Lt. Shane Sims and his fellow soldiers shared one simple thought as they stepped off the plane in Colorado Springs, Colo., after six months of Bosnian peacekeeping: Boy, does American air smell good.
It was a welcome change from Bosnia, where burning trash, pollution-spewing cars and other stenches can make a breath of fresh air hard to come by.
More than the air, these Fort Carson soldiers said they come home with a greater appreciation of the prosperity and relative harmony of the United States after having served in a war-torn country where people are splintered by hatred.
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The few joyful memories they carry with them — playing soccer with Bosnian children, and sharing coffee and conversation with locals — are overshadowed by horrific, heartbreaking scenes: skeletons of war victims, their blindfolds still intact, being removed from mass graves; houses with walls blasted out where people are trying to scratch out a life; and former neighbors, once close friends, who now speak only ill of one another.
This mission changed them, not just as soldiers, but as human beings.
“I don’t want to ever forget what I saw there,” Sims said. “If every soldier doesn’t see life differently now, then they were over there with their eyes closed.”
Coming home has presented its own challenges. Soldiers with families must again bond with their children, some who may not even recognize them anymore. The soldiers also must try to find a place in households that ran without them for six months.
In some cases, those transitions aren’t happening at all. Several divorces are in the works among the soldiers coming home, though Fort Carson officials could not provide hard numbers.
Most soldiers are taking a few weeks of leave before they return to work in late October and begin the transformation from peacekeepers back to warriors.
But even as the Bosnia mission fades, the soldiers say they will remember the successes and failures, frustration and satisfaction of being Bosnian peacekeepers.
“What we did there, the accomplishments, will never die,” said Capt. Jed Welder.
Added Lt. Jerry Hood: “It’s something we’ll talk about for the rest of our lives.”
By the U.S. Army’s measures, the Bosnia mission was a success. War did not flare up again. No U.S. soldier was seriously injured or killed. SFOR returned some refugees to their homes and seized illegal weapons.
While Hood found the mission challenging and enjoyable, being away from his wife, Kim, was no fun. It was the longest separation in the couple’s three-year marriage, though like many married soldiers, he came home for two weeks midway through the mission.
While the separation was painful, Hood said it helped both of them grow. His wife landed a job she loves. Jerry lifted weights relentlessly, read a lot of books and studied for the law school exam.
The Hoods have had a joyful reunion. But other reunions haven’t had happy endings.
Eric and Sonya Klopfer, who have three young children, are among those splitting. They had talked about divorcing in the past but always made a go of it. The separation of Bosnia was too much, said Eric, a sergeant.
For those couples who stay together, Army Chaplain Guy Glad said the biggest challenge is that the couples will have just a few weeks before soldiers must return to the Army’s fast pace.
The task of turning back into warriors awaits.