Washburn soldiers await Kosovo deployment
By Matt Hopper
Kosovo. Over two million inhabitants fill the self-declared Albanian state. Economic development is slow, but steady, within the southern point of the country---Serbia. Three more individuals will join that mass, blending with an alien culture in a foreign land. Three soldiers far from home, coming from a simple town of a scattered thousand. Three soldiers from a place called Washburn. Kayla Beckman, A.J. Richards and Jordan Ternes are just three of six locals being sent to a foreign country in the coming weeks. Kosovo is their destination. Having never traveled over the ocean, these three will not only experience a new culture, but also, the responsibility of maintaining the peace among these people. A decade of bloody conflict rocked the country of Serbia until intervention by the United Nations occurred, which lasted for the past 10 years. Kosovo made a unilateral declaration of independence about one year ago. A self-declared independent state within Serbia, its succession went unrecognized by the country. Americans are now being sent to observe and keep the peace among the newly independent state. Pristina, the capitol of Kosovo, may be a welcoming site. Although utterly foreign, streets such as Bill Clinton Boulevard and George W. Bush Street should spread a smile of familiarity across the face of our North Dakota troops---so far from home, undertaking an immeasurable duty.
