Ass't S-2 TF Pegasus
Sprint 768-1056
RelSFOR 758-3031/3032
Robert.Gaudreau@email-tc3.5sigcmd.army.mil
[CSI Homepage] [What's New] [Back Mailings]
Where's Bob?
"Bob who?" you're probably asking. Do you athletes, parents and coaches ever wonder about those uniformed women and men that show up at all the meets with whistles around their necks? We all know that meets cannot run without them and that they ensure fairness, quality, safety and an occasional DQ. These are the USA/CSI Swimming officials that volunteer countless hours so our swimmers may pursue their athletic endeavors. At every meet, they are there from the very beginning to the bitter end walking the slippery, wet deck. Some of these officials even continue to volunteer long after their swimmers have graduated and have moved away from home. Such an official is Bob Gaudreau, who began officiating in 1989 and still officiates as a referee unless he is serving our country in Bosnia. So the answer to the question, "Where's Bob?," is Bosnia.
Bob left for Bosnia on September 8, 2001 after working the deck for the long course season. Click here to read about his tour of duty with the Army Reserves. It is dedicated individuals, such as Bob, that not only make our country what it is today but also are the life-blood of Connecticut Swimming.
Anyone wishing to send Bob some holiday cheer may email him at: Robert.Gaudreau@email-tc3.5sigcmd.army.mil Bob, when not in Bosnia, resides in Wethersfield with his wife, Ann Marie, former coach of the Wethersfield Baraccudas.
Stabilization Force (SFOR) X of Operation Joint Resolve is
the latest 6-month rotation to ensure the compliance with the provisions of the
Dayton Peace Agreement of December 1995. We
provide a presence and a stable environment in which all the former warring
factions can learn to work together and rebuild the infrastructure of the
country. The US, with its
supporting countries controls the northern part of the country. The French and their
supporting countries work in the Southeast portion while the British and their
supporting countries work in the Southwest portion.
In the north with the US, we also have the Russians, the Turks and the
Nordpol Battle Group comprised of Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Poland,
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
The average citizen of this country is very happy to have
us here, even if some of the more polarized factions see us as hampering their
agendas. The other thing that is
very important for this country to see is how a country of diverse backgrounds,
whether the diversity comes from race, religion, ethnicity or political
affiliation, work together. Say
what you will about all the issues and shortcomings that the US has, it’s a
prime example getting along and flourishing in spite of differences.
On an individual soldier level, they see us as a group of people with no
particular “axe to grind”. We’re
here to enforce Dayton and we’ll do that regardless of what side (Bosniac,
Serb or Croat) you were on during the war.
No one group was totally to blame for the war and no one group is totally
innocent.
By way of a quick culture and history lesson, Bosniacs are
Muslim; Serbs are Orthodox Catholic; and Croats are Roman Catholic.
Tuzla happens to be in a predominantly Bosniac area but unlike the
perception folks in the US have (as I did) that Muslims go around in robes, head
coverings etc., that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Unless you know someone’s last name, you can’t tell Bosniacs from
Croats or Serbs with the possible exception that because of family trees, Serbs
tend to be more fair skinned and blond whereas Bosniacs tend to have dark hair
and brown eyes. However, eye color
is not absolute and it’s amazing what colors you can get from bottles these
days (red seems to be popular).
I got on the ground here in Bosnia on September 8 (I
celebrated 3 full months here last Saturday) in support of Operation Joint
Resolve. Although I’m in the Army
Reserve, I was activated to support a National Guard unit that’s from Maryland
and Virginia. I serve as the
Assistant S-2 (Ass’t Intelligence Officer) for Task Force Pegasus which is the
aviation asset for the US Forces in Bosnia.
I’m located at Camp Comanche, a small base about 3 miles southwest of
Eagle Base. Eagle Base is the main
US base here in Bosnia just south of the city of Tuzla in the northeastern
portion of the country.
The aviation task force provides troop and cargo
transportation support to the ground troops with UH-60 Blackhawks as well as
reconnaissance and surveillance support using OH-58D Kiowa Warriors.
The responsibility of my section is to track what is going on in the
country. We want to insure that
when pilots fly, they know the latest situation: who may be striking and why;
who may be protesting and why; whether there are minefields in the area etc. so
that they are not flying into or landing in the unknown.
Since I work in the Tactical Operations Center for the Task
Force, we are manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I run the evening shift for the S-2 section.
I’ve had some time away to attend meetings and to take a semester
college course to learn the Bosnian language but other than that, I’ve been
working straight since late September. The
pace is typically not fast since we are typically maintaining steady state
operations. Unless an operation is
being planned or executed, one day is fairly similar to another.
That can get boring but it also means that no crisis is happening.
As Martha Stewart would say “This is a good thing”.
Winter is also slowing things down.
The area we are in is called the “Tuzla bowl”.
It’s an area around 900ft in elevation surrounded by mountains.
When is get foggy or the ceiling is below the mountaintops, it isn’t
flying weather
Most mornings have fog and it has rained or snowed almost
everyday for the last week or two. The
current temperatures during the day have been in the low 20s.
Being from Connecticut, the weather is familiar.
There’s a contingent of Connecticut National Guard here in the
logistical task force and it’s also familiar weather to them.
It’s a big difference for the troops from Maryland and Virginia. However, it’s another world for the troops here from the
Mississippi National Guard in the infantry task force.
Some of these guys had never seen snow before.
For those wondering how long I’ve been at this, I joined
the reserves the summer I finished college, which makes 31 years last August.
Compared to being in the reserves, I’m a relative neophyte at swim
officiating. I’ve only been
working on the deck since 1988 or 1989 as best I can figure.
Where do I go next? Although
I don’t know the exact date when I’ll be leaving Bosnia, it’ll be toward
the end of March to the beginning of April. That would have been the end of things but with the rest of
my battalion having been activated in October because of Operation Enduring
Freedom, my post-Bosnia future is up in the air. I could be back on deck for the 2002 Long Course season or
maybe not until the 2003 Long Course season.
Time will tell.
Well, I hope I’ve given you the information you wanted. Bottom line, things are going well and I’m fine. It’s an experience of a lifetime. I hope to be able to get out and see some of the countryside in the coming weeks. If things stay relatively calm in the world, I’ll probably get the chance. It’s a beautiful country.
CW4 Robert E. Gaudreau
Ass't S-2 TF Pegasus
Sprint 768-1056
RelSFOR 758-3031/3032
Robert.Gaudreau@email-tc3.5sigcmd.army.mil