

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